Implementing a Student Employee Learning Outcomes plan (SELO) Marianna Savoca, Director Urszula...

Implementing a Student Employee Learning Outcomes

plan (SELO)

Marianna Savoca, DirectorUrszula Zalewski, Sr. Career AssociateCareer Center, Stony Brook University

Stony Brook University Career Center

Session Goals

As a result of this program, participants will know:• How to begin developing your assessment plan• How to write basic learning outcomes for student employees & assess them• Ways to use the results


Why assessment?

Assessment – “Any effort to gather, analyze, and interpret evidence which describes institutional, departmental, divisional, or agency effectiveness.” (Schuh & Upcraft, 2001)

Benefits - • Proves that our programs accomplish what we intend• Or NOT - allows us to drop / change things that don’t

work• Naturally creates more intentionality in planning• Meet accreditation or other standards• Ties to university outcomes


Assessment is cyclical


Why learning?

• Accountability• Alignment with academic mission• Consistent with language of the Academy• Quality improvement• Better defined and more effective planning and

strategy development


Why SELO?

SA/ERM values learning

“Learning happens always & everywhere” (Keeling)

• Para-professional development already taking place (eg. Resident Assistants, Career Counseling Interns)

As a division…• Can we be more intentional about SE learning? • Can we impact student learning through work?


Why SELO?


Student Employment

How SELO?

• Discovery process – survey of research• Enlisted an expert – Keeling & Associates• Sought good models – University of Rhode Island• Selected knowledge domains that are

• industry standards (AAC&U)• tailored to Stony Brook


Knowledge Domains

THE ESSENTIAL LEARNING OUTCOMES - Liberal Education & America’s Promise, AAC&U 2007

• Knowledge of human cultures and the physical and natural world

• Intellectual & practical skills• Personal & social responsibility• Integrative learning


Theory-based


AAC&U knowledge

domains

AAC&U knowledge

domains

Desired SELO

Desired SELO

Supporting theories

Supporting theories

“Outcomes usually identify growth in some dimension of knowing, being or doing.”

Susan Komives & Sarah Schoper, “Developing Learning Outcomes,” Learning Reconsidered 2 (2006)

Defining Outcomes

KNOWLEDGE DOMAIN: Intellectual & Practical Skills

OUTCOME: The student employee will be able to gather, evaluate, and apply information to solve work related problems.

OBSERVABLE BEHAVIORS: • Anticipates needs & takes appropriate action to gather

information.• Seeks information from various sources. • Responds to inquiries with multiple resources.


Defining Outcomes

KNOWLEDGE DOMAIN: Intellectual & Practical Skills

OUTCOME: The student employee demonstrates an ability to work collaboratively with others.

OBSERVABLE BEHAVIORS: • Demonstrates skill for appropriately expressing thoughts and emotions.• Takes initiative to reach out to new team members. • Demonstrates ability to confront others and resolve disagreements.


Career Center Internship Program (N=19)Four Teams Marketing & Communications Career Counseling Employer Relations/Human Resources Tech Team

Implementation


OUTCOME: The student employee is able to gather, evaluate, and apply information to solve work-related problems.

Student Statement:“I try to research all the time from various sources.”

Supervisor Statement:

“When it comes to providing various resources, John often refers only to some resources, but not all. This has more to do with him becoming more familiar with multiple resources.”

SELO in Action


OUTCOME: The student employee demonstrates an ability to work collaboratively with others.

Student Statement:“I’m always welcoming and helpful.”

Supervisor Statement:“Hasn’t exercised this ability. Jennifer is still learning how to reach out to others.”

BEHAVIOR: Demonstrates skill for appropriately expressing thoughts & emotions.

Student Statement:“I have difficulties with expressing my thoughts with people that I don't know well.”

Supervisor Statement:“Daphney needs to learn how to articulate her thoughts & emotions in a professional environment. She has a not-enthusiastic approach that makes other students and staff uncomfortable.”

SELO in Action


BEHAVIOR: Demonstrates skill for appropriately expressing thoughts & emotions.

Student Statement:“Over the past year I feel I have improved immensely on my overall expression of thoughts and emotions.”

Supervisor Statement:“Karen understands the importance of expressing her emotions appropriately. She's learning to do this more regularly.

Results – SELO 1


#6: Seeks information from various sources#7: Demonstrates ability to respond to inquiries with multiple resources

OBSERVABLE BEHAVIOR: The student employee is able to gather, evaluate, and apply information to solve work related problems

Results – SELO 2


OBSERVABLE BEHAVIOR: The student employee demonstrates an ability to work collaboratively with others.

#1: Demonstrates skill for appropriately expressing thoughts and emotions #2: Takes initiatives to reach out to new team members#4: Ability to confront others and resolve disagreements

Students DID LEARN and DID IMPROVE!• Captured through self report & observable behavior

However…• Timeframe too small• Tension between assessment & evaluation • Ambition! • Differentiation – interns v. employees

What WE Learned


• Starting small is good for all• Being intentional about learning isn’t difficult• Many of us shared similar AHA moments! • Brought staffs of different offices together around a

common effort (dare I say “building community?”)• Moving towards a culture of assessment in everything we do!

Divisional experiences


“I just wanted to take this time to tell you how much I miss the career center, but more importantly how much it has helped me in my professional development….I started my internship in Manhattan at a online marketing firm. Within the first couple of hours I was asked to research websites, find out how many users are on certain websites, express my thoughts in meetings, and evaluate given projects to see the best way of completing them. Due to the same experiences I had at the career center, I was able to handle all my tasks efficiently and before the expected deadline. The career center has taught me how to react to given tasks almost like a born instinct. SO thank you for giving me the opportunity for being at the career center. This past year was worth more then I could have imagined.” -John M.

Beyond campus…


“Outcomes usually identify growth in some dimension of knowing, being or doing.” Susan Komives & Sarah Schoper, “Developing Learning Outcomes,”

Learning Reconsidered 2 (2006)

Exercise: • Identify one outcomes you would like your student

employees to Know - Be - Do as a result of working in your office.

Draft your own SELO


Exercise: • How will you know if the student learned what

you hoped? • What evidence could help? Self survey? Direct observation? Other?

Measuring Outcomes


• Did they learn what we wanted them to?• What can be modified to improve? • Selection, training, recruitment, mentoring, communication, supervision? • Can we leverage experiences within the division

to improve our process? • Can students better articulate their learning to potential employers?• What other implications can you suggest?

Using Results


Thank you & good luck!

Special thanks to … Patricia Carretta, University Life, George Mason University Jeff Barnett, Office of the Dean of Students, Stony Brook University


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