Crafting Effective Student Learning Outcomes: Examples and Assessment Methods

Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) are clear statements that describe what a student should know, be able to do, or be able to demonstrate upon completion of a learning experience, such as a course or program. They are central to effective teaching and learning, providing clear goals for both instructors and students, enabling objective measurement of student learning progress, and helping identify areas for improvement.

Defining Student Learning Outcomes

SLOs should be clear and concise statements of what students will know or be able to do by the end of a course, program, or educational experience. They should focus on specific skills or concepts that are central to the course and verifiable to ensure they provide clear goals. Effective SLOs should be verifiable to ensure they 1) provide clear goals, 2) enable objective measurement of student learning progress, and 3) help identify areas for improvement for learners. Instead of the grade a student receives in a course, the SLO’s are geared to describe a specific skill or concept that is acquired which is central to the course.

Key Components of SLOs

SLO statements should include the following:

A verb that identifies the performance to be demonstrated.
A learning outcome statement that specifies what learning will take place.
A broad statement reflecting the criterion or standard for acceptable performance.

Student learning outcome statements should include the following: A verb that identifies the performance to be demonstrated. A learning outcome statement that specifies what learning will take place. A broad statement reflecting the criterion or standard for acceptable performance.

Qualities of Effective SLOs

Focused on the student: SLOs should describe what the student will be able to do.
Observable action: The outcome should be an observable action.
Aligned with course/program goals: SLOs should align with the course or program goals.
Measurable: The outcome should be measurable.

Avoiding Vague Terms

Student learning outcomes should clearly indicate the level and type of competence that is required. Avoid terms such as show understanding, develop awareness, possess a level of comfort, appreciate, become aware of, become familiar with, know, and learn. Avoid terms such as show understanding, develop awareness, possess a level of comfort, appreciate, become aware of, become familiar with, know, and learn.

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Bloom's Taxonomy and Action Verbs

Bloom’s Taxonomy can be used as a guiding framework in the development of student learning outcomes. There are three domains of learning in Bloom’s Taxonomy:

Cognitive (mental skills - knowledge)
Psychomotor (physical skills)
Affective (attitude)

Using active verbs facilitates clear student learning outcomes. The key to measurability is using action verbs that describe observable behaviors (based on verbs from the Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy).

Action Verbs Aligned with Bloom's Taxonomy

The following is a list of action verbs that can be used in developing student learning outcome statements.

Knowledge: define, describe, identify, list, name, recall, recognize, reproduce.
Comprehension: classify, compare, contrast, demonstrate, explain, interpret, summarize.
Application: apply, choose, construct, demonstrate, illustrate, solve, use.
Analysis: analyze, categorize, compare, differentiate, discriminate, examine, infer.
Synthesis: compose, create, design, formulate, generate, integrate, modify, plan, propose.
Evaluation: appraise, argue, assess, critique, defend, evaluate, justify, recommend, support.

Explanation: Active verbs in the “KNOWLEDGE” domain represent the lowest level of cognitive performance. Students are required to remember or recall content, resulting from a lecture, reading, or memorization of material. Explanation: Active verbs in the “COMPREHENSION” domain require students to understand something. Explanation: Active verbs in the “APPLICATION” domain require students to use what they have learned to solve a problem.

Examples of SLOs and Assessment Methods

Here are some examples of SLOs across various disciplines, along with suggested assessment methods:

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STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOME	ASSESSMENT METHOD
English 1A: Develop a multi-paragraph persuasive essay containing a thesis statement supported by details and evidence organized in unified, coherent, and adequately developed paragraphs.	Essay assignment and/or essay test scored with a rubric
Dental Hygiene 82A: Correctly interpret symptoms and select appropriate interventions to manage patient fear, anxiety, and/or pain in a dental clinic setting.	Observation of role-play scored with a rubric; objective test
Nutrition: Analyze a documented nutritional problem, determine a strategy to correct the problem, and write a draft nutritional policy addressing the broader scope of the problem.	Essay test and/or written project
Organic Chemistry: Synthesize (on paper and in the laboratory) and purify a specified product from a list of given starting materials, while following common safety regulations and procedures.	Written description and observed demonstration
Office Communications and Interpersonal Skills: Assess and recognize an audience in order to develop appropriate communications both orally and in writing that are sensitive to the audience's needs, values, and point of view.	Observed role-play; speech or oral presentation; essay
ESL for Child Development Introduction to Early Childhood: Use English to evaluate the personal qualities of an effective early childhood educator.	Essay test and/or oral presentation; objective test; interview report
Classical Music Appreciation: Describe and relate how the syntax and structure of Classical music have changed over time relative to cultural circumstances.	Essay test or oral and instrumental presentation
Philosophy of Peace and Nonviolent Action: Form reasoned and well-informed judgments on current issues involving the development of peace and the nonviolent resolution of conflict both within and between individuals and social groups.	Student essay response to current events; project; oral presentation
Aerospace Engineering: apply knowledge of mathematics, science and engineering principles in addressing aerospace engineering problems.
Environmental Problems: apply knowledge of the scientific method to develop reasoned solutions to address environmental problems.
Business: demonstrate knowledge of contemporary issues that impact the field of business.

Explanation of Examples

English 1A: This SLO focuses on developing a specific writing skill (persuasive essay) and can be assessed through a graded essay or essay test, using a rubric to ensure consistent evaluation.
Dental Hygiene 82A: This SLO emphasizes practical application of knowledge in a clinical setting. Assessment involves direct observation of the student's performance in a role-play scenario, supplemented by an objective test to assess theoretical understanding.
Nutrition: This SLO requires students to analyze a real-world problem and propose a solution. Assessment can be done through an essay test or a written project that outlines the problem, the proposed strategy, and a draft nutritional policy.
Organic Chemistry: This SLO combines theoretical knowledge with practical laboratory skills. Assessment includes a written description of the synthesis process and direct observation of the student's ability to perform the synthesis and purification safely.

Rubrics: Tools for Assessment

Rubrics are essential tools for assessing SLOs, providing clear criteria for evaluating student work. They help ensure consistency and objectivity in grading and provide students with valuable feedback on their performance.

Types of Rubrics

Holistic Rubrics: Provide a single overall score based on the student's performance.
Analytic Rubrics: Break down the assessment into specific criteria, providing separate scores for each.

Examples of Rubrics

Art - Ceramics, SRJC (Word): This rubric was developed to grade individual students’ ceramics projects and to assess the SLOs relating to students’ independent application of skills as they approach the end of the class.
Group Discussion (PDF): Many classes emphasize students’ participation in group discussions, and this rubric provides more specific criteria for assessing what this means.
Group Participation (PDF): While participation in group work is an important part of learning in many classes, it’s often difficult to quantify. This rubric is a model that might be used by an instructor or even by peers to assess students’ involvement in group projects.
Group Presentation/Peer Evaluation (PDF): This rubric was designed for students to assess their own group’s work as a whole.
Lifelong Learning (PDF): The Association of American Colleges and Universities developed 15 rubrics to assess student development through their undergraduate experience. This example demonstrates how a rubric can be applied to broad learning, attitudes, and growth.
Math Problem Solving (PDF): These two rubrics assess the process of problem-solving, going beyond the “correct answer” to assess student learning in math.
Microbiology Lab Notebook (PDF): Notebooks and portfolios often have so many components that it becomes complicated to grade the student’s performance. This detailed rubric shows the application of a point system to specific criteria in a lab notebook. If the ability to organize and record information from lab work is an SLO, the notebook with the rubric would be a good method of assessment.
Music - Elementary Piano (PDF): This rubric lists specific aspects of performance and can provide both grading criteria and assessment data for the course.
Oral Presentation (PDF): Rubrics are commonly used to assess oral presentations. This one presents the ratings in a checklist format for quick assessment and feedback to the student.
PE - Volleyball (PDF): Clear descriptors to help both students and instructors identify the aspects of different skill levels.
PE - Health (PDF): How a course might affect overall student behavior and attitudes is important information for most instructors but is often difficult to quantify. This rubric shows an example of how defining levels and describing observable actions can be used for this kind of assessment.
Writing Rubric: Basic Skills Writing - CSKLS 313 (Word): This rubric was used both as part of the final exam grade and to assess two of the learning outcomes of the course.
Writing Rubric: Writing - Placement (PDF): Most writing placement tests that include a student essay use rubrics. This is one example for entering freshmen.

The ABCD Framework

The ABCD framework builds on the SMART approach for writing SLOs. The components are:

Audience: Who are the learners?
Behavior: What should they be able to do?
Condition: Under what circumstances?
Degree: How well should they be able to do it?

Documenting and Reflecting on SLO Assessment

After completing your SLO assessment for your course, please go to the Insights menu item in your course and review your data and enter your Narrative and Action Steps (if needed). If you don’t see your SLOs (outcomes) on your Insights Dashboard, please submit a Distance Education Support ticket.

Narrative Prompts

To complete your SLO report, you will need to write a narrative that reflects upon your interpretation of data. Your narrative does not need to be comprehensive; instead, it should be only 1-2 paragraphs. Here are some topics you might consider:

What was particularly successful in this class?
What was the biggest challenge, either for you or students?
Which Outcomes were particularly challenging to assess?
If you tried something new in this class, how did it turn out?

Outcomes vs. Objectives

Objectives are subordinate to outcomes and can be thought of as the steps a student takes to ultimately master a larger outcome. Outcomes can be broken down into smaller, well-sequenced learning objectives.

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Program-Level SLOs

With respect to program-level assessment, SLOs should be informed where appropriate by the following:

Discipline-related skill set
Accreditation and other external accountability expectations
Program goals and objectives

Additionally, program level SLOs should be:

Meaningful in helping the program to accomplish its mission.
Should be stated in measurable terms.
Should reflect the aggregate by focusing on the program as a whole.
Should be manageable.

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