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 [email protected]
MICHELLE CHEATEMASSOCIATE DEAN OF STUDENTSLOYOLA UNIVERSITY [email protected]
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