Can SLOs be measured? or…
Is there such a thing as a
“good measurable outcome?”
Sacramento City College/American River College
Staff Development Workshop – 10/15/2007
Facilitators:
Yujiro Shimizu, ARC Faculty Research
Coordinator/Assistant Professor of Psychology
Alan Keys, SCC Faculty Research Coordinator,
Professor of Psychology
Workshop Objectives

Discuss issues of SLO assessment (Halttunen)
“Outcomes” vs. SLOs
 What does “measurable” mean
 External pressures



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Examine benefits of SLO assessment
Differentiate Direct and Indirect assessments
Introduce and utilize tools for SLO assessment
and implementation
Are they any “good measurable
outcomes?”

Reflection questions on issues raised by Dr.
Halttunen

Outcomes vs. SLOs

Learner centered teaching and SLOs

Outcomes as code for content

External pressures
What are Student Learning Outcomes?
Student learning outcomes can be categorized
in terms of…
What students should know or be able to do
…when they have completed a course,
program, student service intervention,
certificate, or degree.
????????? = I…I…I
Insights
Improvement
Course and Program Modifications Curriculum, program design, delivery
methods, offerings, scheduling, etc…
Increased Student Success
Insights
Ability to determine…
 Which SLOs are being achieved & to what degree

Where changes are needed (& where they are not)

Level of student’s awareness of their own learning
and course/program expectations

Level of your own awareness of student learning
Improvements
SLO information allows for informed changes in…
 Course curriculum – Content, course design, & teaching
methods

Instructional Program design – Course offerings, course
sequencing, & course delivery options

Student Service Program design – Service offerings and
access issues

Integration of Student Service and Instructional efforts
Signs of Increased Student Success

Increased level of SLO awareness & achievement

Improvement of various course and program
effectiveness measures
Student satisfaction/engagement, Retention,
Persistence, Course Success
 Student goal attainment (Degree, certificate, transfer,
job advancement, basic skills & personal growth)

What we mean by “assessment”
Levels of Assessment
 Input - Preparedness issues
Basic Skills Assessment; Course placement; Pre-requisite
Skills;

Dynamic Classroom Assessment - Formative teaching tools
"On-the-fly" feedback techniques to adjust and modify
course/program as it progresses.

Institutional Effectiveness - Mainly summative
Measures of student success and institutional mission.

Student Learning Outcome Assessment - Summative &
formative
Systematic assessment of measurable learning outcomes
Direct & Indirect measures
Direct
 Locally developed exams
 Quizzes
 Essays
 Written projects
 Oral presentations
 Performances
 Exhibitions
 lab reports
 Group projects
 Direct observation
 Standardized tests
 Licensure Exams
 Capstone Projects
Indirect
 Student surveys
 Interviews
 Student journal
 Employer surveys
 Focus Groups
 Retention rates
 Persistence rates
 Transfer rates
 Degree & Certificate rates
 Wage increases
 Teaching portfolios
 Course syllabi
Implementing SLO assessment
For the “hands-on” portion of this workshop:
The Big Question: How do we go about selecting the
appropriate assessment tool(s) for our particular
course SLOs?

Aligning existing assessments with Course SLOs

Selecting/Creating assessment tools that specifically assess
course SLOs
Aligning course-embedded
Assessments with Course SLOs
Assessment for
Outcome 1
Assessment for
Outcome 2
Assessment for
Outcome 3
Grade
Student 1
A
Student 2
C
Student 3
B
Student 4
F
Outcome
assessment
Poor
Moderate
Change methods
Change methods
??
Good
Hurray!
Keep methods
Assessing for a grade versus assessing
Selecting appropriate assessments
for course SLOs
Breakout Mini-session:
 Step 1: Discuss what assessment tools you
already use in your courses, and consider their
alignment with your course SLOs

Step 2: Are there any “good contenders” for
assessment tools that could be specifically aimed
at SLO assessment?
Closing the Loop:
Putting SLO Ideas into Action!

Class and course level

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Develop formative and summative assessments aligned with
specific SLOs
Use direct & indirect assessments
Use course-embedded & add-on methods
Engage in intra- and interdepartmental collaboration
Modify curriculum & document via Socrates
Program level

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Utilize SLO review in program planning and design
Incorporate into unit plans, educational master plan, program
review, division plans
Closing the Loop:
Putting SLO Ideas into Action!
Overall good practices for SLO Assessment
 Sample, sample, sample
 Utilize multiple measures
 Dialogue, collaborate, & document
 Stay focused on Student Learning!