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Writing Measurable Student Learning Outcomes

Writing Measurable Student Learning Outcomes. Dr. Timothy S. Brophy Director of Institutional Assessment University of Florida. Today’s Goals. Describe and explain SACS accreditation expectations for academic program assessment

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Writing Measurable Student Learning Outcomes

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  1. Writing Measurable Student Learning Outcomes Dr. Timothy S. Brophy Director of Institutional Assessment University of Florida

  2. Today’s Goals • Describe and explain SACS accreditation expectations for academic program assessment • Identify and apply steps for developing measurable student learning outcomes • Develop and/or refine student learning outcomes for your degree program

  3. What is SACS and Why is it Important to be Accredited? • SACS-COC = the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools’ Commission on Colleges • SACS is the Federally-approved accrediting body for southern region of the US • SACS develops policies and standards that operationalize Federal Regulations • Federal Student Aid is tied to our reaffirmation – without accreditation we lose this important funding source

  4. $106,204,536

  5. Historical Context

  6. Scope of the SACS Principles

  7. SACS Standard 3.3.1.1 • 3.3.1 - The institution identifies expected outcomes, assesses the extent to which it achieves these outcomes, and provides evidence of improvement based on analysis of the results in each of the following areas: (Institutional effectiveness) • 3.3.1.1 educational programs, to include student learning outcomes

  8. What SACS Expects

  9. The UF Assessment Process UF MISSION Institutional Effectiveness Assessment

  10. Academic Assessment Plan

  11. Student Learning Outcomes at UF • March 29, 2007 –Board of Governors regulation 8.016, “Academic Learning Compacts” • “Research indicates that university students are served best when students and faculty fully engage in a teaching-learning partnership, and this partnership is all the more meaningful if it is made as clear as possible to students what it is they will learn and how program faculty will assess that learning. Therefore, the Board has determined that universities must develop “Academic Learning Compacts” and related assessment processes to define and demonstrate student achievement in baccalaureate degree programs in the State University System.” • BOG Regulation 8.016, revised 1-19-12, “Student Learning Outcomes Assessment”

  12. Identifying SLOs and Program Goals

  13. Definitions • Program Goals do not describe student learning – instead, they describe programmatic elements, such as admission criteria, acceptance and graduation rates, etc • Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)describe student learning – what students will know and be able to do as a result of completing a UF program

  14. Outputs or outcomes?

  15. definitions • An outcome is a level of performance or achievement. It may be associated with a process or its output. Outcomes imply measurement - quantification - of performance. • Outputsdescribe and count what we do and whom we reach, and represent products or services we produce. Processes deliver outputs; what is produced at the end of a process is an output.

  16. Outcomes and outputs: What is the difference?

  17. characteristics of effective student learning outcomes • Focus on what students will know and be able to do. • All disciplines have a body of core knowledge that students must learn to be successful as well as a core set of applications of that knowledge in professional settings. • Describe observable and measureable actions or behaviors. • Effective SLOs present a core set of observable, measureable behaviors. Measurement tools vary from quizzes and tests to complex rubrics. • The key to measurability: an active verb that describes a observable behavior, process, or product • A framework for developing SLOs: Bloom’s Taxonomy (see Table 3 in your Student Learning Outcomes handout)

  18. Verbs and phrases that complicate measurability • Understand • An internal process that is indicated by demonstrated behaviors – OK for ALCs but not recommended for program or course SLOs • Appreciate; value • Internal processes that are indicated by demonstrated behaviors closely tied to personal choice • Become familiar with • Focuses assessment on “becoming familiar,” not familiarity • Learn about, think about • Not observable; demonstrable through communication or other demonstration of learning • Become aware of, gain an awareness of • Focuses assessment on becoming and/or gaining – not actual awareness • Demonstrate the ability to • Focuses assessment on ability, not achievement or demonstration of a skill

  19. Direct or Indirect assessment?

  20. Definitions • Indirect assessments are those that ascertain the opinion or self-report of the extent or value of learning experiences • Direct assessments of student learning are those that provide for direct examination or observation of student knowledge or skills against measurable performance indicators.

  21. Developing Measurable SLOs: A Three-level Model (carriveau, 2010)

  22. Level 1: Establishing Learning Goals for the Degree Source: 2012-13 UF Undergraduate Catalog, https://catalog.ufl.edu/ugrad/current/engineering/alc/materials-science-and-engineering.aspx

  23. Level 1: Learning Goals based on the MSE ALC

  24. Level 2 – Program Student Learning Outcomes for MSE

  25. MSE: Connecting Goals to Outcomes Goal SLO

  26. MSE: Connecting Goals to Outcomes Level 1 Level 2

  27. Connecting Program SLOs to Courses MSE Curriculum Map Assessments in the boxes marked A are conducted using specific homework, exam, or assignment questions aligned with that SLO. Source: 2011-12 MSE Academic Assessment Plan

  28. Level 3 – Course level SLOs • These are determined by the faculty to teach the course • However, these should directly relate to the program SLOs

  29. Writing student learning outcomes(use with the UF Student Learning Outcome Guide) • Review the Academic Learning Compact. List the learning goals for the program that are in the ALC. • Review the current SLOs for your area with your program faculty for recency, relevance, and rigor. • Examine the SLOs for the Knowledge Type (see Table 1) and Cognitive Processes level (see Table 2) they engage. The majority of the SLOs should be in the upper three levels of the Cognitive Processes Dimension – Analyze, Evaluate, and Create. The Taxonomy template in Figure 1 may help with this process. • Cross-reference your SLOs with the list of verbs/actions associated with their corresponding cognitive dimension levels (see Table 3), and replace any “verbs and phrases to avoid” with appropriate verbs from Table 3. • Write the SLO concisely and clearly.

  30. Additional Resources • Carriveau, R. (2010). Connecting the dots – Developing student learning outcomes and outcomes-based assessments. Denton, TX: Fancy Fox Publications • Suskie, L. (2009). Assessing student learning: A common sense guide (2nd ed.) San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. • Walvoord, B. (2010). Assessment clear and simple: A practical guide for institutions, departments, and general education (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. You can always find our UF-specific Institutional Assessment resources at our website, http://assessment.aa.ufl.edu/

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