SLO 101: Making Sense of Student Learning Outcomes

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SLO 101 Making Sense of Student Learning Outcomes

• Claire Biancalana
• Marcy Alancraig

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Objectives

• Based on the Cabrillo experience, design
  strategies to overcome faculty resistance to SLOs
  at your college.
• Work with SLOs in your own classroom

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Student Learning Outcome

• Participants will analyze their own campus
  climate relative to Student Learning Outcomes and
  write a plan for SLO implementation.
• (or at least the first few steps)

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What You Need

• Sense of Play
• Willingness to Experiment
• Healthy Dose of Skepticism
• Ability to translate theory and jargon into the
  language of your institution

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Early Years

• 1997-98
• Academic Administrative Leaders
• Faculty Senate
• 1998-99
• Packard Grant
• Summer Institutes
• Faculty Leader

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Summer Institutes

• Four summer institutes (1999 to 2002)
• Focused on teaching
• Contract and adjunct faculty participated
• Converted a conventional course to one using SLOs
• Implemented next semester
• Shared with department

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2002New Accreditation Standards

• Distraction
• Disruption
• Distrust
• Depression
• Delay
• Dialog

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Spring 2003 Inventory

• Course level
• Program level
• Degree level

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Degree SLOs

• GE Core Competencies
• Alignment
• Measurement
• Dialog

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Program Planning Process

• Every six years
• Review internal and external data
• Review Curriculum
• Review Prerequisites
• Develop future plans
• Drive budget requests
• Available to the Accreditation Team

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Lessons Learned

• Faculty must lead process
• Find the key for your campus
• Embrace resistance
• Keep it simple
• Just keep going
• Do it yourself to teach others

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Theory

• Paradigm Shift from Knowing to Doing
• Students learn better when
• Outcomes are defined and stated
• All activities are oriented toward outcomes
• How evaluation will occur and how it will be
  scored is known in advance

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A SLO Classroom

• Begins with clearly stated outcomes
• Course activities build toward mastery of
  outcomes
• Activities culminate in assignments that require
  students to apply what theyve learned
• Assignments are evaluated with well defined,
  public standards and criteria

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An Outcome

• Knowledge
• Skills
• Abilities
• Attitudes
• that a student can demonstrate by the end of a
  class

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SLO The Big Picture

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

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A Course Objective Nuts and Bolts

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

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A Comparison English 1A

• Objective
• Develop a main idea
• Maintain a clear command of tone
• Show control of standard English grammar

• Outcome
• Write papers that analyze the ecological,
  anthropological, historical and literary aspects
  of the Monterey Bay region
•     

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Sample Outcomes

• Biology Apply concepts of chemistry to
  physiological systems
• History Evaluate historical myths
• Speech Deliver well-researched speeches to
  inform and persuade
• Dental Hygiene Demonstrate technique of
  soft-tissue curettage on clinic patients

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Hints

• You already know how to do this!
• Think about the big picture What should students
  remember 5-10 years from now?
• If stuck, work backwards from your main
  assignments or products what do they measure?

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A Comparison English 1A

• Objective
• Develop a main idea
• Maintain a clear command of tone
• Show control of standard English grammar

• Outcome
• Write papers that analyze the ecological,
  anthropological, historical and literary aspects
  of the Monterey Bay region
•     

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Faculty Resistance

• 5 Stages of Faculty Grief
• Denial and Isolation
• Anger
• Bargaining
• Depression
• Acceptance

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SLO Plan for my College

• List one major SLO activity in place at your
  college
• Write the biggest challenge at your college
  surrounding SLO
• List three steps you will take on your colleges
  SLO journey

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Summary

• The Cabrillo Model
• SLO tools
• SLO for your course
• A start to your SLO campus plan

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Advice from your Colleagues at Cabrillo

• Start with Faculty
• Individualize for your campus
• Honor resistance
• Keep it simple
• Just keep going
• Lead and learn by doing