Creating Student Learning Outcomes

1. Creating Student Learning Outcomes Dr. Sara Hinkle Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs

2. What are Learning Outcomes? • Define the goals of learning experiences • What a student should be able to do, know, or value • Define impact- how a student has changed • Different from satisfaction or outputs (e.g., GPA, retention rates, graduation rates)

3. ABCD Structure of a Learning Outcome: • Audience/Who • Who does the outcome pertain to? • Behavior/What • What do you expect the audience to know/be able to do? (This needs to include an action verb to describe the learning, chosen from the Bloom’s Taxonomy) • Condition/How • Under what conditions or circumstances will the learning occur? • Degree/How much • How much will be accomplished, how well will the behavior need to be performed, and to what level?

4. ABCD Structure of a Learning Outcome: • Audience/Who • Who does the outcome pertain to? • Behavior/What • What do you expect the audience to know/be able to do? (This needs to include an action verb to describe the learning, chosen from the Bloom’s Taxonomy) • Condition/How • Under what conditions or circumstances will the learning occur? • Degree/How much • How much will be accomplished, how well will the behavior need to be performed, and to what level?

5. ABCD Structure of a Learning Outcome: • As a result of participating in (program or experience), students should be able to (action verb) + (defined by explicit and observable terms). • Try to limit yourself to 3-6 outcomes.

6. Students who attend advising sessions will choose courses that fulfill their chosen degree requirements. • Students (Who) who attend advising sessions (How) will choose courses (What) that fulfill their chosen degree requirements (How much).

7. The 3 Ms of Outcome Writing • Meaningful • Manageable • Measurable

8. Bloom’s Taxonomy

9. Blooms CategoryDefinitionAction VerbWhat the Teacher DoesLearning ActivitiesKnowledgeInformation Gatheringrecalling or remembering something without necessarily understanding, using, or changing itTell, list, describe, name, repeat, remember, recall, identify, state, select, match, know, locate, report, recognize, observe, choose, who, what, where, when, cite, define, indicate, label, memorize, outline, record, relate, reproduce, underlineDirectsTellsShowsExaminesLecture, reading, audio/visual, demonstration, question and answer period, memorize and reciteComprehensionDeeper Understanding of Knowledgeunderstanding something that has been communicated without necessarily relating it to anything elseExplain, restate, find, describe, review, relate, define, clarify, illustrate, diagram, outline, summarize, interpret, paraphrase, transform, compare similarities and differences, derive main idea, arrange, convert, defend, discuss, discuss, estimate, extend, generalize, give examples, locate, report, translateDemonstratesListensQuestionsComparesExaminesDiscussions, reflection, illustrate main idea, ApplyUse of Knowledgeusing a general concept to solve problems in a particular situation; using learned material in new and concrete situationsApply, practice, employ, solve, use, demonstrate, illustrate, show, report, paint, draw, collect, dramatize, classify, put in order, change, compute, construct, interpret, investigate, manipulate, modify, operate, organize, predict, prepare, produce, schedule, sketch, translateShowsFacilitatesObservesCriticizesRole plays, case studies, fishbowl activities, construct a model, collection of photographsAnalyzeCompare and Contrastbreaking something down into its parts; may focus on identification of parts or analysis of relationships between parts, or recognition of organizational principlesAnalyze, dissect, detect, test, deconstruct, discriminate, distinguish, examine, focus, find coherence, survey, compare, contrast, classify, investigate, outline, separate, structure, categorize, solve, diagram, determine evidence and conclusions, appraise, break down, calculate, criticize, debate, experiment, identify, illustrate, infer, inspect, inventory, question, relate, selectProbesGuidesObservesActs as a resourcePractice by doing, simulated job settings, write a commercial to sell a product, make a flow chart, put on a play or skit, write a biography, plan an event EvaluateJudging the Outcomejudging the value of material or methods as they might be applied in a particular situation; judging with the use of definite criteriaCoordinate, judge, select/choose, decide, debate, evaluate, justify, recommend, verify, monitor, measure, the best way, what worked, what could have been different, what is your opinion, test, appraise, assess, compare, conclude, contrast, criticize, discriminate, estimate, explain, grade, interpret, rate, relate, revise, score, summarize, support, valueAcceptsLays bare the criteriaHarmonizesUse in real situations, on the job training, create a new product, write a new language code and write in it, persuasively present an idea, devise a way to solve a problem, compose a rhythm or put new words to a songCreateOriginal or new creationcreating something new by putting parts of different ideas together to make a whole.Create, hypothesize, design, construct, invent, imagine, discover, present, deduce, induce, bring together, compose, pretend, predict, organize, plan, modify, improve, suppose, produce, set up, what if, propose, formulate, solve (more than one answer), arrange, assemble, categorize, collect, combine, devise, explain, generate, manage, perform, prepare, rearrange, reconstruct, relate, reorganize, revise, argue forReflectsExtendsAnalyzesEvaluatesSelf study, learning through mistakes, create criteria to judge material, conduct a debate, write a half yearly report,University of Oregon | Division of Student AffairsLearning Outcome Contexts • Institutional Goals (WCU Building on Excellence) • Divisional Goals (DOSA Priorities and Learning Outcomes) • Departmental Goals (specific to groups of programs, services, or activities) • Program Goals (specific to a program or activity)

10. Common Stumbling Blocks • Describe program outcomes, rather than learning outcomes • Use of vague terms (appreciate, become aware of/familiar with, know, learn, value, use, understand…) • Too vast/complex, too wordy • Multiple outcomes in one learning outcome statement (the word “and” is usually a clue!) • Not specific enough (e.g., effective communication skills)

11. Adapted from these resources: • Campus Labs/Baseline. Writing Learning Outcomes Worksheet. Retrieved from http://baselinesupport.campuslabs.com/entries/22096117-Writing-Learning-Outcomes-Worksheet • Keeling, R. & Underhile, R. (2007, June) Putting “Learning Reconsidered” into practice: Developing and assessing student learning outcomes. Learning Reconsidered Institute. St. Louis, MO. Retrieved from http://sa.uncg.edu/assessment/wp-content/uploads/learning_reconsidered_institute_workshop.pdf. • University of Oregon, Student Affairs Assessment & Research. Retrieved from http://sa-assessment.uoregon.edu/ResourcesandTraining/WritingStudentLearningOutcomes.aspx

12. Choosing Your Assessment Method October 2, 2015 Dr. Sara Hinkle Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Jamie Williams Assistant Director, Service-Learning & Volunteer Programs

13. Basic Assessment Approaches • Needs • Satisfaction • Learning Outcomes

14. Assessment Methods • Survey • Pre-Test/Post-Test • Rubric • Focus Groups