© 2016, Springer Science+Business Media New York. Assessment of learning outcomes at the program level is essential to evaluate whether students are achieving what is expected of them as graduates. In this article we present the results of a study in which faculty focus groups were consulted so as to understand the subjective issues that surround the learning outcomes assessment program of an institution. We hope that our study contributes to continuous improvement in institutional assessment practices and to the improvement of student learning. We analysed the data through the lens provided by a leadership model since leadership is a key driver of assessment practices that lead to changes to improve student learning.