Outcomes Assessment is the process of collecting information that will tell an organization whether the services, activities, or experiences it offers are having the desired impact on those who partake in them; that is, is a difference being made in the lives of these individuals?

In higher education, at its simplest, outcomes assessment consists of three stages:

1. Defining the most important goals for students to achieve as a result of participating in a academic experiences (the outcome stage).
2. Evaluating how well students are actually achieving those goals (the assessment stage).
3. Using the results to improve the academic experience (closing the loop).

For Montgomery College in particular, outcomes assessment will tell us whether students who take advantage of our courses (credit and non-credit), programs, and student, academic and administrative support services in order to achieve their academic goals and become better and more enlightened individuals, do in fact change and benefit in those ways as a result of their time at the College.