AbstractThe assessment of student learning outcomes comprises two stages: designing
and conducting the assessment and making use of the results of the assessment to
improve the program. This chapter deals with the first stage: designing and implementing
an assessment of the knowledge and skills in literary interpretation and
analysis of graduating Spanish majors at the University of Iowa. We begin with
background on the project and the student learning outcomes for the Spanish. We
describe the process, grounded in Patton’s (2008) utilization-focused evaluation
framework, of developing the assessment rubric, and we then report on its use in
an operational assessment. In the discussion, we consider the impact of the assessment
on the curriculum in the Spanish major and implications of this project
for language program directors.