Evaluation of software tools supporting outcomes-based continuous program improvement processes

Abstract

The Canadian engineering accreditation board (CEAB) mandate tasked each engineering programto assess student outcomes in the form of graduate attributes and develop a data-informed continuous program improvement stemming from those assessments. Administering, collecting and organizing the breadth assessment data is an extensive process, typically centralized through the use of software tools such as learning management systems (LMS), content management systems (CMS), continuous program improvement systems (CPI). These systems serve av ariety of roles, ranging from course content delivery, elearning, distance education, learning outcomes assessment, outcomes data management and learning outcomes analytics. Vendors have been developing various solutions to accommodate the shift towards outcomes based assessment as part of a continuous improvement processes.This paper will compare and contrast software tools supporting outcomes based assessment as part of acontinuous improvement process such as eLumen, Canvas, Moodle, WaypointOutcomes, Desire2Learn and LiveText.