Assessing Student Learning Outcomes

It’s hard to believe that we’re at the midpoint of the semester already. Are we clear if we are effecting significant academic gains? To find out, many colleagues will give a midterm exam soon, especially if they have not given more frequent assessments in the form of weekly tests or biweekly writing assignments, for example.

Indeed, student learning outcomes are a big deal not only for individuals’ continuous improvement, but also for our college’s accreditation. For example, the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) recently required that our college respond to the relevant ACCJC 2002 Standards by quantifying how our courses and programs have done all of the following:

1. define expected student learning outcomes
2. define assessment of expected student learning outcomes
3. assess student learning outcomes
4. analyze the results of assessment
5. plan and implement changes to pedagogy, facilities, etc. to improve learning

Under the leadership of Marty Furch, all of the courses in our dept. have defined expected student learning outcomes (i.e. “specific course objectives” in the course outline). You can access the CurricUnet and do a course search to see these objectives for yourself. We have also identified appropriate assessment methodologies for these outcomes in our course outlines. Full-time contract instructors have worked together to update the course outlines for the six levels of the courses in our general ESL program. Teachers in the 4:30 and 7 p.m. general ESL programs in San Marcos have been working hard to revise their grammar exit tests as a way to measure part of the student learning outcomes. Although our dept. as a whole may still need to do more of the components #4 and #5 above, I am sure that as individual teachers, many colleagues have taken these steps to reflect on the results of a class assessment and to change their own approach to teaching when appropriate.

If you have a savvy tip that makes student assessment meaningful, email it to me or just enter your entry as a comment to leave below.