1. Creating Meaningful Student Learning Outcomes
Catherine Wehlburg, Ph.D.
Associate Provost, Institutional Effectiveness

2. What are Student Learning Outcomes?
Student learning outcomes (SLOs) are statements that specify
what students will know,
be able to do or
be able to demonstrate when they have completed or participated in a program/activity/course/project.
Outcomes are usually expressed as knowledge, skills, attitudes or values.

3. SLOs Should Focus on:
What you want your students to know at the end of a course, program, or major
What you want your students to understand at the end of a course, program, or major
What you want your students to have the ability to do at the end of a course, program, or major

4. Why are Student Learning Outcomes Important?
Communicate expectations to learners
Act as a template for course design
Guide selection/design of appropriate assessments

5. Why are Student Learning Outcomes Important?
Allow educators to match teaching strategies to stated outcomes
Allow faculty, staff, and Institutional researchers to assess the impact of instruction
Clearly communicate graduates’ skills to prospective employers
Provide benchmarks for formative, summative and prior learning assessment

6. How Many Student Learning Outcomes Should There Be?
A course, program, or major should have as many outcomes as necessary to clearly reflect what students will learn.
Ideally, each course, program, or major should have 1-5 learning outcomes.

7. Components of a Student Learning Outcome
Student Learning Behavior-Knowledge, skill, or attitude to be gained
The Method of Assessment- conditions of performance
Criteria for achievement- the levels of acceptable performance

8. Are Your SLOs S.M.A.R.T.? Specific Measurable
-Clear and definite terms describing the abilities, knowledge, values, attitudes, and performance
Measurable
-It is feasible to get data: data are accurate and reliable; it can be assessed in more than one way
Aggressive and Attainable
-The outcome has the potential to move the program or unit forward
Results – oriented
-Describe what standards are expected from students or the functional area being assessed
Time-bound
-Describe a specified time period for accomplishing the outcome
From Peter Drucker, 1954

9. 7 Steps for Creating Student Learning Outcomes
Faculty/Staff Meeting or form a committee and begin
brainstorming about what an ideal student/graduate should
know, understand, or have the ability to do.
Step 2
Draft a list of outcomes based on the discussion from the “ideal student/graduate” discussion
Step 3
List appropriate student learning outcomes on every course syllabus

10. 7 Steps for Creating Student Learning Outcomes (cont’d)
Gather and report feedback from faculty, staff, and students on how well the outcomes have been addressed.
Step 5
Assess student learning (assignments, projects, quizzes, etc.)

11. 7 Steps for Creating Student Learning Outcomes (cont’d)
Meet with faculty and staff at the end of the semester of academic year to discuss data and revise the list of outcomes, teaching strategies, and curriculum.
Step 7
Repeat steps as often as needed.

12. The Assessment Process (Huba & Freed, 2000)
Formulate statements of intended learning outcomes
Develop or select assessment measures
Create experiences leading to outcomes
Discuss and use assessment results to improve learning

13. Bloom’s Taxonomy
Benjamin Bloom - formulated a classification of "the goals of the educational process".
Three "domains" of educational activities were identified.
Cognitive Domain, involves knowledge and the development of intellectual attitudes and skills.
The other domains are the Affective Domain and the Psychomotor Domain

14. Bloom’s Taxonomy Taxonomy of Cognitive Objectives
Developed by Benjamin Bloom in the 1950’s
Means of expressing qualitatively different kinds of thinking
Adapted for classroom use as a planning tool
Continues to be one of the most universally applied models

15. Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy
Provides a way to organize thinking skills into six levels, from the most basic to the higher order levels of thinking
1990s- Lorin Anderson (former student of Bloom) revisited the taxonomy
As a result, a number of changes were made
(Pohl, 2000, Learning to Think, Thinking to Learn, pp. 7-8)

16. BLOOM’S REVISED TAXONOMY Creating -Generating new ideas, products, or ways of viewing things Evaluating -Justifying a decision or course of action Analysing -Breaking information into parts to explore understandings and relationships Applying -Using information in another familiar situation Understanding -Explaining ideas or concepts Remembering -Recalling information  

17. Template for Writing SLOs
The student will be able to (specific student behavior)
______________________________________________________
as measured by (conditions of performance – could include time frame)
at the ______________________________________ level (performance criteria).

18. Questions?