Student Learning Outcomes Los Angeles Valley College Training, Spring 2008 – part I SLO Coordinator – Rebecca Stein (818)

Why SLOs?  New Accreditation Standards  “Covering” material does not guarantee students have learned it  Success is determined by students leaving a course/program with integrated, higher learning skills they can demonstrate  Establishes clear and transparent expectations for students

ACCJC Requirements  Faculty must: articulate SLOs for each course and program offered. design assessments/evaluations that provide students with an opportunity to demonstrate what they learned. evaluate those assessments and use the information for improvement.

ACCJC Requirements  SLOs should become an integral part of every syllabus.  SLOs should act as a guide for classroom activities.  SLOs should direct classroom assessments/evaluations.

What is this thing called SLO?  SLO means Student Learning Outcome.  They represent broad themes beyond specific course content.  They cut across the curriculum.  They are measurable or observable.

How is an SLO different from an objective? Objectives  Tied directly to specific course content.  Address skills, tools, or content that enable a student to engage in a particular subject.  5 – 7 per course. Outcomes  Overarching understanding and application beyond specific course content.  What students take away from the course that they can use in other courses or in life.  1 – 2 per course.

What are the different levels of SLOs?  College-Level General Education Institutional Outcomes  Program-Level (Degree or Certificate)  Course-Level  Service Outcomes

Course-level SLOs

Writing Course SLOs  Don’t think about content – consider what students should be able to do with what they’ve learned.  How will they demonstrate this?  What can they produce to show faculty that they have learned to apply their new knowledge?

Writing Course SLOs, continued  Describe the broadest goals for the class (higher-level thinking).  Require students to synthesize many discreet skills or areas of content.  Ask them to produce something – papers, projects, portfolios, demonstrations, performances, exams, etc.

Some Don’ts  Don’t use the word “understand” – go for higher level skills.  Don’t make the outcome something that is difficult or impossible to assess.  Don’t use student attitudes unless it is crucial to your course and you can figure out how to assess it.

Some Dos  Look at your syllabus and major assignments as a starting place. What are students being asked to demonstrate in the assignment?  Use action verbs and focus on what students can do.  Make sure the SLO aligns with other courses in a sequence, if applicable.

Sample Course SLOs  Forensic Anthropology – analyze skeletonized human remains to determine sex, age at death, height and genetic ancestry.  Microsoft Word – Analyze communication requirements and produce professional- quality business documents.  Journalism – Construct visually attractive and readable newspaper pages.

Sample Course SLOs  Acting – select, analyze and perform selections utilizing skills of memorization, vocal projection, spatial awareness, stage directions and physical expression.  Composition – write essays demonstrating academic rhetorical strategies and documentation.  Critical thinking – write evidence-based essays demonstrating logical reasoning and argumentative skills.

Sample Course SLOs (LAVC)  Architectural Drawing - develop a complete set of architectural drawings for a single-family dwelling.  Foreign Language - using the vocabulary and structures learned, perform elementary everyday communicative functions in the target language orally and in writing.

Checklist – SLO Statement: describes a behavior or skill beyond recitation or recall of content knowledge uses action verbs from Bloom’s Taxonomy Level 3 and higher describes an overarching outcome rather than something minute; it is global in scope

Checklist – SLO Statement describes a real life skill that students will use beyond the end of the course or the program describes an outcome that is amenable to assessment using a scoring rubric or some other method of evaluation

Bloom’s Taxonomy  Level 3 – Application demonstrate, interpret, predict, solve  Level 4 – Analysis compare, contrast, debate, identify  Level 5 – Synthesis explain, perform, categorize, develop  Level 6 – Evaluation explain, interpret, summarize, judge

Program-Level SLOs

What is a “Program”?  Degree Programs  Certificate Programs  Non-degree Programs (e.g., VCAP, TAP, Writing Center)  Program-level SLOs represent skills, knowledge, and abilities the students attain as a result of the program.

Writing Program-Level SLOs  When writing program outcomes: state the program purpose or mission consider other areas or programs that feed into or interact with your program analyze community expectations for the program survey program descriptors and accomplishments review the components of the program determine participant expectations

Writing Program SLOs  Good program assessment begins with a clearly stated Mission or Goal that defines the program's reason for existence.  Based upon this purpose, assessable outcomes represent a mechanism to determine how well the program is achieving its goal and provides feedback on how to improve.

Program SLOs Community expectations Program vision, mission, and goals LAVC mission, vision and goals Student needs and goals Related professional expectations Course SLOs

Sample Program SLOs  Child Development Certificate attain entry level employment in early childhood settings. plan developmentally appropriate activities and environments for young children. communicate effectively with parents and supervisors.

Sample Program SLOs (LAVC)  AA Degree in Sociology use a societal framework in order to analyze any given situation rather than an individual analysis explain and advocate for healthier societal policies and practices  AA Degree in Music perform appropriate repertoire on their instrument or voice analyze various compositional techniques

Connecting the Dots Course Outcomes Program Outcomes Institutional Outcomes

General Education Outcomes  Reasoning Skills  Communication Skills  Global Awareness  Social Responsibility and Personal Development

Aligning Course SLOs (with Program and GE SLOs) SLO 1SLO 2SLO 3SLO 4 Course 1SF Course 2FF Course 3FFS Course 4SFSF F – formative; S - summative

Assessment: A Brief Introduction

What’s Assessment All About?  An ongoing process aimed at understanding and improving student learning.  Faculty making learning expectations explicit and public.  Faculty setting appropriate standards for learning quality.

Questions for Assessment  What do students need to DO “out there” that we are responsible for “in here”? (Stiehl)  How do students demonstrate the intended learning now?  What kinds of evidence must we collect and how do we collect it?

Assessment Examples  Licensing Exams (e.g., Nursing)  Reflective Self-Assessment Essay  Satisfaction/perception surveys (student, faculty, staff, employer, community)  Case study and problem solving  Exam questions  Term papers

Assessment Examples  Flowchart or Diagram  Capstone Projects  Skill Demonstrations  Use of Rubrics

Checklist – Assessment Measure: is directly related to the outcome (and can realistically measure/document the SLO) is specific enough to show how the SLO is being assessed (e.g., it is not enough to simply write “exam” without showing how the exam will assess student learning)

Checklist – Assessment Measure will produce and/or document evidence of student learning (and will produce manageable information and statistical knowledge) is a realistic, feasible way of collecting and analyzing evidence can differentiate between different levels of achievement through the use of a rubric or other measures

The Paper Trail  Course and Program SLO forms need a Discipline Approval form.  Submit to Erline Ewing in Academic Affairs (for VCCC approval).  Other areas submit to area coordinator: Student Services – Walter Jones Administrative Services – Brick Durley President’s Office – Cherine Trombley

Training Part II – April 28th  Assessing SLOs Why Types of Assessment Data Grading vs. Assessing How to Choose an Assessment Tool Assessment Examples Rubrics  SLO Cycle – Closing the Loop

SLO Drop-In Hours  Tuesday, February 26 th from 11 am – 1 pm in Bungalow 3  Thursday, February 28 th from 9:30 – 11 am in the PMRC  Thursday, March 6 th from 2:00 – 3:00 pm in the PMRC  Additional dates to be announced

Working Session