Moving Forward: Taking Charge of SLO Assessment

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Moving Forward Taking Charge of SLO Assessment

• Marcy Alancraig
• English Professor and Learning Outcomes
  Coordinator
• Cabrillo College

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To Deal with Student Learning Outcomes You Need

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

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Why Assess SLOs?

• Its what youve been doing
• informally all along
• Its good teaching practice
• Its better for students
• It can make your teaching life better

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New Accreditation Standards The 5 Stages of
Faculty Grief

• Denial
• Anger
• Bargaining
• Depression
• Acceptance

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Quickie Review Standards Require

• SLOs for all courses
• SLOs for all programs
• SLOs for all certificates and degrees

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More Review

• All SLOs must be assessed regularly
• Assessment results must be discussed (dialogue is
  key!)

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The Assessment 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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Closing the Assessment Loop

• Assessment must feed back into processes to
  improve teaching and learning
• In the classroom
• In the department
• Across the entire campus
• Activity should be useful
• and easy

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Key Point!

• Each school must design the assessment process to
  fit that schools culture

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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

• Do you want the same method used to assess SLOs
  across the entire campus?
• Who will analyze the results?
• How will you close the feedback loop?

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A suggestion

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

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Rubrics Rock!

• A Simple Method of assessment for all SLOs

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So Whats a Rubric?

• A very detailed grading scale
• for one assignment
• A descriptor of each level of
• achievement

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Why Rubrics Rock

• Great for students
• Doesnt impinge on your
• academic freedom
• May make your teaching life easier
• Caveat Doesnt work for multiple choice exams

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Bonus Plus

• Can be easy assessment method for SLOs
• But
• only if the loop is closed
• And the results are discussed

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How do Rubrics Work?

• Rows Criteria of rating
• Columns Levels of mastery
• Beginner
• Developed
• Accomplished
• Cells Describes work at each level of mastery
• Build from strengths and weaknesses teachers see
  in student work over the years

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Activity

• Create a Chocolate Chip Cookie rubric

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Sample Rubrics

• Grid
• Narrative with points
• Combined with Grading Sheet

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Advice Rubrics are

• As individual as instructor and assignment
• Works in progress, always changing
• Something students should see in advance?

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Activity

• Choose one particular major assignment
• Use workbook to create a rubric for it
• Share with folks at your table

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Where do you go from Here?

• Next Steps