UNM Language Learning Center, Fall 2012
Writing Student Learning
Outcomes
What’s the Point?
•
Student Learning
Outcomes (SLOs) are the
blueprint for your course.
•
Once you create SLOs, you
will use them as guides to
create learning activities.
•
What you want students to
learn and be able to do
should guide the choice
and design of the
assessment.
Goals vs. SLOs
Goal – describes the student will learn in the
course in broad terms.
Ex: By the end of this course, the student will have a
basic understanding of modern Brazilian culture.
SLOs are discreet units that will add up to
meet the goal.
Difference Between Goals &
Objectives
Goals are broad; objectives are narrow.
Goals are general intentions; objectives are
precise.
Goals are intangible; objectives are tangible.
Goals are abstract; objectives are concrete.
Goals can't be validated as is; objectives can be
validated.
SLOs
SLO – describes specifically what the student
will be able to do after completing the course
Can be observed, measured and demonstrated
Start with phrase “Students will be able to…”
Use action verbs
Don’t combine SLOs
SLO Samples
Well written SLO:
By the end of course, students will be able to
describe the effects of the Black Plague on wages
in 14th century France.
Poorly written SLO:
Students will learn about the Black Plague in
France.
What Is It?
By the end of course, the student will understand
French grammar.
Students will be able to identify the 3 properties of
color.
Students will learn about the importance of theater in
Brazil.
By the end of the course, the student will know how to
tie a Blake’s Hitch
Importance of Action Verbs
Action verbs result in overt behavior that can
be observed and measured.
Analyze, apply, argue, arrange, assemble, assess,
calculate, categorize, choose, classify, compare, compile,
compute, create, criticize, critique, defend, define,
demonstrate, describe, design, develop, differentiate,
discuss, distinguish, estimate, examine, explain,
formulate, identify, illustrate, indicate, interpret, label,
list, locate, manage, memorize, order, operate, organize,
plan, practice, predict, prepare, propose, question, rate,
recognize, repeat, report, reproduce, review, revise,
schedule, select, solve, state, translate, use, utilize, write
Verbs to Avoid
Certain verbs are unclear and call for covert,
internal behavior which cannot be observed or
measured.
Avoid:
Appreciate, become aware of, become familiar
with, know, learn, understand
Ex. of bad SLO:
Students will gain an understanding of art in America.
Examples
Too general and HARD to measure…
…will appreciate the benefits of exercise.
(potential goal statement though)
Specific and relatively EASY to measure…
…will be able to explain 3 ways that exercise
affects stress.
Is It an SLO? Is It a Good SLO?
Students will be able to define thaumaturgy and explain the etymology
of the term.
Students will know how to greet a stranger in Portuguese.
By the end of this course students will be able to identify the most
frequently encountered endings for nouns, adjectives and verbs, as
well as some of the more complicated points of grammar, such as
aspect of the verb
Students will learn the lifestages of a frog.
Students will explain the results from World War I and World War II.
Students will be able to read basic material relating to current affairs
using appropriate reference works, where necessary.
Break Down the Goal
SLOs are based on the overarching goal. What does
the student need to learn to achieve the goal?
Break down the goal into its logical component parts.
Goal: By the end of this course, the student will have a basic
understanding of the reign of King Henry the XIII.
SLOs: By the end of course, students will be able to:
SLO #1: Determine the influences on English law that stem from his
reign
SLO #2: Discuss the impact on religion in England as a result of his
reign
Break It Down AGAIN
SLO #2: Discuss the impact on religion in England as a
result of his reign
1. Discuss the reasons for Henry’s break with Rome
2. Discuss the consequences of Henry’s break with
Rome
3. Differentiate between Henry’s reformation and the
Reformation outside of England
Learning Activities & Assessments
SLO: Discuss the reasons for Henry’s break with Rome
Practice: In pairs, one person representing
Henry’s side and the other representing the
Church of Rome, debate the issue of Henry’s
annulment.
Quiz: Rearrange events into the correct time
sequence.
Project 1: Create a multimedia presentation that
demonstrates the effects of Henry’s actions on the
Reformation.
Bloom’s Taxonomy
Higher order thinking skills
Lower order
thinking skills
Bloom’s 2
Remember: Can the student recall or remember the
information?
Understand: Can the student explain ideas or concepts?
Apply: Can the student use the information in a new way?
Analyze: Can the student distinguish between the different
parts?
Evaluate: Can the student justify a stand or decision?
Create: Can the student create new product or point of
view?
http://ww2.odu.edu/educ/roverbau/Bloom/blooms_taxonomy.htm
Resources
Writing Objectives Using Bloom's Taxonomy
http://teaching.uncc.edu/articles-books/best-practice-articles/goals-objectives/writingobjectives-using-blooms-taxonomy
A Model of Learning Objectives
http://www.celt.iastate.edu/teaching/RevisedBlooms1.html
Adds the “Knowledge Dimension”
How to Write Objectives/OutcomesHow to Write
http://www.assessment.uconn.edu/docs/HowToWriteObjectivesOutcomes.pdf
Bloom’s Taxonomy
http://ww2.odu.edu/educ/roverbau/Bloom/blooms_taxonomy.htm
Teaching Resources – Bloom’s Taxonomy
http://at.ccconline.org/faculty/wiki/Teaching_Resources_-_Other_Resources__Blooms_Taxonomy
Align with Program Goals
Go back to program goals and see how well your
SLOs align with them.
1.1 Students will analyze literary, cultural, and/or linguistics texts
within their historical, social, and theoretical or literary contexts.
1.2 Students will compose essays applying argumentative techniques
and documentation that demonstrate understanding of texts.
2.0 Students will present information, concepts, and analyses orally
using diverse vocabulary and complex grammatical structures.
3.0 Students will engage in interpersonal communication with peers
and superiors demonstrating fluency, accuracy, and an awareness of
culturally appropriate vocabulary, values, and behavior.