Improving program operations through managers’ voices: Lessons from a national learning assessment initiative

Abstract

Currently, over 200 institutions participate annually in China’s five major college student learning (CSL) assessment programs every year; however, there remains a lack of systematic research focusing on the operation of these initiatives. This study examines the Mingde Program—one of the longest-running and largest-scale national CSL assessment programs—as a representative case. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining questionnaire surveys with semi-structured interviews. Questionnaires were distributed to program managers from 43 higher education institutions, and follow-up interviews were conducted with 25 program managers. The findings reveal several key challenges in the program’s implementation including limited dissemination and use of assessment results, insufficient professional capacity and turnover among program managers, and inadequate support services provided by the research team. Nonetheless, this program has demonstrated a positive impact on institutional development. Based on these findings, five recommendations are proposed: (1) broaden the dissemination of program results; (2) enhance utilization of assessment outcomes; (3) strengthen the professionalization of program managers; (4) ensure the stability of program management personnel; (5) develop responsive professional services according to institutional needs.

Document Type: Original article

Cited as:

Wang, X. Q., Huang, C., Song, C. X., Wang, Y. R., & Feng, C. C. (2026). Improving program operations through managers’ voices: Lessons from a national learning assessment initiative. Education and Lifelong Development Research, 3(1): 1-12. https://doi.org/10.46690/elder.2026.01.01

References

Astin, A. W. (1985). Achieving educational excellence. Jossey-Bass.

Astin, A. W., & Antonio, A. L. (2012). Assessment for excellence: The philosophy and practice of assessment and evaluation in higher education (2nd ed.). Rowman & Littlefield.

Bao, W. (2014). Unfinished transformation: Higher education impact and student development. Educational Science Publishing House. (In Chinese)

Blaich, C., & Wise, K. (2011). From gathering to using assessment results: Lessons from the Wabash national study. National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment.

Bogue, E. G., & Hall, K. B. (2008). Quality and accountability in higher education (Y. Mao & L. Liu, Trans.). Beijing Normal University Press. (In Chinese)

Center for the Study of the Student Experience. (2019). CSEQ and CSXQ Survey operations closed in 2014; Consider NSSE and BCSSE.

Chang, T. (2022). Overview of student experience in the research university. In T. Chang, F. Gong, G. Lu, D. Xu, & L. Lv (Eds.), SERU in China: Advancing undergraduate learning and development. Nanjing University Press. (In Chinese)

Chen, X. (2000). Qualitative research methods and social science research. Education Science Publishing House. (In Chinese)

Cheng, X. (2011). Management of world-class universities: University management decision and higher education research. Peking University Press. (In Chinese)

Coates, H., & McCormick, A. C. (2014). Introduction: Student engagement—A window into undergraduate education. In H. Coates & A. C. McCormick (Eds.), Engaging university students: International insights from system-wide studies (pp.1-12). Springer.

Creswell, J. W., & Clark, V. L. (2017). Designing and conducting mixed methods research (2nd ed.). (Y. You & F. Chen, Trans.). Chongqing University Press. (In Chinese)

Drennan, J., O’Reilly, S., Clarke, M., & O’Brien, N. (2014). The Irish Survey of student engagement. In H. Coates & A. C. McCormick (Eds.), Engaging university students: International insights from system-wide studies (pp.109-125). Springer.

Ewell, P. T. (1985). Some implications for practice. In P. T. Ewell (Ed.), Assessing Educational Outcomes (pp. 99-110). Jossey-Bass.

Griffin, P., Coates, H., McInnis, C., & James, R. (2003). The development of an extended course experience questionnaire. Quality in Higher Education, 9(3), 259-266.

Han, J. (2012). A study on the evaluation project of National College Student Engagement Survey (NSSE) in the United States [unpublished Master’s dissertation]. Capital Normal University. (In Chinese)

Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation. (2019). Program Evaluation Standards.

Klein, S. P., Kuh, G. D., Chun, M., Hamilton, L., & Shavelson, R. (2005). An approach to measuring cognitive outcomes across higher education institutions. Research in Higher Education, 46(3), 251-276.

Kuh, G. D. (2020). NSSE and NILOA: Compatriots in making outcomes assessment matter more. Assessment Update, 32(2), 10-12.

Lv, L., & Chen, S. (2010). The supporting organization of learning and teaching in the university and its experience: Research on the center for learning and teaching in Newcastle University in Australia. Comparative Education Review, 32（8）, 45-50. (In Chinese)

Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China. (2021). Notice of the Ministry of Education on printing and distributing the Implementation Plan for the Audit and Evaluation of Undergraduate Education and Teaching in Institutions (2021-2025).(In Chinese)

Muijs, D. (2004). Doing quantitative in education with SPSS. Sage Publications.

National Survey of Student Engagement. (2026). How Institutions Use Their Data and Results. 

National Survey of Student Engagement. (2021). What does NSSE do?

Naughton, B. A., Suen, A. Y., & Shavelson, R. J. (2003, April). Accountability for what? Understanding the learning objectives in state higher education accountability programs. Annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL, United States.

Norrie, K., & Conway, A. (2014). Canadian perspective on student engagement. In H. Coates & A. C. McCormick (Eds.), Engaging university students: International insights from system-wide studies. Springer.

Qu, Q., Fu, C., & Gao, S. (2013). Student learning survey results analysis of major and course situation: Take Sun Yat-sen University as an example. China University Teaching, 8, 84-86. (In Chinese)

Sanders, J. (2012). The program evaluation standards: How to assess evaluation of education program (2nd ed.). (L. Liu, Trans.). Peking University Press. (In Chinese)

Shi, J. (2016). Governing the quality: Current and future development of the student survey in China. China Higher Education Research, 2, 37-41. (In Chinese)

Shi, J., & Wang, W. (2018). Learner-Centered education for sustainable development: The academic and policy implication of research on China college student learning. Journal of East China Normal University (Educational Sciences), 36(4), 18-27. (In Chinese)

SPSSAU. (2020). Reliability analysis. (In Chinese)

Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1990). Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and techniques. Newbury Park: Sage.

Strydom, J. F., & Mentz, M. M. (2014). Student engagement in South Africa: A key to success, quality and development. In H. Coates & A. C. McCormick (Eds.), Engaging university students: International insights from system-wide studies. Springer.

The Student Survey. (2026). Frequently Asked Questions.

Wang, X., & Niu, T. (2022). Th development of American NSSE in past 20 years and its impact on Chinese college students learning. Journal of Higher Education, 43(12): 87-100. (In Chinese)

Wang, X., & Wang, J. (2018). The academic achievement assessment of Chinese university students: A two-decade review (1998-2017). Journal of Soochow University (Educational Science Edition), 6(3), 62-73. (In Chinese)

Wang, X., & Yin, H. (2022). On undergraduate education quality impact dynamics mechanism of learning assessment program—Grounded Theory analysis of China Mingde Program. Research in Higher Education of Engineering, 2, 129-135. (In Chinese)

Wei, S., & Chen, M. (2016). The influence mechanism of learning effect of undergraduates. Research in Higher Education of Engineering, 2, 167-173. (In Chinese)

Yan, F. (2010). Theoretical and practical research on educational meta-evaluation. East China Normal University Press. (In Chinese)

Yin, H., & Zheng, K. (2017). Students’ course experience and engagement: An attempt to bridge two lines of research on the quality of undergraduate education. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 42(7), 1145-1158.

Zhang, J. (2014). Teaching quality evaluation and guarantee based on the value-added development of students. Beijing Normal University Press. (In Chinese)

Zhu, H., & Zhang, W. (2020). Elite college students’ family backgrounds and their development: A survey on freshmen of Peking University (2016-2018). Journal of Higher Education, 41(10), 71-82. (In Chinese)