Student Learning Outcomes: Institution to Course

1. Student Learning Outcomes: Institution to Course Candace Timpte Juliana Lancaster Georgia Gwinnett College

2. Origins • 4-year, State College in the University System of Georgia • Authorized by GA Legislature in May 2005 • President hired in September 2005 • Campus opened with 118 students and 10 faculty in August 2006 • Home of the Grizzlies!

3. Current Status • Students: • Fall 2006 Enrollment: 118 • Fall 2007 Enrollment: 787 • Fall 2010 Enrollment: 5380 • Faculty • Fall 2006 Total: 11 – all FT • Fall 2010 Total: 333 (196FT; 137PT) • Degree Programs • Fall 2006: BBA Business; BS Biology, Psychology • Fall 2007: BBA Business; BS Biology, Psychology, Information Technology • Fall 2010: BBA Business; BS Biology, Psychology, Information Technology, Mathematics; BA English, History, Political Science; BSEd: Early Childhood Ed, Special Ed

4. Institutional EffectivenessStarting Conditions • Advantages of starting from scratch • Strong executive level support for and understanding of IE • Limited number of programs and offices at start-up • Absence of legacy or standing processes and structures • Disadvantages to starting from scratch • Absence of legacy or standing processes and structures • Each individual brings a different set of assumptions and expectations • Rapid growth and hiring leads to continuous need for explanation/education

5. Institutional Effectiveness Initial Design (2006-07) • In order to get “…ongoing, integrated, and institution-wide research-based planning and evaluation processes…[SACS]” for we needed: • Structure and resources • Broad buy-in, consensus and agreement • Working “ground rules” • Institution-wide and pervasive • Integrated with institution’s mission & strategic plan • Faculty/staff participation and basic control • Interdisciplinary and developmental assessment of student learning

6. Institutional Effectiveness Initial Design (2007-07) • Program level student learning outcomes and assessment plans • General Education curriculum designed around learning outcomes • Agreement to develop and assess for institutional learning outcomes • Agreement to integrate curricular and co-curricular learning efforts • Leading to: Integrated Educational Experience (IEE) Student Learning Outcome Goals for GGC

7. Institutional Effectiveness Continuing Design Conceptual Relationships Among Outcome Goals and Objectives Institutional Goals Integrated Educational Experience SLO Goals Student Affairs Goals Program of Study Goals Course Goals Student Affairs Activity Goals Lesson Objectives

8. Our Terminology

9. Lesson Objectives • Define learning expectations for each unit in the course. • Each course has defined LO shared among all sections. • LOs ‘standardize’ multiple section courses • Students use LO as a study guide.

10. Course Goals • Defined as the critical educational components of the course • “At the end of this course, you will be able to…” • Content related goals • Skill related goals • Higher-order goals • All must be assessable!

11. Course Goals • At GGC, listed as course description in course catalog. • Faculty determined. • All faculty teaching a course must buy-in to teaching these CG. • Living list, revise as needed.

12. Program Outcome Goals • Hallmarks of student achievement in a program of study. • Tripartite: content, skills, higher order goals • Majors with tracks have common POG + track specific POG. • Biology tracks in Biochemistry, General Biology and Secondary education • Share 6 general POG + 3 track specific POG

13. Integrated Educational Experience (IEE) Student Learning Outcomes • State the overarching knowledge, skills and attitudes that all GGC students are expected to achieve • In other words, the outcomes that the College as a whole endeavors to develop in graduates • In SACS terms: “College level Competencies”

14. Our IEE Outcomes • Clearly communicate ideas in written and oral form • Demonstrate creativity and critical thinking in inter- and multidisciplinary contexts • Demonstrate effective use of information technology • Demonstrate an understanding of diversity and global perspectives leading to collaboration in diverse and global contexts • Demonstrate an understanding of human and institutional decision making from multiple perspectives • Demonstrate an understanding of moral and ethical principles • Demonstrate and apply leadership principles • Demonstrate effective quantitative reasoning

15. Building the Connections

16. Mapping outcomes across levels creates a coherent educational plan • Course Goals to Program Goals • Program Goals to IEE Goals • Not all major-specific courses and not all program goals will map to an IEE • Some IEE Goals satisfied by General Education Courses

17. Exercise 1 • Take 5 minutes to think of a course you have taught and the program it was part of • List your learning goals for the course • Match them to the learning outcomes for the program • Share with two people near you.

18. Biol1107 Course Goals Common Biology Program Goal

22. Exercise 2 • Take five minutes and think now about the program outcomes you used in Exercise 1 • Which of your institution’s overall learning outcomes would those program outcomes support? • Map your program outcomes to institutional outcomes • Share

23. Map to IEE Goals

25. Gathering and Aggregating Data

26. Course Assessment Report • Summary: overall grades, number of students and sections • Highlights: teaching or activity highlights • Assessments: • % achieved a C or better on assessment exercises • % of total points earned • Action plans: what didn’t work, what needs improvement, equipment or supplies

27. Course Assessment Report • Every semester, every course • Multi-section courses pooled • Standardized format essential • Courses used by several programs • Pass off to next instructor, alerts them to quirks of course • Use to support requests for equipment, infrastructure, improve program

28. Program Assessment Report • Annually compile all course reports • Are students meeting Program Outcome Goals? • What are faculty doing to enhance learning? • What needs are apparent?

29. Program Assessment Report

30. Institutional Report

31. Institutional Report

32. Institutional Report

33. Advantages: • Students have a defined list of educational accomplishments for each course, program and general education plan • Coordinated content • multi-section courses • semester to semester with different faculty • Pass-off courses more informative • Faculty goal: educating students! • Supports formative evaluation of INSTITUTIONAL effectiveness

34. Pitfalls: • Faculty view assessment as indicator of their teaching • Inflated assessment scores • 100% success in all areas is not informative • Standardized format critical • Timely submission • Assessment format • Standardized or faculty optional? Theme courses Faculty Buy-in