Student Learning Outcomes and Assessment Summit

Cañada College, Spring 2008

Welcome Comments

Martin Partlan, ASGC President

Tom Mohr, Cañada College President

Ernie Rodriguez, AFT President

SLOAC Orientation WorkshopBased on a workshop presented by Marcy Alancraig & Sid Burks at the

Senate Vocational Leadership Conference, March 2008

Ray Lapuz, Mathematics Professor

SLOAC Coordinator

Patty Dilko, Early Childhood Education/Child Development Professor

ASGC Past President

To Deal with Student Learning Outcomes You Need:

• Sense of Play• Willingness to Experiment• Healthy Dose of Skepticism

• Ability to translate assessment theory and jargon into the language of our college

Accreditation Standards: The 5 Stages of Faculty Grief

• Denial• Anger• Bargaining• Depression• Acceptance

Why Are We Here?

• ACCJC/WASC – 2 year rule• Maintain Full Accreditation Status• Progress: Awareness, Development,

Proficiency• The Goal: Sustainable Continuous Quality

Improvement

Quickie Review: Standards Require

• SLOs for all courses• SLOs for all programs• SLOs for all certificates and

degrees

More Review

• All SLOs must be assessed regularly• Assessment results must be discussed

(dialogue & documentationare key elements!)

• SLOAC must be tied into Program Reviewand College Planning

What the X?!& is an SLO?

• Knowledge• Skills• Abilities• Attitudes

that a student can demonstrate by the end of a course, program, certificate or degree

So what else is new?

• Haven’t we always done this?

Yes!!!

• Now, however, we are being asked to articulate and document our process in a new way.

SLOs: The Big Picture

• Require HIGHER LEVEL thinking skills• May synthesize many discreet skills• Require students to APPLY what they’ve

learned• Result in a product• Product must be evaluated or assessed by

facultyChoose 1-3 most important concepts per class

Objectives: Nuts and Bolts

• Describe small, discreet skills• Require basic thinking skills• Do not necessarily result in a product

SLOs v. Objectives

• The Official Course Outline of Record at Cañada

• Many of us have written objectives that would qualify as SLOs

• Pick the best, modify Official Outlines later

Closing the Assessment Loop

• Assessment must feed back into processes to improve teaching and learning

• In the classroom• In the department• Across the entire campus

• Assessment activities should be useful and easy

Enhance teaching/ learning; inform institutional decision- making, planning, budgeting

How well do students achieve the learning outcomes that we set?

Gather Evidence

Interpret EvidenceCollege Mission

Goals for the Teaching and Learning Environment

– adapted from: Peggy Maki, AAHE

The Assessment

Loop

Key Point!

• Our college must design the assessment process and loop to fit our college’s culture.

Assessment Made Easy

• Write SLOs that you are truly interested in learning more about.

• When possible, use assessment tools that are already embedded into your course.

• Write SLOs that allow you to gather meaningful data.

• Vocational programs should use available external certification process.

Reporting on Your Progress

• All forms for reporting are available on the SLOAC web page: http://www.smccd.net/accounts/canslo/

• Forms should be submitted electronically to your dean and the SLOAC Coordinator

• 3 Forms 1. SLOAC Proposal 2. Report of Assessment Results 3. Reflection on Assessment Results

Where Does the Data Go?

• Turn in data to your Dean• Analysis will be facilitated• Data will be reported in aggregate• Data will not be used in personnel

evaluations• Senate will establish a policy next year

The Packet

• Cañada College SLOAC Philosophy• Descriptive documents• Handy worksheets• Paper copies of forms

SLOAC Facilitators Available To Work With Groups Today

SLO Development:• Sandra Comerford, College of San Mateo • Ray Lapuz, Cañada College • Karen Wong, Skyline College

Assessment Development:• Cathy Hasson, Skyline College • Ben Stefonik, Cañada College • Katie Townsend-Merino, Cañada College

Instructions for Today

• As soon as you choose a room, call Joan Murphy at: 306-3336

• Create at least one SLO for each current class• Identify an assessment technique for one SLO in

each class• Remember to stop for lunch at 12:30• Digitally submit SLOAC Form #1 for at least one

SLO per class to your Dean and Ray Lapuz

By the End of the Semester

• Be sure that your SLOs are complete for all classes

• Complete the assessment on at least one class and submit data to your dean

During Next Semester

• Complete the reflection process on assessment data from sp 08.

• Complete assessment on at least one class• Be on the look out for updated and revised

forms and a Handbook• Participate in department, division, and

college-wide SLOAC activities

ACCJC: Sustainable Continuous Quality Improvement

The Cycle Renews Itself Every Semester Building on the Last Semesters Work

We like to call it: Becoming Overtly Responsive to Student Learning in Our Classrooms, Programs and College.

Student Learning Outcomes and Assessment Summit

Cañada College, Spring 2008