Learning Enhancement Action Plan (LEAP)

What is a LEAP?

Academic degree programs will use assessment information to design a project to enhance undergraduate student learning in the degree program. The project will:

    1. Support one or more program learning outcomes;
    2. Make measurable changes to curriculum, instruction, or student academic support; and
    3. Be feasible to implement and evaluate during the plan period.

LEAPs should be informed by data (quantitative and/or qualitative) from assessment of student learning and performance, and use that information to track progress. Programs will need to select or design, conduct, and analyze learning assessments to inform their work.

LEAPs should focus the program’s learning outcomes assessment activities towards the LEAP goals.

What Kinds of Projects Can be LEAPs?

Projects should align with program and department priorities and strategic plans. Projects might include (but are not limited to):

  • Enhancing student writing or critical thinking skills;
  • Improving scaffolding of learning experiences between or among course sequences;
  • Building in instruction for improved collaborative or team-based projects;
  • Creating and implementing signature assignments;
  • Enhancing community-based learning experiences;
  • Creating or enhancing research skills in the field or discipline;
  • Improving specific learning support services.

Who is Expected to Do a LEAP?​

Beginning in Spring 2024, all undergraduate degree programs that are participating in program review will be expected to plan their first LEAP. Programs will phase into the initiative with each year’s program review cycle. 

Responsibility

Faculty will plan, carry out, and evaluate the learning enhancement and assessment plans. LEAP teams should be led by a key faculty member (i.e. course coordinator, curriculum chair, etc.) and may also include academic staff, graduate students, and undergraduate students as appropriate. It is important that program leaders (department chair, associate chair, course coordinators, etc.) support the work of the LEAP team.

Timeline

The LEAP timeline from planning to end of project period should be no more than five years so that programs have time to include a final report in the subsequent program review self-study.

Year 0

Department completes program review self-study
Program identifies LEAP focus, goals, and project team 

Year 1

LEAP team plans project details; communicates regularly with program faculty and staff, and department chair; and identifies learning outcomes assessment strategies. Team documents efforts in the Anthology Planning platform.

Years 2-5

LEAP team implements project; conducts assessments; and communicates regularly with program faculty and staff, and department chair. Team documents efforts in the Anthology Planning platform.

Year 6

Program reports summary of LEAP activities and accomplishments in the self-study for the periodic program review.

Submitting the LEAP Plan

Degree programs will submit their LEAP plan in the Anthology Planning online platform. Plans will include responses to the following items. For programs engaged in program review in 2023-24, the LEAP plan will be due no later than September 30, 2024. [LINK to Planning tool is forthcoming.]

What is the problem or need that the project is meant to address? Why is it a problem? Who does it affect–some or all of your students? What data inform the project? What conclusions can be drawn about the need to improve student learning?

Provide a brief description of the LEAP. What does the program propose to do?

What are reasonable goals for the project? How do the goals align with program, department, and/or institution goals? Goals should be measurable, realistic, and meaningful to student learning.

In the Planning tool, please link up to the relevant program learning outcomes on the top right column on this page. Goals might go beyond the program learning outcomes to include student success or other goals.

Who will be involved in the implementation of the LEAP? 

Degree program faculty will plan, carry out, and evaluate the Learning Enhancement Action Plans. LEAP teams should be led by a key faculty member and may also include academic staff, graduate students, and undergraduate students as appropriate. It is important that program leaders (department chair, associate chair, course coordinators, etc.) support the work of the LEAP team.

Documenting LEAP Progress

Programs will report progress on their plans annually, in the Anthology Planning online platform. Documentation is due each September 30 for the prior academic year’s activities (i.e. work done in AY24-25 will be due September 30, 2025). Responses to the following items will be requested in the Anthology Planning platform:

Briefly summarize the activities that contributed to the LEAP this year. Were there any changes to the LEAP this year, or deviations from the original plan?

What best describes the program-level learning assessment activities that took place in this current reporting year? Check all that apply.

    1. Collected evidence of student learning (e.g., student work; student performance; student self-reports of learning thru surveys, interviews, or focus groups)
    2. Analyzed or evaluated evidence of student learning (e.g., student work; student performance; student self-reports of learning thru surveys, interviews, or focus groups)
    3. Created, modified, or discussed program learning assessment procedures (e.g., changed SLOs, revised the curriculum map, created a mechanism to collect student work, adapted a rubric)
    4. Used assessment results to make programmatic decisions (e.g., change course content or pedagogy, design new course, hiring)
    5. Other
    6. No assessment activities were conducted this year (document in “No Assessment Activities” box below)

Please report the results of program learning outcomes activities in the Degree/Program Learning Outcomes section of the Planning tool (this is a separate template).

Provide a brief summary of what the team learned from assessment activities.

Given the assessment results, what changes to the LEAP might be made moving forward? How does the program expect the changes will improve student learning?

Please only include a response to this item if the program DID NOT engage in assessment activities this year.

Please explain why the program did not engage in learning assessment activities in this reporting period.  (Note: all programs are expected to conduct regular program-level learning outcomes assessment both by Colorado State University Fort Collins and the institutional accreditor, the Higher Learning Commission.)

Support for LEAP Planning and Assessment

To request support for planning or feedback for your LEAP, please contact the Director of Assessment, Dr. Stephanie Foster (Stephanie.foster@colostate.edu).