Student Learning Outcomes Assessment

1. Student Learning Outcomes Assessment What Behaviors Indicate a Student is Meeting Course Goals and Objectives? “Indicators”

2. Student Learning Outcomes Assessment SLOA • “At the end of this course the student will be able to……” • Qualitative and Quantitative • Direct Measures – exams, papers, projects, appropriate use of formulas, etc • Indirect Measures – asking students how well they thought they learned; tracking their performance in sequential courses • Faculty need to agree on indicators • Work sampling: indicators are not proof but they are rich information that are signs of achieving an outcome

3. SLOA • Assessment does not have to be complicated • Faculty work as colleagues to assess student work using agreed upon criteria that are respected in the field • Typically work with aggregate data • Make informed judgment about student work using explicit criteria or common rubric • Take the class average score or ask raters to discuss ratings and come to consensus

4. Social Science General Education Program Designation • Functional Competencies • Scientific and Quantitative Reasoning • Critical Analysis and Reasoning • Technological Competence To systematically document student’s skills, knowledge, behavior, and academic accomplishments • Small group in-class activities • Paper and pencil exam questions • Mastery of online simulations and scores from online chapter exams

5. Outcomes • The student learning outcomes related to Scientific and Qualitative Reasoningaddress: • 1) the understanding and use of mathematical and scientific methods of inquiry, reasoning, processes and strategies to investigate and solve problems • 2) the ethical and social implications of scientific inquiry and technological change • 3) the ability to distinguish science from non-science and pseudo science

6. These are demonstrated by: • Results from an online 25 question multiple choice exam that assesses student knowledge of statistical and methodological concepts from Chapter 2: How Psychologists do Research • Key Findings: 86% of the students passed the exam • Mastery of online simulations, as determined by students’ scores on simulations entitled Distinguishing Independent and Dependent Variables, Experimental Method, Observational Methods, and Ethics in Psychological Research • Key Findings: Students achieving mastery on the 4 simulations: 86%, 92%, 90%, and 83%, respectively • Results from 25% of the questions on the Unit 1 paper and pencil exam that specifically assess application of research concepts • Key Findings: 82% of the students responded correctly to these questions

7. Outcomes • The student learning outcomes related to Critical Analysis and Reasoning address: • 1) identifying and evaluating stated and unstated assumptions, supporting evidence and data, and alternative points of view • 2) assessing implications and consequences of particular courses of action • 3) applying fundamental critical thinking skills to the analysis and interpretation of a variety of subjects, including ideas and issues, cultural artifact, or aesthetic works

8. These are demonstrated by: • Results from an online 25 question multiple choice exam that assesses students’ critical thinking from Chapter 1: Thinking Critically about Psychology. • KeyFindings: 66% students passed the exam • Small group assignments conducted during class that require students to identify how hypothetical reasoning or situations may violate critical thinking, and/or require the use of critical thinking. These activities are analyzed using a grading rubric that awards a point for “demonstrates competence in content” (1) or “does not demonstrate competence in content” (0). • KeyFindings: 77% demonstrated competence

9. Outcomes • The student learning outcomes related to Technological Competency are assessed by the successful completion and scoring for online chapter interactivities and assignments. This online work presents and assesses core content in Psychology. All of the online work constitutes 40% of the student’s final grade.

10. These are demonstrated by: • Adherence to a designated deadline whereby students are required to register for labs online, download relevant software, test their computers for program compatibility, and maintain connectivity with appropriate browsers; and successful login to online Psychology labs, linking to the lab server, activating simulations and interactivities related to each chapter’s content, and submission of a short chapter exam for each chapter. • Key Findings: 93% of students demonstrated competence

11. Other strategies and indicators • Faculty across multiple sections score a common research report on a likert scale to determine “unacceptable” through “excellent” across variables such as grammar, sentence structure, etc • Scoring performance on SPSS use in group assignments and individual assignments as “incompetent” or “competent” • Capstone course survey of how well students’ believe they achieved targeted goals.

12. Student Learning Outcomes Assessment • Redesign is an opportune time to develop and use SLOA. • Assessment does not have to be complicated • Faculty work as colleagues to assess student work using agreed upon criteria that is respected in the field • Typically work with aggregate data • Make informed judgment about student work using explicit criteria or common rubric