KATHY CLARK PETERSEN, PH.D.STUDENT DEVELOPMENT, ASSISTANT TO THE VICE PRESIDENT

MICHELLE CHEATEMASSOCIATE DEAN OF STUDENTS

JASPA SUMMER INSTITUTEJULY 19, 2010

Student Learning Outcomes: Ready, Set, Write

Program OverviewDiscuss Student Development division learning outcome development

Articulate what a learning outcome is and the purpose it serves in practice

Learn how to write a learning outcome

Develop learning outcomes for your specific program/experience

Student Development DivisionLearning Outcome Development2006 Began developing divisional outcomes2007 Attended Learning Reconsidered 2 Institute

2007 Get others on boardIn-service on learningDeveloped workshop series – learning, learning

outcomes, & assessmentAt least one person from each department attended

workshopAll new programs must have learning outcomes

Educational Aims

Divisional Outcomes

Departmental Outcomes

Program/Experience Outcomes

When you hear the words “learning outcomes”…

What comes to mind?

What’s your experience thus far?

Why Learning Outcomes?

Provides direction

Efficiency

Accountability

Ethical professional

Improve

Implement

Plan

Assess

Learning Cycle or Program Planning Cycle

How Does It All Fit Together?Mission – The purpose of your program.

Goal/Objective – What the program intends to accomplish or what students should learn, understand or appreciate.

Learning Outcome – Describes the end result, what students should know, demonstrate, or produce as a result of what they have learned from the program.

Bresciani, Zelna, Anderson, (2004). Assessing Student Learning and Development: A Handbook for Practitioners, p.11.

Maki,, P. (2004). Assessing for Learning: Building a Sustainable Commitment Across the Institution, p. 61.

What is a learning outcome?

“Learning outcomes refers to the specific knowledge or skills that students actually develop through their college experience.”

From: Dictionary of Student Outcome and Assessmenthttp://people.jmu.edu/yangsx/Search/asp?searchText=outcomes+assessment&Option=Term

Outcome Development

“A variety of methods might be used to identify learning outcomes and prioritize the degree of emphasis placed on them. An entire campus (e.g., a functional area, a major) should begin by identifying the learning outcomes it seeks to develop in its students.”

Komives, S. & Schoper , S. (2006). Developing learning outcomes. In Keeling, R. (Ed.) Learning Reconsidered 2, (pp.17-41).

Outcome Development

Before we develop learning outcomes, we must ask ourselves…

What is it that an ideal participant would learn from the experience or program?

Exercise borrowed from Learning Reconsidered 2.

What is a learning outcome statement?Describes what students should know, demonstrate, be able to do, or produce based on what and how they learn.

Relies on active verbs such as create, compose, develop, calculate, articulate, etc. that target what we expect students to be able to demonstrate.

Written for a course, program, experience, department, division, or institution.

Fried, J. (2007). Learning Reconsidered 2 Institute

Objectives and Outcomes

Students will understand the needs of the community.

As a result of participating in RoadTrip, students will communicate a process of determining the needs of a community.

Objectives and Outcomes

Students will learn what it means to be attentive, reflective, and loving.

As a result of participating in RoadTrip, students will articulate at a basic level what it means to be attentive, reflective, and loving.

Writing a Learning OutcomeOutcomes Include:Audience – Your audience in student learning outcomes is always the student.

Behavior - Use future tense action verbs.

Condition – Include the factors associated with the behavior.

Degree of Achievement – You may or may not include the degree or acceptable level of performance.

Busby, K. (2007). Using LR2 to Develop Learning Outcomes. Presented at Learning Reconsidered Institute.

Writing a Learning OutcomeOutcomes Include:

Audience, Behavior, Condition , and Degree of Achievement

As a result of participating in RoadTrip, students will articulate at a basic level what it means to be attentive, reflective, and loving.

The degree does not have to be explicitly articulated in the learning outcomes statement. Often times, the degree is implied by the verb used in the statement.

EvaluationCriticizes, compares, concludes

SynthesisCreates, formulates, revises

AnalysisDifferentiates, diagrams, estimates

ApplicationDemonstrates, computes, solves

UnderstandingExplains, summarizes, classifies

KnowledgeIdentifies, defines, describes

Bloom’s Taxonomy

Steps to Writing Learning Outcomes

1. Identify the individual or population. Ex. Resident Assistants

2. What is your learning goal? What do you want students to achieve?

3. What will they know, be able to do, and/or explain?

4. Determine the degree(s) of learning. Ex. Knowledge (articulate, define); Evaluation (criticize, compare)

It’s time to write!

Write outcome statements that capture what students in your program or experience should learn or achieve.

Next Steps & Helpful ResourcesAssessment

Surveys, focus groups, journals, observations

Helpful ResourcesLearning Reconsidered 2: A practical Guide to

Implementing a Campus-Wide Focus on the Student Experience.

Maki, P. (2004). Assessing for Learning, Building a Sustainable Commitment Across the Institution.

Strayhorn, T (2006) Frameworks for Assessing Learning and Development Outcomes. Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education

Questions?

KATHY CLARK PETERSEN, PH.D.ASSISTANT TO VP, STUDENT DEVELOPMENTLOYOLA UNIVERSITY MARYLANDKCPETERSEN@LOYOLA.EDU410-617-5402

MICHELLE CHEATEMASSOCIATE DEAN OF STUDENTSLOYOLA UNIVERSITY MARYLANDMLCHEATEM@LOYOLA.EDU410-617-5696

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