Moving Forward: Taking Charge of SLO Assessment

Marcy Alancraig

English Professor and Learning Outcomes Coordinator

Cabrillo College

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 your college

Why Assess SLOs?

• It’s what you’ve been doing

informally all along• It’s good teaching practice• It’s better for students• It can make your teaching life better

New Accreditation Standards: The 5 Stages of Faculty Grief

• Denial• Anger• Bargaining• Depression• Acceptance

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 is key!)

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

How well do we achieve our educational objectives?

Gather Evidence

Interpret Evidence

Mission/Purposes

Educational Objectives

– Peggy Maki, AAHE

The Assessment

Loop

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

• Activity should be useful and easy

Key Point!

• Each school must design the assessment process to fit that school’s culture

Key Decisions

• How much time do you want to spend?• Will the assessment be something extra

you require of students beyond class work?• Will the assessment be something extra

you expect of faculty?

More Key Decisions

• Do you want the same method used to assess SLOs across the entire campus?

• Who will analyze the results?• How will you close the feedback loop?

A suggestion:

• Use the KISS method• Keep it simple, sweetheart!

Rubrics Rock!

A Simple Method of assessment for all SLOs

So What’s a Rubric?

• A very detailed grading scale

for one assignment

• A descriptor of each level of

achievement

Why Rubrics Rock

• Great for students• Doesn’t impinge on your

academic freedom• May make your teaching life easier

• Caveat: Doesn’t work for multiple choice exams

Bonus Plus

• Can be easy assessment method for SLOs

But

only if the loop is closed

And the results are discussed

How do Rubrics Work?

• Rows: Criteria of rating • Columns: Levels of mastery

• Beginner• Developed• Accomplished

• Cells: Describes work at each level of mastery

• Build from strengths and weaknesses teachers see in student work over the years

Activity

• Create a Chocolate Chip Cookie rubric

Sample Rubrics

• Grid

• Narrative with points

• Combined with Grading Sheet

Advice: Rubrics are• As individual as instructor and

assignment• Works in progress, always changing• Something students should see in

advance?

Activity

• Choose one particular major assignment

• Use workbook to create a rubric for it• Share with folks at your table

Where do you go from Here?

• Next Steps