Writing And Assessing Program Outcomes

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Writing And Assessing Program Outcomes

• Marcy Alancraig
• Learning Outcomes Coordinator
• Cabrillo College

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Writing Program SLOs
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Program SLOs The Big Picture

• Requires HIGHER LEVEL thinking skills
• Synthesizes SLOs from many classes
• Requires students to APPLY what theyve learned
• Results in a product
• Product must be evaluated
• or assessed by faculty

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Objective Nuts and Bolts

• Describes small, discreet skills
• Requires basic thinking skills
• Do not necessarily result in a product

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Cabrillo Advice Less is More!

• Restrict SLOs to the most major skills, knowledge
  or attitudes
• Try for no more than 3-6 at the very most!
• Remember that each SLO must be assessed!

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Activity Write Program SLOs
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Assessing Program Outcomes
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Key Decisions

• How much time do you want to spend?
• Will the assessment be something extra you
  require of students beyond class work?
• Will the assessment be something extra you expect
  of faculty?

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More Key Decisions

• Who will analyze the results?
• When and how often?
• How will you close the feedback loop?

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The Feedback Loop
Gather Evidence
Interpret Evidence
Mission/Purposes Educational Objectives
How well do we achieve our educational objectives?
Enhance teaching/ learning inform institutional
decision- making, planning, budgeting
Peggy Maki, AAHE
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Reminder

• Use the KISS method
• Keep it simple, sweetheart!

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Activity

• Rate the upcoming menu of assessment methods
• Pros and Cons
• How it fits culture of your program and LBCC in
  general

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Course-Embedded Assessment Expanded Grading

• Uses assignments produced in class papers,
  projects, portfolios, presentations
• Grades them with rubrics or other explicitly
  stated criteria
• Results analyzed and presented to decision
  makers, resulting in decisions to improve student
  learning and teaching

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Variation Primary Trait Analysis

• Looks at only one major assignment
• Instructor constructs Primary Trait Scale (very
  detailed rubric) that scores each part of
  assignment
• Results of each section calculated and analyzed
  by faculty member
• Presented to department with suggestions for how
  to improve teaching and learning

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Cabrillo KISS Variation

• Instructor chooses 1 assignment in 1 class
• Instructor creates rubric and grades assignment
• Instructor analyzes results, looking for student
  issues and needs no numbers
• Presents to department no numbers
• Department discusses results overall
• Discussion recorded on form that becomes part of
  Departmental Review

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Side Benefits of Cabrillo Variation

• No worries about academic freedom
• No worries about evaluation
• Departmental meeting becomes about teaching -
  assignment, rubric and results presented
• Some improvement of weak faculty (maybe)

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Other variations of Course Embedded Assessment

• Can have common departmental or section
  assignment
• Can use common departmental or section rubric or
  PTA scale
• Can have your researcher analyze grading results,
  but still have to get him/her the info

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Portfolio Assessment

• Students assemble collection of work
• Faculty develop rubric to score it
• Faculty are normed
• Faculty score together outside of class
• Requires extra time for norming and scoring
• Can be fun!

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Pre and Post Testing

• Faculty design test that addresses program SLOs
• Same test given to students at the beginning and
  end of program
• Faculty or researcher scores results and compares
  them, analyzing to see how well students have
  achieved outcomes

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Testing

• Standardized tests
• Analyzing questions on objective tests
• Common paper or final
• Test bank with common test questions
• Questions When would the test occur? What would
  the results mean for the student?
• A caution be careful of matriculation issues

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Capstone Courses or Projects

• Student take additional course or create project
  before graduating from program
• Performance in course or project is used as
  assessment
• Questions will project or course be graded?
  What if students dont pass?
• Costs units

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Activity

• Brainstorm two methods of assessment that you
  think might work well for your program
• Bonus points for finding a way to close the
  assessment loop

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More Activity

• Develop an assessment plan for your program using
  the worksheet

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Where do you go from Here?

• Next Steps