Compton College
Frequently Asked Questions about Student Learning Outcomes (SLO's) and Assessment
Why do we conduct SLO and PLO Assessments? How do these processes help me as a faculty
member?
SLO proficiency, as defined by the accreditation commission, is essential to accreditation
eligibility and candidacy. From a faculty perspective, the SLO assessment process
provides concrete information on what is working in the classroom (and what isn't),
and provides a formal process for determining how to improve student learning. Learning
outcome assessment provides departments the opportunity to continuously improve.
Learning Outcome Statements
What are SLOs and SAO's?
According to the ASCCC, student learning outcomes are “the specific observable or
measurable results that are expected subsequent to a learning experience. These outcomes
may involve knowledge (cognitive), skills (behavioral), or attitudes (affective) that
provide evidence that learning has occurred as a result of a specified course, program
activity, or process. An SLO refers to an overarching outcome for a course, program,
degree or certificate.” (ASCCC SLO Glossary 2019, p. 7). Service area outcomes
(SAO’s) are the equivalent, measurable outcomes that student services areas such as
the library, work towards meeting.
How SLOs are different from learning objectives?
An SLO (student learning outcome) indicates a particular and measurable skill or knowledge
base students must acquire in a course. Learning objectives are the topics that faculty
cover in each course. There are numerous learning objectives for each course, but
just a few SLO's.
How are SLO's Developed
Faculty members, when reviewing or developing new course curriculum, create or modify
SLO statements. These learning statements stem from the course outline of record,
and specifically the course objectives. Faculty take the most integral course concepts,
and use them to generate SLO’s, which are specific, measurable and involve analysis,
synthesis and potentially the development of knowledge. Faculty are advised to consult
Bloom’s taxonomy when generating learning statements.
Where do I find the SLO and PLO statements for my courses and program?
SLO statements are contained in the course outline of record, housed in Curricunet. PLO statements are found in the course catalog.
How are SLO's assessed?
Faculty members develop an assessment tool, which can consist of multiple choice questions,
an essay exam, term paper, lab activity, class presentation, or any other method deemed
appropriate by the department. During the course of the semester, all instructors
administer the assessment, and individual student results are entered into our enterprise
resource planning system (eLumen). SLO’s are assessed on an ongoing basis, every
Fall and Spring. Every four years, the semester before program review is due, programs
conduct a “course report” for each of their courses. The course report is a long
form document which analyzes student performance on each SLO for the previous four
years. Because SLO assessment data is entered for every student every semester, faculty
authors have a wealth of disaggregated data to analyze in the course report. Authors
identify trends in success, and examine demographic variables as they relate to student
mastery of SLO’s. Faculty then reflect on their successes and the ways they can improve
their courses to foster higher SLO success rates.
How do I change, add or delete an SLO statement?
The department should meet to discuss any changes to course SLO's. Once agreed upon,
changes are made through the curriculum review process. Faculty can access their
course outlines of record through Curriqunet. There, they can change, add or delete
SLO statements. Once the changes are approved by the curriculum committee, they can
be implemented in the college enterprise resource system (elumen). Please consult
your SLO facilitator or the SLO coordinator when undergoing this process, as they
will ensure the process goes smoothly.
