P ROGRAM L EARNING O UTCOMES A SSESSMENT & C OURSE D ESIGN Jessica DeVries, Office of Vice-Provost & Associate Vice-President (Academic) Dr. Samah Sabra, Educational Development Centre

Are they learning what I’m teaching? How well do they understand they key concepts/materials? What can I do differently in my course to improve student learning?

Program Learning Outcomes Assessment

Program Assessment Cycle

Context for Program Assessment & QA Global trends in higher education and quality assurance Student-centered Ontario Universities’ Council on Quality Assurance o Quality Assurance Framework (QAF) o Institutional Quality Assurance Process (IQAP) o Degree Level Expectations (DLEs) At Carleton: o Program learning outcomes and assessment owned and driven by faculty and students o Quality assurance is focused on continuous improvement

Degree Level Expectations Degree Level Expectations for undergrad and grad programs “identify the broad categories of knowledge and skills that students must demonstrate in order to be awarded a degree: ➊ Depth and breadth of knowledge ➋ Knowledge of methodologies/ Research and scholarship ➌ Application of knowledge ➍ Communications skills ➎ Awareness of the limits of knowledge ➏ Autonomy and professional capacity” Council of Ontario Universities Ensuring the Value of University Degrees in Ontario, p.16

DLEs, PLOs, CLOs

New Faculty & Program Assessment Talk to your Chair/Director (or University Librarian) about program learning outcomes o What are the program learning outcomes? o How does the curriculum fit together? o How does your course contribute to the achievement of the program learning outcomes? Talk to your colleagues about the program Talk to us! o Office of the Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President (Academic) o Education Development Centre

What are learning outcomes? What students will know, value, or be able to do upon completion of a program or course.

Learning Outcomes & Course Design

course level: By the end of this course, students will be able to o DIFFERENTIATE between speed and velocity o EXPLAIN the role of agency in audience reception program level: By the end of this program, students will be able to o COMMUNICATE scientific information to scientific and non- scientific audiences in written formats (e.g., reports, letters, memos, briefing notes) o ASSESS their own and others’ attitudes towards different cultures 11

Common errors Troublesome words: o Understand o Know o Appreciate o Be familiar with o Be aware of Also avoid: o Squeezing multiple outcomes into one statement

Activity: spot the problem demonstrate awareness of the scope and variety of works in the arts and humanities o Describe a variety of works in the arts and humanities o Analyze a variety of works in the arts and humanities 13

Activity: spot the problem be familiar with current programming languages o Identify current programming languages o Apply current programming languages 14

Activity: spot the problem understand professional, ethical, and social responsibilities o Demonstrate principles of professional, ethical, and social responsibilities o Justify personal actions through the principles of professional, ethical, and social responsibilities 15

Questions or comments? Thank you!