1.
Continue to distinguish and clarify between
Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) and
Service Area Outcomes (SAOs)
2.
Develop broad SLOs/SAOs in order to facilitate
multi-year assessment
3.
Identify current data sets in order to repurpose
these for outcomes assessment
4.
Mapping outcomes to college goals and
institutional student learning outcomes (ISLOs)
What is the difference between
Goals
and
Outcomes?

Goals are what we plan to do or
accomplish

Outcomes are what we expect will
happen when we do what we planned
(what should happen as a result of what
we do).
Questions?
Which is a goal and which is an outcome?
1.
Faculty, administrators and staff will use
information to assess the effectiveness of
their area and to make decisions.
2.
The Research Department will provide
planning, evaluation and assessment
services to meet the needs of the
district.
Which is a goal and which is an outcome?
1.
Increase student voice in the collegial
governance decision making process by
establishing a student government.
2.
Students will participate more in collegewide committees, councils, task forces,
and focus groups.
What is the difference between
Student Learning Outcomes
and
Service Area Outcomes?
Student Learning Outcomes
Student learning outcomes are defined in
terms of the knowledge, skills, and abilities
that students have attained as a result of
their involvement in a particular set of
educational experiences.
Student Learning Outcomes

What will a student know as a result of the
experience?

What will a student be able to do as a result
of the experience?

What will a student be able to demonstrate
as a result of the experience?
Service Area Outcomes
Service area outcomes are defined in
terms of the benefit the service area
provides in support of the educational
experience.
Service Area Outcomes

How does the service area support
student learning?

Who does the service area provide
service to?

Why is this particular service provided?
Who is doing the learning?
Student Learning Outcomes measure:
student learning
Service Area Outcomes measure:
service area performance and quality
Helpful Formulas
Student Learning Outcomes:
Students will learn X as a result of Y
X = Knowledge, Skill or Ability; Y = Action
Service Area Outcomes:
Service Area will achieve A, for B, as a result of C
A = accomplishment; B = Stakeholder; C = Action
Order is not important
Questions?
Which is an SLO and which is an SAO?
1.
The [REDACTED] program will increase
the possibility of graduation and/or
transfer for students who participate in
the program.
2.
As a result of attending “New Student
Orientation,” students will be able to
define “general education.”
Which is an SLO and which is an SAO?
1.
Students will be able to demonstrate
knowledge about student leadership
development as a result of their
participation in the ASG Executive Branch.
2.
DSPS will provide an effective program that
meets the needs of the students it serves.
Develop Service Area Outcomes
that support the mission of your
area.

Reflect on the end result of doing

Determine how well we are accomplishing
that which we say we are

Inform decisions for improvement in the
delivery of programs and services

Inform institutional processes such as
planning and budgeting

Outcomes must be measureable.

Outcomes must be in alignment with the
mission of the service area.

Outcomes must remain consistent over
time, provided the mission of the service
area has not changed.
Broad SLO/SAO statements allow service
areas the ability to plan assessment
activities for a multi-year assessment cycle
Broad SLO/SAO statements are easier to link
to:
 Service area mission
 Institutional student learning outcomes
 Institutional goals
Example: Admissions and Records
Original SLO:
Students will demonstrate knowledge of
the drop for non-payment policy by
paying their enrollment fees in a timely
manner without getting dropped.
New SLO:
As a result of their interaction with the
Admissions and Records Department,
students will be able to demonstrate their
understanding of the college’s policies,
procedures, and services.
Questions?
Are the Service Area Outcomes
developed in the previous activity
too narrow?
How might you change the
language to expand the scope of
the outcome?
What data do you routinely collect?
*Create a data wish list.
Why do you collect it?
› Tells us what we want to know
 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
 Measures of productivity (volume, frequency,
etc.)
 Measures of quality (customer satisfaction)
› Mandated by:
 Department of Education
 Feds for grant purposes
 Accreditation
Is there data that you collect that provides little to
no value to your area?
Don’t stop! One person’s trash is another’s
treasure.
Is there data that you need but do not have
access to?
How can we get you the data you need?
Do you share your data with other support
services?
If not, let’s start.
Working backward – Moving forward
We’ve determined that you have data
that you’ve deemed important...
Your data is important for varied reasons...
Working backward – Moving forward
Since you’re already carrying out the
measurement and analysis...
Why not repurpose these data to help
develop your Service Area Outcomes?
Questions?
Let’s link data you already collect
to your new SAO(s).
If appropriate, create additional
SAOs for your service area based on
data you have access to.
What is it?
 Primary
campus-wide planning
document and contains the overview
planning piece.
 Emphasis
on including
recommendations from focused
constituent groups and feedback from
the college community.
What is it?
 Presents concrete actions/goals the
college will pursue over the next four
years in order to:
o Increase student success
o Improve efficiency
o Demonstrate accountability
o Enhance effectiveness
1.
Strengthen outreach and recruitment
2.
Align the college curriculum to focus on student
completion of pathways
3.
Promote an integrated approach to supporting
student success
4.
Promote a college identity of high quality, academic
excellence, and personalized education
5.
Support faculty in offering high quality instruction to
students in the classroom and online
6.
Maintain and enhance the college’s technological
Infrastructure
7.
Maintain the facilities infrastructure
8.
Support and encourage focused green practices on
Campus
9.
Develop and support an infrastructure related to
web and social media
10.
Support faculty development in the areas of
innovative pedagogies and curriculum design
11.
Increase educational goal completion for university
transfer, degrees, and certificates
12.
Increase student learning and achievement through a
culture of continuous quality improvement
13.
Strengthen and develop relationships with key partners
and stakeholders
14.
Develop sustainable, alternative revenue streams utilizing
existing resources
15.
Strengthen capacity to seek and acquire grant funding
for the purpose of developing innovative programs and
services that align with the college mission and vision
Questions?
It is important to map SAOs and SLOs to
institution level goals and outcomes so we
can have a better understanding of how
all of the things we do within each service
area help the institution achieve its goals
and support the long-term plan for the
college.
Map Your Outcomes
Student Services SLO/SAO
Assessment Cycle