Transcript LEARNING OUTCOMES WORKSHOP - UNT Division of Student …

LEARNING OUTCOMES WORKSHOP
Dr. Jan Hillman
University of North Texas
January 8, 2007
Why do we need Student Learning
Outcomes?
 SLOs are part of comprehensive assessment plans:
Tracking
Satisfaction
Needs
Student Culture & Campus Environment
Outcomes
Comparative Institution (benchmarking)
National Standards
Cost Effectiveness
Why do we need Student Learning
Outcomes?
 Our student affairs philosophy and
history
Our piece of educating students has
developed from providing services to
student learning and development,
which requires a different kind of
measurement
Why do we need Student Learning
Outcomes?
 National Standards and External
Influences
Learning Reconsidered: Campus-Wide Focus on
the Student Experience (2004, NASPA,ACPA)
Spellings Commission Report and NASULCG
Response
Accreditation
What are the benefits of using SLOs?
 Reinforces the university mission
 Helps students learn more effectively
 Makes clear what students can gain from
participating in programs and activities
 Informs overall planning and decisionmaking
 Defines the appropriate techniques and
activities to use for learning to occur
 Helps to explain what the activity or
program is to achieve
 Ensures the appropriate assessment is used
How do I write SLOs?
 Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) focus
on behavior that is a result of some
intervention or activity
 Most accurate when measurable changes in
knowledge, skills, behaviors, values
 Uses action verbs—Bloom’s Taxonomy
 Best ones describe knowledge or skills that
will be used beyond their university
experience
How do I write SLOs?
 Example:
You could write: Students will make ethical
decisions
More concrete SLOs:
1) Students will define and describe ethical
behavior
2) Students will compose an ethical
dilemma case study
3) Students can define ethical and unethical
behavior from case studies from their peers
Questions to Ask
(from Bresciani, Zelna & Anderson, 2004)
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Is is measurable?
Is it meaningful?
Is it manageable?
Who will I gather information from?
Who would know if the outcome is met?
How will I know if the outcome is met?
Will it provide evidence that will lead me to
continuous improvement?
Use multiple measures for robust
results
 Examples:
Survey with follow-up interview or focus
group
Pre and post tests
Student self-evaluation and
faculty/staff/peer evaluation of student
Tools and Strategies
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Portfolios
Senior/capstone projects
Observations of student behavior
Juried reviews of student performance
Internships and student employment
Performance on case studies
Standardized or national licensure tests
Performances/exhibits
Questionnaires and surveys
Completion rates, job placement rates
Evaluating with rubrics
Examples from Paradise Valley
Community College of Tools
 Service Learning—written reflection
rubric
 Learning Support Center—tutor
observations
 Media Services—pre/post survey of
services used
Examples of SLOs from Meredith
College Child Development Course
 Identify communication patterns that
contribute to positive interpersonal
relationships
 Analyze factors which contribute to
the dysfunctioning of families
Examples from University of West
Florida
 SLO: Students will demonstrate proficient
teamwork and communication skills
Assessment Tool: teamwork rubric and
communication rubric completed by faculty,
supervisors and students
 SLO: Our student staff will demonstrate
professionalism
Assessment Tool: Students and supervisors
rate students with a professionalism rubric
Let’s’ Practice!
 Use form to write an SLO from your
department using a strategy from the
UNT Strategic Plan
 See University of Oregon example
 Come back together and share!
Summary Advice from Dr. Marilee
Bresciani
 Go ahead and write every program outcome down
 However, do not try to assess every program outcome
every year
 You may want to start with specific activity outcomes
and build program outcomes from these
 You can start with institutional, division, or unit
outcomes and can see how your program and
activities tie to those
 Then, move to implementing the entire assessment
cycle one outcome at a time, making everything for
that systematic—in other words, begin to form
“habits” of assessment
Summary Advice from Dr. Marilee
Bresciani
 Remind each other of the benefits of
assessment
 Share examples with each other
 Celebrate assessment victories
 Advertise your assessment learnings and
the decisions made
 Incorporate students in all facets of
assessment planning and implementation if
your program is ready