LEARNING OUTCOME & ASSESSMENT TERMINOLOGIES

Student Learning Outcomes (SLO) statements describe the knowledge, skills, abilities and attitudes students learn as a result of taking a class AND what students can DO with what they have learned. SLOs focus on the Big Picture to describe the broadest "over-arching" goals for the course.

The main focus is on the student, not the activity. To be measurable, (identifiable vs. countable), outcomes use action verbs. Bloom’s Taxonomy is a useful tool for choosing action verbs that accurately describe a desired level of student learning.

Program learning outcomes are defined in terms of the knowledge, skills, and abilities that students have attained as a result of their involvement in a particular program, degree, certificate or series of learning activities leading to mastery.

For Learning Outcomes purposes, the definition of a Program is as follows:

A program is any area that currently conducts Program Review. These areas are directly related to the core competencies, college operations and non-academic services. The following programs/areas have been identified:

• AA-T/AS-T degree
• Degrees Certificated programs
• ALL Programs (cohesive set of courses) vocational and general education
• Divisional/Departmental
• Student Services Learning Outcomes (SSLOs)
• Anyone seeking resources (program review)
• Proposed Programs

Student Services Learning Outcomes are overarching, clear, and assessable statement(s) that identifies and defines what a student will be able to know, do, or feel at the successful completion of a specific procedure, activity, or service.

General Education Learning Outcomes (GELO)

One of the largest and oldest programs at Glendale College is the general education (GE) program. Like the other programs, the GE program is assessed via learning outcomes called GELOs.  The GE program is distinctively unique, characteristically interdisciplinary, and a constant and integral component of an associate’s degree.

GE courses:

• reflects the conviction of colleges that those who receive their degrees must possess in common certain basic principles, concepts and methodologies both unique to and shared by the various disciplines.
• intends that college educated persons should be able to use this knowledge when evaluating and appreciating the physical environment, the culture, and the society in which they live.
• should lead to better self-understanding.

Institutional Learning Outcomes[BROKEN LINK] are the knowledge, skills, abilities, and attitudes that students are expected to develop as a result of their overall experiences with any aspect of the college, including courses, programs, and student services. ILOs are designed to help guide individual departments and disciplines in the development of learning outcomes for programs and courses and services, and to help shape the decision making processes of Glendale Community College.