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SLOs and Course Objectives

Explore the differences and importance of Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) and course objectives, meeting Title 5 and Accreditation requirements. Learn how both concepts impact curriculum development and assessment practices.

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SLOs and Course Objectives

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  1. SLOs and Course Objectives Diana Hurlbut, Irvine Valley College Ginni May, Sacramento City College Sofia Ramirez-Gelpi, Allan Hancock College Erik Shearer, Napa Valley College ASCCC Curriculum Regionals – November 13-14, 2015

  2. Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) Participants at this presentation will: • Be reminded of Title 5 requirements regarding Objectives in the COR; • Be updated on the Accreditation requirements regarding SLOs and the official course outline; • Discuss the differences between SLOs and course Objectives

  3. SLOs or Objectives? • Is there a difference? • Does it matter? • Can we call the whole thing off? • Let’s review what we know and what we don’t know

  4. Title 5 §55002 (a)(3) and (b)(3) • Both degree applicable and non-degree applicable courses require course outlines of record (CORs). • CORs must include: • Unit value • Expected number of contact hours as a whole • Pre-req, co-reqs, & advisories • Catalog description • OBJECTIVES • Content • Should include examples of reading, writing and other outside-of-class assignments • Instructional methodology • Methods of evaluation

  5. So, what IS an objective? ASCCC’s Course Outline of Record: A Curriculum Reference Guide http://www.asccc.org/sites/default/files/publications/Curriculum-paper_0.pdf

  6. Objectives • Stated in terms of what students will be able to do. • Clearly connect to achievement of the course goals. • Concise but complete: ten objectives might be too many; one is not enough. • Use verbs showing active learning. • Theory, principles, and concepts must be adequately covered. • Skills and applications are used to reinforce and develop concepts. • Each objective should be broad in scope, not too detailed, narrow, or specific.

  7. So…why are we even talking about “outcomes”? Accreditation!

  8. ACCJC Standards 21 references to learning outcomes in the new Standards. Among them: STANDARD I.B.2: The institution defines and assesses student learning outcomes for all instructional programs and student and learning support services. • ACCJC does not tell us how to define.

  9. What IS an SLO? Academic Senate, “SLO Terminology Glossary,” 2009 http://www.asccc.org/sites/default/files/publications/SLO-Glossary-2010_0.pdf

  10. SLOs Student learning outcomes (SLOs) are the specific observable or measurable results that are expected subsequent to a learning experience. These outcomes may involve knowledge (cognitive), skills (behavioral), or attitudes (affective) that provide evidence that learning has occurred as a result of a specified course, program activity, or process.

  11. SLOs An SLO refers to an overarching outcome for a course, program, degree or certificate, or student services area (such as the library). SLOs describe a student’s ability to synthesize many discreet skills using higher level thinking skills and to produce something that asks them to apply what they’ve learned. SLOs usually encompass a gathering together of smaller discrete objectives (see definition on previous page) through analysis, evaluation and synthesis into more sophisticated skills and abilities.

  12. Title 5 and ACCJC Standards • Title 5 states that OBJECTIVES must be a component of the COR – § 55002(a)(3). • ACCJC requires OUTCOMES – II.A.3:…The institution has officially approved and current course outlines that include student learning outcomes. In every class section students receive a course syllabus that includes learning outcomes from the institution’s officially approved course outline. • We also must do things with those outcomes…Good things. 

  13. Title 5 and ACCJC Standards • Neither dictates the relationship between the two. • So, what is the relationship?

  14. ASCCC Position – Publishing SLOs Spring 2009 (09.10) Whereas, Curriculum and student success are areas where ASCCC has professional responsibility; Whereas, Approximately 50% of the CCCs that responded to surveys about placing SLOs in the COR reported their decision not to include SLOs on the COR, while other colleges either did not respond or have not decided; Whereas, Housing SLOs in some other public domain entity can still allow students, community members, and accrediting agencies to review and track progress of SLOs at community colleges; Resolved, That ASCCC encourage local senates to publish SLOs in any appropriate public domain entity such as the COR, database, webpage, etc.

  15. SLOs and Course Objectives in C-ID Descriptors • C-ID descriptors are based on the COR requirements specified in title 5. • Descriptors do not include SLOs • However, reviewers are trained to consider SLOs in making holistic reviews and determinations of comparability. • Problem: some colleges conflate SLOs and objectives, others provide greater detail in SLOs than objectives. As a result, some reviews returned to local faculty include requests for SLO revisions. • C-ID reviewers are being reminded to word reviews in terms of Objectives, rather than SLOs to avoid this problem.

  16. What do we do now? • Discussion • Questions

  17. Thank you!

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