Measuring student learning gain: a review of transatlantic measurements of assessments in higher education

Abstract

Learning gain is a valuable lens on student development.  Its importance has was highlighted by discussions framing the teaching excellence framework (TEF), which considered the ‘distance travelled’ by a learner as a potential metric.  Learning gain in England is at its early stages whilst the United States have had a much more established 'measurement of learning gain' culture.  This paper examines the already existing measures being used within the US including the three standardised measures of the Voluntary System of Accountability, including the Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA), and one self-report measure.