Developing Goals and Learning
Outcomes for Sophomore Initiatives
Jimmie Gahagan
Director of Student Engagement
University of South Carolina
Definition of Terms
• Mission Statements– describes the purpose and primary
functions of an organization
• Vision Statements – “Big idea” expressed in a concise
manner. How an organization wants to be seen
• Goals – Specific, measurable results that an organization
intends to achieve
• Guiding Principles/Philosophy Statements– overarching
principles or theories which inform and guide an
organizations work
• Learning Outcomes - what a student should be able to
know or do as a result of participating
DEFINING THE SOPHOMORE-YEAR
EXPERIENCE
• Complexity
– Transfers
– Community College students
– Credit hours
• How we will define sophomores
– Residentially-based
– Traditionally aged
– First-year students who have progressed into their second
college year
Developing a Mission Statement
• Key Questions to address:
– What are your primary functions?
– Can you capture your mission in 8 words?
– How does this mission statement tie into other
department, division, or institutional goals?
– Are there any other project goals that will or should
influence your work?
Sophomore-Year Experience Mission
Statement Examples
University of South Carolina:
“The Sophomore-Year Experience at the University of South
Carolina is the combination of services, programs, and
curricular and co-curricular activities that provides the
gateway between a student’s college transition and their
future educational and career aspirations; and offers a
foundation to explore the specific academic and co-curricular
opportunities USC has to offer. The Sophomore Initiative
strives to provide opportunities and share resources to
support second year students at USC in a way to promote
students finding purpose and in life after college.”
Mission Statement Examples Continued
Emory University:
“Second Year at Emory, in partnership with other
University offices, enhances the sophomore residential
experience by offering programs and services so that
second year students may develop greater selfawareness, define goals for their Emory experience,
utilize campus resources, and connect with others
through meaningful relationships.”
Mission Statement Examples Continued
Colorado State University:
The Year 2 @ CSU Board believes that a student’s
second year is about exploration, personal discovery
and overcoming challenges. Using our own personal
experiences, it is our purpose to guide each student
through their personal journey in the second year.
MISSION STATEMENT EXAMPLES Continued
Brandeis University:
The Sophomore Year Experience is an interdepartmental
initiative to engage Brandeis sophomores. In keeping with
the University's goals, we use learning opportunities and
programming in order to:
• Foster strong personal and class identities for sophomores
• Increase awareness of and participation in curricular and
co-curricular opportunities
• Promote autonomy and independent decision making
• Create purposeful transitions between class years
Let’s apply…
• What key words or concepts are associated
with your sophomore-year experience
program?
• What is one primary function of your
sophomore-year experience?
DEVELOPING LEARNING OUTCOMES
FOR SOPHOMORE-YEAR INITIATIVES
Astin’s Input-Environment-Outcome Model
Environment
Inputs
Outcomes
(Astin, 1993)
Astin’s I-E-O Model
• Input variables
– Characteristics the student brings with him or her
such as gender, race, GPA, educational background,
etc.
• Environmental variables
– Include anything that happens during the program,
event, or academic course that may have an impact
on the student
• Outcome variables
1993)
– Talents and skills we are trying to develop(Astin,
in students
What are Learning Outcomes
• Specific measurable objectives that describe
what an individual will learn and be able to do
as a result of a lesson or program.
• Characteristics of Learning Outcomes
– Focus on the product rather than the process
– Are measureable
– Are detailed and specific
– Include action verbs
(Gahagan, Dingfelder, & Pei, 2010)
Why use learning outcomes
•
•
•
•
Helps us stay focused
Articulates our expectations for students
Allow us to prioritize
Provide a bridge to connect with other
important institutional goals or outcomes
(Gahagan, Dingfelder, & Pei, 2010)
A Revised Taxonomy
• Benjamin Bloom – 1956
– A Taxonomy of Educational Objectives
– Emphasized cognitive aspects of learning
– Widely used in educational circles
• Anderson and Krathwohl – 2001
– Emphasized cognitive processes of learning and added
a knowledge domain
– Easily adaptable to many disciplines including higher
education
Format of a Learning Outcome
Verb
Subject
Object
Learning
Outcome
The Subject
• Is generally always the student!
– The student will…
– Students will…
– The student should…
– Students should…
(Gahagan, Dingfelder, & Pei, 2010)
The Object of a Learning Outcome
• What type of knowledge do you want the
student to learn as a result of the course,
event, or experience?
• What is your Knowledge Dimension
– Factual Knowledge
– Conceptual Knowledge
– Procedural Knowledge
– Metacognitive Knowledge
The Knowledge Dimension
• Factual Knowledge
– “The Facts” - Basic elements a student must know
• Conceptual Knowledge
– The interrelationship of different thoughts, ideas, and
concepts
• Procedural Knowledge
– “The How To” – skills, techniques, and methods
• Metacognitive Knowledge
– Awareness of self and others and when to apply certain
strategies
(Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001)
The Knowledge Dimension Applied to the
Sophomore-Year Experience
• Factual Knowledge
– Defining specific concept of diversity as a part of a
sophomore-year experience seminar or remembering a
specific date or piece of information associated with a
sophomore specific event.
• Conceptual Knowledge
– Describing specific theories in a sophomore career
development course such as Kolb’s Model of Experiential
Education.
The Knowledge Dimension Applied to
Leadership Development
• Procedural Knowledge
– Specific steps for steps to apply for study abroad in the
sophomore year.
• Metacognitive Knowledge
– For a sophomore in a leadership program – An awareness
of one’s own strengths and areas of growth, awareness of
team dynamics and how to apply strategies to help a group
achieve its goals.
The Verb of a Learning Outcome:
What do you want a student to be able to do with the
knowledge they have gained?
(Overbaugh & Schultz, 2008)
Levels of Cognitive Process
Levels of Cognitive Process
Action Verbs
Remembering: Can the student recall or
remember the information?
Define, duplicate, list, memorize, recall,
repeat, reproduce, state
Understanding: Can the student explain the
ideas or concepts?
Classify, describe, discuss, explain, identify,
locate, recognize, report, select, translate,
paraphrase
Applying: Can the student use the
information in a new way?
Choose, dramatize, demonstrate, employ,
illustrate, interpret, operate, schedule,
sketch, solve, use, write
Analyzing: Can the student distinguish
between the different parts?
Appraise, argue, compare, criticize,
differentiate, discriminate, distinguish,
examine, experiment, question, test
Evaluating: Can the student justify a
position or decision?
Appraise, argue, judge, defend, select,
support, value, evaluate
Creating: Can the student create a new
product or point of view
Assemble, construct, create, design,
develop, formulate, write
(Gahagan, Dingfelder, & Pei, 2010)
Putting it all together
Knowledge
Dimension
Cognitive Process Dimension
Remember
Understand
Apply
Analyze
Evaluate
Create
Factual
Knowledge
1A
2A
3A
4A
5A
6A
Conceptual
knowledge
1B
2B
3B
4B
5B
6B
Procedural
Knowledge
1C
2C
3C
4C
5C
6C
Metacognitive
Knowledge
1D
2D
3D
4D
5D
6D
(Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001)
Steps to Creating Learning Outcomes
1. Determine the purpose of the program, course, or
initiative
2. Reflect on your target population and your venue
3. Decide what kind of knowledge you want the student
to learn
4. Decide on the level of cognitive process
5. Write the outcome
6. Evaluate the outcome
–
–
–
Is it measureable?
Is it meaningful?
Is it manageable?
(Bresciani, Zelna, & Anderson, 2004)
An Example:
Learning
Outcome
Verb
Object
Subject
As a result of participating in this
institute, participants will identify and
describe one challenge second-year
students face on their campus.
Let’s Practice…
• Write one learning outcome for a program or
initiative within your sophomore-year
experience.
• Share with a colleague and describe the type
of knowledge in view and the action verb.
• Answer the measurable, meaningful,
manageable questions.
QUESTIONS TO ADDRESS?