1. Creating Assessable Student Learning Outcomes
David Gibbs and Teresa Morris College of San Mateo

2. SLOs for This Workshop
Upon completion of this workshop, participants will be able to …
Explain how SLOs can be valuable (even if you don’t like them).
Distinguish between assessable and unassessable SLOs.
Write an assessable SLO.
Propose one means of assessing an SLO.
Describe the assessment cycle.

3. What Is an SLO? (selected definitions)
A clear, concise statement that describes how students can demonstrate their mastery of a given educational goal.
A specifiable activity, product, behavior, knowledge, skill, ability or attitude that we want students to manifest in measurable or observable ways, indicating whether desired learning has occurred and to what degree it has occurred.

4. Why SLOs? Accreditation expectations
Teaching-Centeredness  Learning- Centeredness
Focus on what students
Know (cognitive)
Think (attitudinal)
Do (behavioral)
as a result of an educational program.

5. Questions SLO Assessment Can Answer
Are our students learning what we think is important?
Are they learning what they need to succeed in a given field, profession or life (lifelong learning skills)?
Are we improving in our ability to help students learn?
Do our curriculum or teaching strategies need to be modified?
Are there other techniques or resources that would help our students learn more effectively?

6. Part one: WRITING SLOS

7. A Good SLO Will …
Result in a positive impact in the classroom, on the job, or in students’ personal lives.
Expose students to some learning activity or environment.
Involve the participation of faculty or staff as facilitators of learning.

8. A Good SLO Will … Focus on student outcomes.
Describe measurable behaviors, activities or products of understanding or learning.
Capture what students will be able to do or produce as a result of learning that occurs.

9. Institutional SLOs
Students who receive an Associate degree or who complete the CSU-GE or IGETC pattern for general education at College of San Mateo will be able to…
Comprehend, interpret, and analyze written and oral information.
Interpret graphical representations of quantitative information.
Assess the adequacy of both qualitative and quantitative evidence.
Work effectively with others of diverse backgrounds.
(and 11 others)

10. Sample Library SLOs Students will be able to …
Renew a book using the online catalog. [circulation SLO]
Use the online catalog to find a book by title or author search.[orientation SLO]
Narrow a research topic that is too broad. [reference SLO]
Explain the difference between a primary and a secondary source. [credit course SLO]
Articulate several ways in which the library remains relevant in the Internet age. [program SLO]

11. The All-Important Verb
Use demonstrable, observable, measurable verbs like define, identify, recognize, describe, distinguish, contrast, evaluate.
Avoid passive, unobservable, unmeasurable verbs like understand, comprehend, think, believe.
Avoid phrases like “appreciation for,” “awareness of.”

12. “Bad” SLOs (real-life examples)
Students will be able to …
Understand the different ways that resources are organized, such as the Library of Congress Classification System.
Understand the basic organization of the Internet.

13. Part two: assessing SLOS

14. Questions to Ask How will each outcome be assessed?
How will data be collected?
Who will collect and analyze the data?
When and how often will assessment be done?
Where will results and implications be documented and stored?

15. Properties of Good Assessment Techniques
Valid
The assessment directly measures the learning outcome being assessed.
Reliable
Including inter-rater reliability.
Actionable
Can you make improvements based on the findings?
Efficient and Cost-Effective
Faculty time, campus money.
Engaging/Interesting
To gain both student and faculty buy-in.
Triangulatable
Multiple lines of evidence point to same conclusion.

16. Direct vs. Indirect Assessment
Published tests (e.g. ETS)
Locally-developed tests
Embedded assignments and course activities
Portfolios
Student surveys
Interviews
Focus groups

17. SLO Cycle A permanent, ongoing process:
Define intended educational outcomes .
Identify methods of measuring outcomes
Administer assessments.
Review results and use to make decisions regarding program improvement.
Repeat assessments in subsequent cycles to track improvements, change, trends, relevancy.
“Close the Loop”: Document how you used results to make program improvements.

18. End of PowerPoint
Let the assessment begin …