1	WORKING WITH STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
2	What do we need to do with Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)? Accreditation Standards ask us to do three things with SLOs: Prepare statements of SLOs for the institution, all programs and courses. Establish Assessment Plans for SLOs. Use assessment data to plan for continuous program improvement.
3	Benefits of SLOs A focus on SLOs will benefit faculty and students. The process of defining, assessing and using SLOs should engage all faculty in critical dialogs and reflection about what we teach, how we teach and what students will gain from their educational experience. Students will benefit by having better information about what to expect from their educational experiences, as well as enhanced quality and effectiveness of programs and courses.
4	WHY LEARNING OUTCOMES? Education and Learning: when examining the relation between learning and the education process, we need to consider some basic questions. What is learning? What is the difference between learning and memory?
5	What is Learning? Lasting changes in behavior that result from experience through alterations of cognitive representations of information.
6	Learning: Lasting changes in behavior that result from experience through alterations cognitive representations of information.
7	Learning is not just the acquisition of knowledge, it is the way knowledge produces changes in behavior. Student learning outcomes, by focusing on what students will do, shift emphasis to the meaningful changes in behavior that result from their learning experiences.
8	What are Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)? Definitions of SLOs have been provided by the Accreditation Standards of the ACCJC, the Academic Senate of the California Community Colleges, Cuesta’s Student Learning Outcomes and Assessment Committee and various education reform advocates.
9	Cuesta College’s Working Definition of SLOs Consistent with the ACCJC and California Academic Senate, the following definition was developed by Cuesta faculty: Student Learning Outcomes are broad statements developed by faculty of what students will know and be able to do with that knowledge upon completion of a learning experience. This definition allows us to identify not only specific knowledge and skills, but also the capacities for creative expression and informed judgments, attitudes and ethical behaviors that are the essence of collegiate education.
10	Cuesta College’s Working Definition of SLOs Student Learning Outcomes are broad statements developed by faculty of what students will know and be able to do with that knowledge upon completion of a learning experience. Faculty have responsibility for SLOs and will be the ones who decide how they will be developed and assessed.
11	Advocates of Educational Reform An alternative view of SLOs: Outcomes reflect what students will be able to do in the rest of life as a result of their educational experience. The Outcomes Primer (2^nd Ed). 2002. R. Stiehl & L. Lewchuk. Education should transform students to lead meaningful, effective lives. Learning outcomes should be relevant to the students’ lives and these intended outcomes should determine course and program content, pedagogy and assessment.
12	Different Types of Learning Outcomes: Proximate and Ultimate PROXIMATE SLOs ULTIMATE SLOs SLOs can be identified along a continuum from proximate, those learning outcomes that are closely associated with what students achieve in a specific course or program, to ultimate, those that will be observed in students’ lives beyond the educational setting.
13	Some Examples of SLOs MATHEMATICS Prepare students for Math A.A. requirement; students will be able to: Read and comprehend the directions of the problem Identify and implement a mathematical approach that solves the problem Complete the solution process correctly Determine whether the answer is reasonable
14	Some Examples of SLOs ART Apply the abstract visual elements of art to a variety of 2-dimensional art forms Demonstrate technical skill an creativity in manipulating basic 2-D media Demonstrate the ability to articulate concepts and processes of 2-D art at a college level, including command of basic art vocabulary
15	Some Examples of SLOs COMPUTER APPLICATIONS/OFFICE ADMINISTRATION Demonstrate values including integrity, responsibility, perseverance, and tolerance through the acquisition of knowledge and skills for leadership and teamwork (Human Relationship Skills). Demonstrate basic computer proficiency including familiarity with the keyboard, operating system, and/or word processing/ database/spreadsheet software relevant to the needs of the discipline. (Technical Skills).
16	Some Examples of SLOs Psychology Students will demonstrate understanding of the major concepts, historical approaches, theoretical perspectives, vocabulary and research findings in the major areas of psychology: biological, behavioral, developmental, cognitive, personality, social and clinical/counseling. Students will understand and apply psychological principles and methods to personal, social and organizational issues in ways that promote self-understanding, personal development and effective relationships, and that enable students to function as more effective members of society.
17	Approaches for Student Learning Outcomes and Assessment: Outcomes-down or Program-up? Outcomes-down – establish life outcomes and then design or modify programs, courses, curriculum, assessment and pedagogy to produce those outcomes. Programs-up – examine what you already have and identify or clarify your outcomes and their assessments.
18	Outcomes-down: start with SLOs and then design everything else to support them. Outcomes-down Approach Benefits SLOs can transform education to be more meaningful and relevant to our students’ lives and refocus education on what really matters. The outcomes-down approach forces us to break old habits, assumptions and systems by starting fresh and reexamining everything we do from the central perspective of achieving SLOs.
19	Outcomes-down Approach Problems The insult problem, the arrogance problem and the pragmatism problems. The insult problem – implied criticism that what we are doing now is wrong. Suggests that some of what we do is meaningless, irrelevant, and without clear intention or direction. Faculty should be confident enough in their professionalism that this does not inhibit critical examination of our educational practices.
20	Outcomes-down Approach Problems The arrogance problem – Educators know what the best life outcomes are for students and they know all the ways education can affect their students’ lives. The best outcomes may be unintended or unanticipated. The magic in education is that students may use what they learn in ways that we never imagined. We can’t expect to control or assess many “rest of life” outcomes.
21	Outcomes-down Approach Problems The pragmatism problems – educational practices, especially at the community colleges, often conflict with an outcomes-down, learning outcomes-centered approach. Structural problem: Programs, the official Course Outlines, articulation, curriculum design are content and skills-centered and would all have to be revised if new and different outcomes are created.
22	Outcomes-down Approach Problems The pragmatism problems Assessment problem: longitudinal assessments are very difficult or impossible; it is challenging to monitor life outcomes beyond the course experience.
23	Outcomes-down Approach Problems The pragmatism problems Accountability problem: even if we have intended life outcomes and the means to assess them, we cannot guarantee that learning will be retained or used appropriately beyond the classroom. Teachers cannot be held responsible for what students do in their lives beyond the classroom.
24	Outcomes-down Approach Conclusions Conclusion: focusing on SLOs can potentially make education more relevant and meaningful for our students’ lives, but a major transformation of our thinking and practices poses substantial challenges These challenges may be less daunting if we recognize that specific knowledge and skills are essential for attaining “meaningful” learning outcomes. Curriculum and teaching foster the knowledge and skills that produce meaningful learning outcomes in students’ lives.
25	Program-up approach – examine your programs, courses and syllabi to identify SLOs. Then verify that Course Outlines, assessments and teaching methods are consistent with and support the identified learning outcomes. Course content, teaching and learning outcomes are already connected because each of our educational programs has been established to provide certain intended outcomes, whether they be vocational, educational transfer, personal enrichment or some other purpose.
26	Program-up Approach Benefits A program-up approach can provide a pragmatic and efficient way to align existing programs, courses and assessments with SLOs by conducting SLO audits that document these relationships. SLOs can provide a coherent and efficient means to link program outcomes with curriculum organization, teaching methods and assessment.
27	Program-up Approach Benefits It is ultimately the student who chooses to pursue education and who chooses to pursue particular learning outcomes by their choices of courses and majors, yet they may not have adequate information about education programs to make these choices. By identifying SLOs we can provide students with better information so they can make informed decisions about what they can expect to gain from a particular educational experience.
28	Program-up Approach Benefits As the common strand linking programs, courses, instruction and assessment, SLOs provide a central theme for program review and planning activities that has been reflected in Cuesta’s new Program Review and Unit Plan templates.
29	Program-up Approach Benefits Verifying SLOs assures compliance with Accreditation Standards that require documentation and assessment of SLOs for all programs, courses, and evaluations.
30	Program-up Approach Problems Maintaining the status quo and missed opportunities Maintaining the status quo Unless faculty take a conscientious and professional approach, the identification and assessment of SLOs in relation to their programs and curriculum becomes a meaningless bureaucratic exercise and will do little to improve the education of our students.
31	Program-up Approach Problems Maintaining the status quo We must be willing to revise our SLOs, programs, courses and assessments as we review them in relation to one another so that the Audit process produces continuous reflection and improvement.
32	Program-up Approach Problems Missed Opportunities – for those that advocate fundamental reforms in education, the program-up approach may allow us to avoid considering the real humanistic needs of our students and how education can best serve them to lead productive and meaningful lives.
33	Developing SLOs and Assessments Where should we start? Outcomes-down – Begin by mapping life-outcomes to programs and courses and then find “authentic” assessments that are relevant to the ecological contexts (social, professional, communities) of students. Life outcomes require us to think outside the classroom box. Once outcomes are created, programs and courses are designed to achieve them. Assessments provide appropriate ways for students to demonstrate the intended outcomes.
34	Developing SLOs and Assessments Where should we start? Program-up – Consider program and course descriptions, standards for vocational certification, licensure, and membership in professional organizations, as well as published educational guidelines from professional organizations and SLOs from other similar programs. Synthesize broad statements that have consensus from faculty to yield a Statement of Program Outcomes.
35	Developing SLOs and Assessments Where should we start? The language of SLOs: Program and course descriptions often identify goals and objectives that are not stated as learning outcomes. A useful framework for describing SLOs can be found in Bloom’s Taxonomy that identifies a hierarchy of cognitive learning outcomes. A search of the web can provide examples of Benjamin Bloom’s original list and its many expansions and additions.
36	Developing SLOs and Assessments Where should we start? Program-up – How does the SLO Audit process clarify SLOs? The audit approach consists of several levels: Program and Course Outcomes Audit: for each course, align Outcomes and Objectives from the official Course Outline with established Program Outcomes. Course Outcomes and Assessments Audit: for each course outcome, identify all existing assessments (exam items, assignments, etc.) that demonstrate the outcome.
37	Program and Course Outcomes Audit Example