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Student Learning Assessment Resources

This video from the National Institute for Student Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA) features several faculty discussing the benefits of learning goals and outcomes. What benefits do you anticipate that learning outcomes could have for your teaching and curriculum? What benefits do you think learning goals and outcomes offer to students?

Student Learning Outcome Overview

Clear, precise, observable, and measurable student learning outcomes form the foundation of your assessment process by setting the standard by which you will measure student achievement. Student learning outcomes assist faculty by providing programs with a foundation for curriculum design, providing a mechanism to ensure consistency in instruction, guiding the selection of learning activities, providing criteria for constructing assignments, and communicating expectations to students.

Program student learning outcomes are a statement of measurable skills that students will demonstrate mastery of at the culmination of an academic program. Course student learning outcomes are a statement of a measurable skills that students will demonstrate at the culmination of a course. 

Program student learning outcomes should align with the program mission statement, focus on the central aspects of the discipline or field, be stated in student-centered terms, and reflect an appropriate level of expectation for the program and degree type. Carefully consider the number of program student learning outcomes -- enough to adequately accomplish the program mission while still being realistic for engaging in annual assessment processes to ensure quality of teaching and learning. 

Tips for Student Learning Outcomes

  • 4-6 program student learning outcomes are typically sufficient to communicate the essential learning that takes place in the program. If you have more than six, look for overlap that could be combined and be sure you are emphasizing the most important, cumulative learning mastery at the end of the program.
  • Be sure to specify the group of students who will achieve mastery of the student learning outcome (“Students completing and X degree in X program will . . . “).
  • Also indicate at what point in the program students should achieve this mastery -- at the conclusion of the program? After completing required courses? Following an internship or capstone course?
  • Refer to Bloom’s Taxonomy for a helpful list of action verbs that can help to situate student learning at the appropriate level for the program.
  • Be sure that the knowledge or skill required is something directly observable (“learn” is not observable; “identify” is observable). Observable learning results in a performance or product such as an exam, essay, discussion post, or other assignment.

Examples

For examples of student learning outcomes from Georgia Southern University academic programs, please see the Academic Program Assessment Document Handbook.

 

This video from Louisiana State University provides some guidelines for developing student learning outcomes, including an explanation of how course learning outcomes should align to module learning outcomes. How do you also create alignment from course learning outcomes to program learning outcomes? Or from course learning outcomes to core area learning outcomes?

Student Learning Outcomes Peer-review Criteria

At Georgia Southern, the Academic Assessment Steering Committee (AASC) reviews all academic program assessment documents on an annual basis. When reviewing student learning outcomes, the committee uses the following rubric criteria to provide feedback to the program:

1 - BEGINNING 2 - DEVELOPING 3 - ACCEPTABLE 4 - EXEMPLARY
SLO does not specify what group of students will achieve mastery of it, and/or at what point(s) in their progression through the program they will do so. SLO contains only imprecise verbs (e.g., "know," "understand"), and thus is difficult to measure. SLO is too broad or vague to guide the assessment process. SLO is clear about what group of students will achieve mastery of it (e.g., majors, students in the program), but not at what point in their progression through the program they will do so. SLO contains action verbs that reflect an inadequate depth of knowledge for the program. SLO contains a general description of the content knowledge, skills, and/or dispositions to be measured, but the description is not discipline-specific. SLO is clear about what group of students will achieve mastery of it, and at what point in their progression through the program they will do so (e.g., "seniors," "graduates"). SLO contains precise, measurable, and observable verbs that reflect an appropriate depth of knowledge for the program. SLO contains a discipline-specific description of the content knowledge, skills, and/or dispositions that students will demonstrate. A reasonable number of SLOs are identified -- enough to adequately accomplish the mission oft he program while still being manageable to assess on an annual basis. Overall SLOs align with the program mission statement. Overall SLOs focus on the central aspects of the discipline/field. Overall SLOs reflect appropriate level of expectations for the program type/level. l SLOs stated in student-centered terms, reflecting what students should know, do, and/or think as they engage in the program of study.

NOTE: This trait applies only to Academic Program assessment documents, not Core Course assessment documents.

Student Learning Outcomes Additional Resources