The development of student learning outcomes — Based accreditation model in institutional and programme accreditation in Taiwan higher education

Student learning had been the central concern of higher education and accreditation for more than a decade. Many institutions, programs, and accrediting organizations are hearing similar requests about student learning outcomes from a number of sources. The most common request is to provide concrete evidence of student academic achievement and to report on this evidence in a manner that is readily understandable to the public at large. The public, higher education community, policy makers, and students increasingly seek such information when making judgments about the quality of accredited institutions and programs. The main purpose of the paper is to examine recent educational policy trends in Taiwan that emphasize learning outcomes and quality assurance in the new cycle program in 2012 and institutional accreditations in 2011.