Degree SLO Workshop

17 Sept 2011

Workshop Learning Outcomes

• Faculty who participate in the Workshop will:– Know the accreditation requirements and timeline

regarding Degree SLOs.– Be able to write Degree SLOs for degrees in their

discipline.– Identify methods of assessment for Degree SLOs.

Review of SLOs

• What is a “Student Learning Outcome”?– Student learning outcomes (SLOs) are the

knowledge, skills, and abilities that a student is expected to be able to demonstrate following the successful completion of a course, a program or a degree.

Review of SLOs

• History of Course SLOs at CSM– Development of Course SLOs began in 2005.– Has been a requirement on Course Outlines for

the past 6 years.– Every course with an up-to-date Course Outline

has SLOs.– Assessment began by Fall 2008.– Tracdat began being used Spring 2010 to track

Course SLO Assessment

Review of SLOs

• History of GE SLOs at CSM– GE SLOs were identified in 2006– Assessment of GE SLOs has occurred through

student surveys following the Spring 2010 and Spring 2011 semesters

– Review of the GE SLOs will occur during the Fall 2012 semester and the GE SLOs will be revised as necessary. (The first draft of the Self Evaluation will be completed in the previous semester and will guide review and revision.)

Review of SLOs

• History of Program SLOs at CSM– ACCJC Standards required development and assessment

of SLOs for programs and courses.– “Program” was interpreted to mean “a sequence of

courses leading to a certificate”– Program SLOs have been developed and assessed for

some certificate programs– ACCJC clarified that Degree SLOs also need to be identified

and assessed. The wording of the Standards was changed to clarify that the requirement was “development and assessment of SLOs for courses, programs and degrees.

Rubric for Evaluating Institutional Effectiveness Part III: Student Learning Outcomes

• Levels of Implementation– Awareness– Development– Proficiency– Sustainable Continuous Quality Improvement

• AACCJC Standards require that we reach the “Proficiency” Level by Fall 2012

Characteristics ofProficiency Level of Implementation

• Student learning outcomes and authentic assessment are in place for courses, programs and degrees.

• There is widespread institutional dialogue about the results of assessment and identification of gaps.

• Decision-making includes dialogue on the results of assessment and is purposefully directed toward aligning institution-wide practices to support and improve student learning.

• Appropriate resources continue to be allocated and fine-tuned.• Comprehensive assessment reports exist and are completed and updated

on a regular basis.• Course student learning outcomes are aligned with degree student

learning outcomes.• Students demonstrate awareness of goals and purposes of courses and

programs in which they are enrolled.

Today’s Focus

• Student learning outcomes and authentic assessment are in place for courses, programs and degrees.– We will discuss what can help you draft Degree

SLOs.– We will talk about various methods for assessing

Degree SLOs.– We will look at examples of Degree SLOs.– You will work in groups developing Degree SLOs for

degrees in your programs.

Additional Characteristics of Proficiency

• Course student learning outcomes are aligned with degree student learning outcomes.

• Students demonstrate awareness of goals and purposes of courses and programs in which they are enrolled.– Course SLOs http

://www.collegeofsanmateo.edu/SLOAC/slos/ – Similar pages will be created for Degree SLOs,

Certificate SLOs, and Student Services

Writing SLOs

• Whether at the Course, Program or Degree Level, you should be thinking about how you will assess the SLOs as you are writing them.

• Mainly, you want to make sure that they are easily assessable.

• Non-assessable SLO:– Upon successful completion of POCA 101: Political

Campaigning, students will be able to be elected President of the United States.

Assessment Methods

• Direct Standardized Methods

• Indirect Program Assessment

• Locally Developed Assessment Methods

Assessment: Direct Standardized Methods

• Placement Exam– For courses in a sequence, Course SLOs can be

assessed by having students take a placement exam to determine if they place into the next course.Example: Math 110 is a prerequisite for Math 120. A Course SLO for Math 110 could be, “upon successful completion of Math 110, a student will be prepared to enroll in Math 120. This SLO could be assessed by having Math 110 students take a placement test and see if they place into Math 120.

Assessment: Direct Standardized Methods

• Licensing Exam– Some Certificate and Degree Programs can assess

based on student performance on Licensing Exams.Nursing, Administration of Justice, and Dental Assisting are examples that can use this type of assessment.

Assessment:Indirect Program Assessment

• External reviewers• Student Satisfaction Surveys• Exit Interviews• Alumni Surveys• Employer Surveys• Transfer School Records• Data on Awards Granted, Retention, Success

and other Overall Program Data

Assessment:Locally Developed Assessment Methods

• Embedded Course Questions or Problems• Capstone Projects• Portfolios• Performance Assessment• Capstone Courses• Student Self Assessment

Assessment:Embedded Course Questions or Problems

Capstone Projects • Use questions and/or problems on a final exam,

other exam, quiz or assignment to assess an SLO.• Incorporates assessment into what is already done in

the course.• Example: “Upon successful completion Animal

Tracking 101, a student will be able to identify animals from their footprints.” Students could be presented with one or more photos of animal footprints and asked to identify the animal.

Assessment:Portfolios

• Students keep a portfolio of their work which is used for SLO assessment.

• This works very well for the arts, but is not limited to the arts.– Writing Courses– Science Courses

Assessment:Performance Assessment

• Performance Assessment is observing students in real-life situations.

• Example: “Upon successful completion of Nursing 235, students will be able to identify and assess the healthcare needs of patients/clients using the tools and framework appropriate to the clinical setting.”

Assessment:Capstone Courses

• For Degrees (or Certificates) with Capstone Courses, embed assessment of Degree SLOs within the course assessment using one of the previous methods.

• If a Degree has courses that must be completed in a specific order, then “upon successful completion of” the Capstone Course students should possess the knowledge, skills and abilities that are the Degree SLOs.

Assessment:Student Self Assessment

• Student Self Assessment can be completed through a survey.

• For Spring 2012, students will complete degree applications online. Based on the degree they select, they can be directed to a discipline specific survey. The survey will have questions written by discipline faculty .

Assessment: Student Self AssessmentElectronic Music Example

• Certificate SLO: “Upon successful completion of the Electronic Music Program, a student will be able to design original sounds using analog synthesis, digital synthesis and sampling.”

• Survey Questions: – Please rate on a scale of 0-10 (0 being unable, 10 being very

able) your ability to design original sounds using analog synthesis, digital synthesis and sampling.

– What particular elements of the Electronic Music Program helped you develop this ability?

– What particular elements of the Electronic Music Program could be changed or added to help you develop this ability?

Writing Course SLOs

• Ask yourself some questions:– (For courses in a sequence) What outcomes from

one course are necessary for success in the next course?

– If I were developing a new course (Computational Physics) and made Physics 250 a prerequisite, what knowledge, skills and abilities would I expect a student completing Physics 250 to possess.

– How will I assess the SLO?

Writing Degree SLOs

• Ask yourself some questions:– If I were an employer hiring someone with the

degree, what knowledge skills and abilities would I expect them to possess as a result of earning the degree?

– If our department hired an instructional aide and required an AA degree in the field or equivalent, how would I determine “or equivalent”?

– How will I assess the SLO?

Group Work

• Creative Arts and Social Science Division• Language Arts Division• Biology, Chemistry, Geology, Kinesiology• Business, Electronics Technology, Engineering,

Mathematics

• Examples from Nursing, Electronic Music and Music (early draft)

Results of Group Work

Alignment of SLOs

Course to GE SLOs

SLOs for courses fulfilling GE Requirements of AA/AS

Align with ..

Institutional GE SLOs

Course to Degree SLOs

SLOs for courses fulfilling Major Requirements of AA/AS

Align with ..

Degree SLOs

Timeline for Degree SLOs

• 17 Sept 2011: Workshop• 19 Sept – 1 Oct: Discussion with colleagues to

finalize Degree SLO• 1 Oct 2011: Degree SLOs submitted to COI• Oct 2011: Review of SLOs by Assessment

Committee and COI• Spring 2012: Assessment of Degree SLOs

Timeline – Student Survey Option

• Sept-Oct-Nov: Development of Survey Questions– PRIE is a resource for this and will review survey questions.

• 1 Dec 2011: Last Day to Submit Survey Questions for Spring 2012 Assessment

• Spring 2012: Students complete surveys when filing for a degree

• June 2012: Degree audits completed and survey results distributed to discipline faculty to analyze.

• Aug/Sept 2012: Interpretation of results by discipline faculty. Action steps and follow-up assessment scheduled if needed. Results recorded in TracDat.