The Development of a Student Learning Outcomes Based Accreditation Model in Taiwan Higher Education

Student learning is currently a central concern of higher education administration and accreditation. Many institutions, programs and accrediting organizations are hearing similar requests about student learning outcomes from a number of sources: they all want to be able to provide concrete evidence of student academic achievement in higher education and to report on this evidence in a manner that is readily understandable to the public at large. Hence, the public, the higher education community, policy makers and students are increasingly seeking to use such information as an integral part of making judgments about the quality of accredited institutions and programs. The main purpose of the paper is to examine recent educational policy trends that emphasize learning outcomes and quality assurance in many nations and Taiwan higher education and the role that the accrediting agencies play. Finally, the challenges that institutions and accrediting agencies are facing will be stated as a conclusion.