Abstract Beyond the financial return on investment metrics that dominate public discourse, institutions need evidence systems aligned with their core mission: student learning. This study reports on a pilot implementation of a longitudinal learning evidence ecosystem designed to track developmental gains across the undergraduate experience. Leveraging a campus-wide data collection infrastructure with response rates exceeding 95%, we examined information literacy development using matched assessments from students’ first and final years. Findings revealed modest but statistically significant gains, consistent with national benchmarks. More notably, students who entered the Honors College in their first semester demonstrated significantly stronger sophomore-year performance than later entrants, suggesting that early, structured academic engagement can yield disproportionate developmental benefits. Our collaborative model brings together assessment practitioners and academic leaders with curricular authority—such as the Dean of the Honors College—enabling exploratory, institutionally relevant assessment research. The findings illustrate how institutions can design learning evidence ecosystems that go beyond compliance, support evidence-informed decision-making, and offer a deeper understanding of educational value. We conclude with design principles for implementing similar models in other institutional contexts.
Good et al. (Thu,) studied this question.