Creating Related Connections
A related connection lets an outcome use assessment data that already exists for another outcome in the same institutional hierarchy unit or in a unit below it. Faculty and staff assess student work once, and those results count everywhere they apply. This saves time, avoids duplicate data entry, and keeps your data consistent, because each result is recorded in one place and reported wherever it's needed.
Use a related connection when an existing outcome's results already measure what you need. For example, a college may have already assessed its own program learning outcome (PLO) for quantitative reasoning. It can relate that PLO to the institutional learning outcome (ILO) for quantitative reasoning, so the PLO's results count toward the ILO.
A related outcome doesn't have to match exactly. It can measure one part of a broader outcome. For example, an ILO for Communication covers many skills, and a program's PLO may measure one of them, such as Oral Communication. Relating the PLO to the ILO lets the program's Oral Communication out results count toward the institution's Communication outcome.
Outcomes offers two types of connection:
Connection type | What it does | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
Assigned | Asks one or more units below yours to carry out the assessment | Other units need to collect new data |
Related | Uses results that already exist for another outcome in your unit or a unit below it | The data you need has already been collected |
Both types produce the same aggregate and comparative reports; only the workflow differs. The types aren't mutually exclusive. Different units can use different connection types for the same outcome, and your institution can use both types across different outcomes.
Before You Begin
The outcome must already exist.
You can only create a connection from an outcome statement that has already been written.
The outcome you relate to should have results.
A related connection uses that outcome's assessment and results data, so check that it has been assessed for the term you are working in.
Know which term you are measuring.
Connections are created for a specific term.
Check whether connections were made in a past term.
Connections can be set up once and copied from term to term. Copying them saves time and keeps your data consistent over time.
Create a Related Connection
Step 1: Open the Outcome
How you open the outcome depends on whether it was assigned to your unit.
For an outcome that belongs to your unit:
Navigate to your institutional hierarchy unit in the organizational chart.
Select the title of the outcome.
If you opened the outcome from the term overview, select the term you want to measure it in. If you already selected a term in the Term menu, you skip this step.
For an outcome assigned to your unit from a unit above it:
An assigned outcome doesn't appear in your outcome list until you decide how to measure it.
Navigate to your institutional hierarchy unit in the organizational chart.
In the context panel on the right, open the Pending Connections tab. It lists every outcome assigned to your unit that still needs a decision.
Select the title of the outcome.
Step 2: Choose to relate the outcome
Under How will assessment be performed?, select Connection. Depending on your institution's settings, you may also see Assessment and LMS Outcomes Import. Neither is used for a related connection.
In the Create Connection window, under Relate, select Relate to other outcomes.
Step 3: Select the Outcomes to Relate
The Related Connection window opens. On the left is your unit and the units below it. On the right are the outcomes for the unit selected on the left. To find an outcome in a unit below yours, select the arrow next to that unit.
Find the outcome whose results you want to use.
Select Add next to it. The outcome appears in the Related Preview section at the bottom of the page.
Repeat for any other outcomes you want to relate. To take one out, select Remove next to it, or select Remove Connection in the Related Preview section. To clear them all, select Remove All.
Review the Related Preview section, then select Submit.
The outcome now shows a Related Connections section that lists each related outcome and its results. To change the connection later, select Edit Connections. To remove every related outcome, select Remove All.
What Happens After Related Outcomes are Submitted?
The outcome shows the related results.
The related outcome's results appear as this outcome's Aggregated Result. You don't need to complete the Assessment Template or Results Template for it.
The outcome is labeled Related.
Use the Related filter on the outcome list to find outcomes measured this way.
If the outcome was assigned to your unit, the data moves up.
The results pass up the assignment chain to each unit above yours, ending at the unit that made the assignment.
Units above yours see combined reports.
When you open the outcome at a higher unit, the aggregate report at the top combines data from every source. The comparative report shows each source side by side, under the Directly Assigned Connections heading for assigned outcomes.
Example
An institution wants to measure its institutional learning outcome ILO 4: Quantitative Reasoning. The institution assigned ILO 4 to Academic Affairs, and Academic Affairs assigned it to two colleges.
Unit | How it measures ILO 4 | Connection type |
|---|---|---|
Biology department, in the College of Arts and Science | Conducts a new department-level assessment | Assessment, after an assigned connection from the college |
College of Business | Uses results from its own PLO 1: Quantitative Reasoning, which it already assessed | Related |
At the College of Business, ILO 4 appears on the Pending Connections tab. The college selects Connection, then Relate to other outcomes, and adds PLO 1: Quantitative Reasoning. PLO 1's results then appear as ILO 4's results.
At Academic Affairs, ILO 4 combines data from the Biology department and the College of Business. The comparative report shows the College of Arts and Science and the College of Business side by side. The combined data then passes up to the institution.
Copying connections to a new term
You don't have to rebuild related connections every term. Site administrators can copy outcomes, connections and assessments from one term to another. This saves time and keeps your data consistent over time.
For more detail, see Copying Outcomes, Connections & Assessments