SLO/PLO Assessment Support Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do we need to assess student learning
outcomes?
Fundamentally, it answers
the question that each
instructor has, “Are the
students ‘getting’ it?”
A. At the course level: To identify and address areas
for improvement to help students learn better and
acquire the knowledge and skills of the courses;
B. At program level: To identify and address areas
for improvement so that students can master the
competencies required from the workforce or 4year institutions;
C. At the institutional level:
 To ensure students have the general
education competencies to further their
education or careers;
 To champion a culture of scholarly inquiry
and continuous improvement;
 To be in compliance with SACS/COC
accreditation requirement.
What’s the difference between SLOs and
PLOs?
At Lone Star College:
 SLO Assessment: Refers to the course-level
learning outcome assessment – what a
student should know, think, or do after
taking the course;
 PLO Assessment: Refers to the Programlevel learning outcome assessment – what a
student should know, think, or do after
completing the program;
 SLO assessment should support the PLO
assessment.
What do Curriculum Teams need to do on
the Curriculum Team Work Day (CTWD)?
Spring CTWD:
A. The Curriculum Teams need to review Fall
2015 SLO assessment data and decide if
system-wide recommendations need to be
made for curricular changes.
B. If system-wide recommendations are made,
please document the recommendations in
the Curriculum Team Form and
communicate the recommendations to
programs or disciplines impacted so as to
implement the recommendations.
C. If courses selected for assessment in Fall
2015 had not been assessed due to various
reasons, inform the programs or disciplines
impacted to make up the assessment in
Spring 2016.
Fall CTWD:
A. Select the courses and SLOs for
assessment;
B. Curriculum Team chairs fill out the
Curriculum Team Forms;
C. Curriculum Team liaisons communicate
the selected courses and SLOs to
campus leaders and faculty.
D. If there are courses assessed in Spring
or Summer, then the Curriculum Teams
need to review Spring or Summer SLO
assessment data and decide if systemwide recommendations need to be
made and implemented.
How do SLOs relate to PLOs?
The graph below illustrates how the SLO assessment supports the PLO assessment:
Just as one lesson supports the
learning of the entire course,
SLOs/course level learning
supports the learning for the
entire program
What are the differences among the Curriculum Team Form, E-Form for Section
Selection, SLO Data Collection Tool, and Compliance Assist?