Student Learning Outcomes at PCC Adapted from a presentation to the PCC Board of Trustees in 2007

In the beginning... there were SLOs Then Kay went to a conference in North Carolina and

WOW! We have SLOs

Overarching specific observable characteristics Developed by local faculty Allow faculty to determine or demonstrate evidence that learning has occurred Broad statements of intent or vision that are observable or measurable Working with the 2002 Accreditation Standards: the Faculty’s Role ASCCC, Standards and Practices Committee

College Strategic Directions and Goals include SLOs (beginning in 2004) Goal: Instruction, Student Services, and the Academic Senate will begin developing and implementing SLOs to promote student success. Goal: College-wide SLO Steering Committee will guide development of SLOs and piloting of baseline assessment of such SLOs. 3-year plan to develop course level SLOs in each division, 1/3 of courses each year – we are near the goal. We started with course SLOs, then Institutional level SLOs and now program-level SLOs

PCC’s SLO Organization College-wide SLO Steering Committee College-wide SLO Steering Committee Shared governance Division Council Instructional divisions – deans and faculty Academic Senate Committees Senate Board approval of SLO policies and procedures SLO Resource Center (aka: SLO ARC Student Learning Outcomes and Assessment Resource Center

College-wide SLO Steering Committee Co-chairs: Jackie Jacobs, Vice-President of Instructional Services, Lisa Sugimoto, Vice-President of Student and Learning Services, Kay Dabelow, President of the Academic Senate Members: shared governance committee Faculty appointed by the Academic Senate: includes relevant committee chairs (C&I, Faculty Development, SLO, and faculty representatives from SLO Division Council; Classified representative(s); Administration representatives : includes Division Deans and support administrators (e.g. IPRO, Academic Support, Enrollment, CTE) Associated Students representative;

Role of the College-wide SLO Steering Committee: Review SLO policies and implementation procedures recommended by the Academic Senate for possible implementation Develop SLO policies and implementation procedures in accordance with the college’s shared governance process Solicit funding and support to sustain SLOs planning and development Communicate progress and SLO institutional needs to the SLO Division Council, the college president, College Coordinating Council, and the college Board of Trustees Assure SLO development and assessment process is consistent with the Accreditation standards Address and resolve issues that arise in support of the College’s SLO process

An ongoing dialog continually informs this process

SLO Division Council Members : Division Deans and Faculty members from each Instructional Division, including Library and Counseling Co-Chairs: a division dean and a faculty currently, our Health Sciences Division dean and a Visual Arts and Media Studies Division faculty. Meets monthly

Role of the SLO Division Council Inform SLO Steering Committee on issues that relate to the SLO development and assessment process Communicate SLO Steering Committee policies and procedures to faculty Provide faculty support relative to the SLO development and assessment process Promote the activities of the SLO Steering Committee and SLO Resource Center Support the integration of institutional SLOs with program and course SLOs [Encourage dialog between and within divisions]

Academic Senate Faculty survey about SLOs Creating and expanding dialogue: faculty workshops on SLOs and assessment (recordings available in the Media Center Co-sponsor of Summer Institute and retreats Developed Institutional SLOs Developing Resources: SLO webpage; SLO newsletter

Academic Senate Committees working on SLOs Educational Policies Faculty Development Vocational Education Curriculum & Instruction Student Learning Outcomes Committee SLO Resource Team

Institutional Level SLOs 1. Communication: Use language and non-verbal modes of expression appropriate to the audience and purpose. 2. Cognition: Use critical thinking skills to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate ideas and information. 3. Information Competency: Utilize research skills necessary to achieve educational, professional, and personal objectives. 4. Social Responsibility: Demonstrate sensitivity to and respect for others and participate actively in group decision making. 5. Personal Development: Demonstrate self-management, maturity, and growth through practices that promote physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Approved by Academic Senate, 11/7/05, the Student Learning Outcomes Steering Committee 12/1/05 and the Board of Trustees July 19, 2006

Institutional Level SLO 3. Information Competency: Utilize research skills necessary to achieve educational, professional, and personal objectives. Examples: Information Literacy: Use print materials, personal communications, observations, and electronic media to locate, retrieve, and evaluate information. Understand the ethical, social and legal issues surrounding the use of information. Technological Competency: Apply technology effectively to locate, interpret, organize and present information. Research Proficiency: Conduct research and present findings effectively.

Timeline (Overview) 2004 Spring: College introduced to Huba and Freed’s book Learner-centered Assessment On College Campuses : Shifting The Focus From Teaching To Learning. Fall: SLO organization established; initial SLO meeting (Steering Committee and Division Council) held in December

2005 SLO Steering Committee meets monthly Retreat for instructional deans Faculty survey about SLOs; L unch & Learn workshops; division discussions and SLO retreats; Summer Institute for faculty and instructional deans held at Kellogg West SLO and Accreditation Timeline developed

2005 Discipline faculty select two to three courses for SLO development and implementation Program Review process encompasses SLOs Institutional SLOs approved Steering Committee recommends: Position of SLO coordinator(s) SLO relationship to C & I ( Flow chart)

Continue development of course level SLOs Steering Committee recommendations reviewed/taken to College Coordinating Council SLO Resource Center funded through PFE Process of development and implementation continues through 2008

Continue developing SLOs – all levels SLO Resources Website created Faculty SLO workshops by and for PCC Faculty presenters SLO Newsletter for faculty Semester-long SLO/WAC workshops to prepare faculty “mentors” for each division Half-day Division SLO workshops

Flex Days -Faculty and College-wide Spring 2007 faculty flex day Focus on developing SLOs and assessment Distributed draft Guidelines for Writing Student Learning OutcomesGuidelines for Writing Student Learning Outcomes Included evening program for adjuncts Fall 2007 Campus wide flex day focus teaching & learning controversial Spring 2008 Campus wide flex day Focus on assessment and developing rubrics to assess course and program SLOs

Student and Learning Services Involvement of the Area Piloting SLOs in Counseling services and courses Discussion of how support services fit with SLOs Co-curricular outcomes Support Services Outcome (SSOs)

What’s Next eLumen college purchases eLumen assessment software Small group of Faculty pilot e-lumen Spring 2008 Implementation in Fall 2008 Assessment of SLOs – closing the loop Relationship to grading Outcomes-based grading Accreditation – meeting the requirements and benefiting from the process