Assessing CORE
Student Learning Outcomes
Summer Assessment Institute
August, 2005
Presented by
Jerry Rudmann
Coastline Community College
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Desired Outcomes of this Session
Participants will be able to…
1. Explain why robust SLOs are appropriate for
representing Institutional (or “CORE”)
learning goals
2. Write a robust SLO statement
3. Create and use a scoring rubric for
assessing a robust SLO
4. List and describe several ways to facilitate
the assessment of CORE learning outcomes
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More specifically:
A Student Learning Outcome or “SLO” is…
A specific observable, measurable
behavior stated in terms of what students
should be able to do as a result of
instruction.
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The Four Levels of
Student Learning Outcomes
Lesson or unit level
 Course level
 Program level
 College level

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CORE Goal
CORE SLO
Students earning the AA degree and/or
transferring into upper division coursework
at ABC Community College will be able
to…
Communication
Communicate effectively when speaking
and writing.
Critical Thinking
Engage in critical and creative thinking to
solve problems and make decisions.
Information Competency
Use technology to access, organize, and
communicate information.
Respect for Cultural Diversity
Practice sensitive and respectful treatment
of diverse groups and perspectives.
Civic Engagement
Identify and recognize opportunities to
contribute to civic and environmental
needs.
Aesthetic Responsiveness
Evaluate literary, visual, and performing
arts using discipline-specific approaches
and criteria.
Two General Categories of CORE SLOs
Content knowledge – facts, terms,
concepts, dates, definitions, etc.
 Robust outcomes – products of
complex behaviors and skills that
students take with them and use later
(e.g., a paper, a speech, an analysis of
the merits and flaws in a persuasive
message)

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5. The “Robust” Learning Outcome
Meets These Criteria…


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




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A behavior or skill beyond content knowledge
Bloom’s levels 3 to 6
Specifies the conditions / context
A real life skill
Experts agree on importance
Standard of excellence
Can assess with a rubric
Global in scope
Student is thinking, acting like a “pro”
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Robust Outcomes are Critically Important
Products of Learning
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Handout – Robust Outcome Rubric
The learning outcome statement…
No or Unsure
(0)
Not
Quite
(1)
Clearly
YES
(2)
Points
Describes a behavior or skill that is beyond recognition or
recitation of content knowledge.
Uses action verbs from Bloom’s level 3 or higher* (see
Bloom guide below).
Specifies the conditions (e.g., given a case study, a set of
data, tools, materials, media explanations of behavior).
Is a real life skill that students will use beyond the end of the
course.
Would be considered a high priority learning outcome by
most experts in the discipline.
Has an explicit or implied standard of performance (e.g., a
benchmark for excellence).
Is amenable to assessment using a scoring rubric.
Is an overarching outcome (course or program) rather than
smaller in scope (lesson or unit)
Is a skill that represents thinking and/or behaving like the
discipline expert (e.g., historian, neurologist, biologist,
author)
Total Points =
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Examples of Robust SLOs Written
by College Instructors
Course: DGA 166A Dreamweaver
Based on customer needs and
specifications, create an accessible,
professional-looking five-page Website that
reflects the nature of the business and the
intended audience and that includes text,
graphics, multimedia, and interactive
elements.
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Eng 100 - English Composition
Students will be able to write a well
organized, well-developed essay of
650 to 1,000 words using standard
written English.
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Psychology 1 – Introductory Psychology
Given an explanation of behavior taken
from the popular media, students will
critically evaluate the explanation
using the appropriate evaluation
criteria (e.g., indications of non-random
sampling, experimenter bias, lack of peer
review, the confirmation bias, and a
correlational research design).
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To Review: Robust Outcomes are Critically Important
Competencies Meeting the Following Criteria
The “robust” learning outcome…

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Is a behavior or skill beyond recitation
Bloom’s Taxonomy level 3 or higher
Specifies the conditions
Is a real life skill
Considered high priority by experts in your unit
Has a benchmark of excellence
Is amenable to assessment (e.g., by rubric)
Is an overarching outcome rather that something
minute
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Try Writing One
1.
A CORE Student Learning Outcome
defined:
Knowledge, skills, abilities, and
attitudes a student has attained upon
transfer and/or graduation from your
institution.
2.
Try writing a robust outcome
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Share Draft Robust Outcomes
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Assessment
Assessment of Content Knowledge

Objective/multiple-choice
 Fill in the blank
 Matching
 Short answer essay
Assessment of Robust SLOs

Scoring rubric
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Embedded Assessment
A clever way to do gather SLO evidence
 Minimal impact on current practices
 No problem with student motivation

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Introduction to the Rubric

Scoring rubrics are ideally suited for
assessing robust learning outcomes.
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Let’s Develop an Assessment
Rubric for a Resume
Factor
Lists educational
background
Needs
Improvement
0 points
Satisfactory
Excellent
1 point
2 points
Chocolate
ChocolateChip
Chip Cookie
Cookie Rubric
Rubric
Characteristic
Texture
Poor
1
Cookie is overcooked
or undercooked
Fair
2
Cookie is fully
cooked but only crisp
or only chewy
Satisfactory
3
Cookie is crisp on the
outside and chewy on
the inside
Excellent
4
Cookie is crispy on the
outside; chewy on the
inside; moist but not
greasy
Appearance
Total Score
Score
A B C D
A Rubric is Good!

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Facilitates staff dialogue regarding satisfactory
performance.
Creates a more objective assessment.
Makes expectation explicit to the student.
Encourages metacognitive skill of selfmonitoring own learning.
Facilitates scoring and reporting of data.
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Design Your Own Rubric

Use the worksheet in your packet to
design a scoring rubric for one of your
new robust SLOs
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Brainstorm – Strategies for Moving
Forward in Assessing CORE SLOs
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Assessment of CORE SLOs –
Strategies for Moving Forward

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Look for existing sources of data
Multiple measures – triangulation
 Embedded assessment
 Map CORE SLOS to courses, programs, services
 Assessing a sample versus population
 Theme years
 Technology tools
 Commercial instruments
 Qualitative assessment (exit surveys, interviews, focus


groups)
Create an implementation plan
Make SLO assessment report part of an annual Institutional
Effectiveness Report (?)
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The Implementation Plan
Who, how, where and when will your college
gather CORE SLO assessment data?
 Who will review this assessment data?
 Who will write and file a SLO report?

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Email: jrudmann@coastline.edu
Work phone: 714-241-6338
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