LEVELS OF KNOWING:
ARE WE TEACHING AND ASSESSING WHAT IS
MOST IMPORTANT TO US?
PAMELA MILLER, PH.D.
ASSOCIATE VP FOR LEARNING
February 2011
SESSION DESCRIPTION
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This interactive workshop provides a framework for
deciding whether our instructional methods are helping
student achieve the levels of learning that are important
to us as teachers and expected from our instructional
programs. The session will also provide guidance for
creating student learning activities that match our
instructional goals.
INTRODUCTIONS
Name, School, Program/Discipline
Level of Experience with:
Writing Learning Outcomes
Using Bloom’s Taxonomy
Designing Learning Activities
Accommodating Learning Styles
LEARNING OUTCOMES
The participant will:
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Learn and apply the definition of assessment and describe the
four levels of assessment engaged in at SJC
Learn and apply the definition of learning outcomes to SJC’s
Common Student Learning Outcomes (CSLO’s) and then to one’s
own course(s)
Use Bloom’s Taxonomy to design learning activities that address
the outcomes for one CSLO at varying cognitive levels
Improve own and others’ learning activities associated with SJC’s
CSLO’s by sharing and discussing drafts
Reflect upon the learning activities utilized in one’s own courses –
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Do they clearly align with one or more student learning outcomes
(SLO’s) identified on the course syllabus?
Are they expressed at the appropriate level of Bloom’s?
How is student learning assessed?
ASSESSMENT – THE BIG PICTURE
ASSESSMENT - DEFINED
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Assessment: An ongoing process aimed at
understanding and improving student learning.
Assessment involves making our expectations explicit and
public; setting appropriate criteria and high standards for
learning quality; systematically gathering, analyzing,
and interpreting evidence to determine how well
performance matches those expectations and standards;
and using the resulting information to document, explain,
and improve performance. Assessment in this context does
NOT mean institutional judgment and evaluation of
individual performance or either faculty or students. When
it is embedded effectively within larger institutional
systems, assessment can help us focus our collective
attention, examine our assumptions, and create a shared
academic culture dedicated to assuring and improving the
quality of higher education.
LEVELS OF ASSESSMENT @ SJC
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All College
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Common Student Learning Outcomes (CSLO’s)
Program
5-Year Assessment Plan
 Program Review
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Course
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Annual Assessment Plans and Reports
General Education
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Annual NMHED Core Competency Reports
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Communications
Mathematics
Laboratory Science
Social/ Behavioral Sciences
Humanities/Fine Arts)
STUDENT LEARNING
LEARNING OUTCOMES - DEFINED
Learning Outcomes specify the observable and/or
measurable knowledge, skills and judgment which a
person is expected to have developed or acquired as the
result of a course of study or a set of identifiable
experiences.
They describe what a person should know or be able to do
or demonstrate at a given point in their development.
Learning Outcomes:
 are unambiguous
 use plain language
 use verbs which require verifiable performances
THE COURSE SYLLABUS – LEARNING
OUTCOMES
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Think about the syllabus for one of the courses
that you teach:
How were the learning outcomes for the course
developed?
 Do the LO’s clearly describe what students should
know and be able to do upon completion of the
course?
 Do all of the learning activities in the course
(reading, assignments, homework) support the
learning outcomes?
 How do you know that students are mastering the
learning outcomes in your course?
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LEVELS OF KNOWING – BLOOM’S TAXONOMY
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Bloom's Taxonomy is a multi-tiered model of classifying
thinking according to six cognitive levels of complexity
The levels have often been depicted as a stairway, leading
many teachers to encourage their students to "climb to a
higher level of thought”
The taxonomy is hierarchical; each level is subsumed by
the higher levels
This hierarchical arrangement led to natural divisions of
lower and higher level thinking
This taxonomy is frequently used when writing learning
outcomes to describe the cognitive level that is expected in
student work
HANDOUT: Bloom’s Taxonomy “Revised” – Key Words,
Model Questions, and Instructional Strategies
BLOOM’S TAXONOMY
Bloom’s Taxonomy is a multi-tiered
model of classifying thinking according
to six cognitive levels of complexity
LEVELS OF KNOWING – CSLO’S
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In small groups, consider one of the five CSLO’s
identified by SJC:
Using Bloom’s Taxonomy, identify the cognitive level
at which each “characteristic” of the CSLO is written.
 What patterns, if any, did you discover?
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Are both lower- and higher-level thinking addressed in the
characteristics?
 Are the characteristics primarily written at the lower levels
of Bloom’s? If so, why do you suppose this is the case?
 Should all six cognitive levels be expected for each CSLO?
Why or why not?
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LEVELS OF KNOWING – CSLO’S
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In small groups, consider one of the five CSLO’s
identified by SJC:
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Select one of the courses that a member of the group
is teaching.
Identify the learning activities that are currently used in
the course that address one or more of the CSLO
characteristics.
 Identify additional learning activities that might be
developed to further integrate assessment of the CSLO in
the course.
 Higher cognitive level?
 Characteristic not already addressed?
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SJC COMMON STUDENT LEARNING
OUTCOMES (CSLO’S) - ACT
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Students will act purposefully, reflectively, and
respectfully in diverse and complex environments.
CHARACTERISTICS OF ACT:
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Demonstrates clear understanding of the context and roles
for action
Collects and interprets appropriate information to
determine course of action
Listens to and considers diverse viewpoints and
perspectives
Formulates a plan of action and supports the plan through
logical reasoning
Conducts action with competence, sensitivity, and integrity
Listens and contributes respectfully and honestly during
interaction with others
Analyzes and evaluates action through reflection
Proposes changes in future action based on analysis
SJC COMMON STUDENT LEARNING
OUTCOMES (CSLO’S) - COMMUNICATE
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Students will exchange ideas and information with clarity
and originality in multiple contexts.
CHARACTERISTICS OF COMMUNICATE:
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Introduces the main idea and purpose with an audience in
mind
Maintains appropriate focus throughout the assignment
Demonstrates knowledge base necessary for appropriate
terminology
Presents significant and substantive content
Uses effective strategies for delivery which are appropriate for
the context of the message
Organizes in a logical way
Delivers message in a coherent and fluid manner
Anticipates and responds to possible reactions to the message
Uses language effectively
SJC COMMON STUDENT LEARNING
OUTCOMES (CSLO’S) - INTEGRATE
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Students will demonstrate proficiency in the use of
technologies in the broadest sense related to their
field of study.
CHARACTERISTICS OF INTEGRATE:
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Selects the best technology for the task at hand
Sets up a logical sequence for use of technology for the
given task
Implements steps to complete task
Arrives at a logical and satisfactory conclusion
SJC COMMON STUDENT LEARNING
OUTCOMES (CSLO’S) - LEARN
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Students will actively and independently acquire, apply
and adapt skills and knowledge to develop expertise and a
broader understanding of the world as lifelong learners.
CHARACTERISTICS OF LEARN:
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Demonstrates clear mastery of subject matter and requisite
skills through definition, and identification
Uses knowledge of major ideas and skills to demonstrate,
illustrate, or examine an assignment, task or problem
Uses terminology and vocabulary appropriately to address an
assignment, task or problem
Selects and synthesizes information to interpret or analyze a
task or problem
Apply concepts to understand situations, accomplish a task or
solve problems
Demonstrates more than rote memorization or dry reporting
of facts
SJC COMMON STUDENT LEARNING
OUTCOMES (CSLO’S) - THINK
Students will think analytically and creatively to
explore ideas, make connections, draw
conclusions and solve problems.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF THINK:
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Demonstrates a clear understanding of the issue,
problem, or task
Accurately relates and interprets evidence,
information, or experiences
Examines and recognizes relationships
Draws logical conclusions
Uses knowledge and understanding to solve problems
Uses reasoning to develop and defend results,
solutions, or arguments
LEARNING STYLES
LEARNING STYLES – ANOTHER DIMENSION
The VARK Categories
The acronym VARK stands for Visual, Aural, Read/write, and Kinesthetic sensory modalities that are
used for learning information. Fleming and Mills (1992) suggested four categories that seemed to
reflect the experiences of the students and teachers. Although there is some overlap between
categories, they are defined as follows.
 Visual (V):
This preference includes the depiction of information in maps, spider diagrams, charts, graphs,
flow charts, labeled diagrams, and all the symbolic arrows, circles, hierarchies and other devices,
that instructors use to represent what could have been presented in words. It could have been
called Graphic (G) as that better explains what it covers. It does NOT include movies, videos or
PowerPoint. It does include designs, whitespace, patterns, shapes and the different formats that
are used to highlight and convey information.
 Aural / Auditory (A):
This perceptual mode describes a preference for information that is "heard or spoken." Students
with this modality report that they learn best from lectures, tutorials, tapes, group discussion,
email, using mobile phones, speaking, web chat and talking things through. It includes talking out
loud as well as talking to yourself. Often people with this preference want to sort things out by
speaking, rather than sorting things out and then speaking.
 Read/write (R):
This preference is for information displayed as words. Not surprisingly, many academics have a
strong preference for this modality. This preference emphasizes text-based input and output reading and writing in all its forms. People who prefer this modality are often addicted to
PowerPoint, the Internet, lists, filofaxes, dictionaries, thesauri,quotations and words, words,
words...
 Kinesthetic (K):
By definition, this modality refers to the "perceptual preference related to the use of experience and
practice (simulated or real)." Although such an experience may invoke other modalities, the key is
that people who prefer this mode are connected to reality, "either through concrete personal
experiences, examples, practice or simulation" [See Fleming & Mills, 1992, pp. 140-141]. It includes
demonstrations, simulations, videos and movies of "real" things, as well as case studies, practice
and applications.
ACCOMMODATING LEARNING STYLES
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In your small groups, re-consider the learning
activities that you discussed to integrate
assessment of the CSLO in the course you chose:
Identify which learning styles the activities are best
suited to.
 Identify how the learning activities might be adapted
to suit different learning styles.
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QUESTIONS?