Writing Measurable Outcomes
In contrast to goals, which are general, broad, and often abstract statements of desired results, outcomes are specific and measurable and must reflect the curriculum. They express a benefit or "value added" that a student can demonstrate upon completion of an academic program or course.
An outcome contains all three of the following elements:
- Measurable: What is to be learned (knowledge, skill, attitude).
- Criteria/Standard: What level of learning is to be achieved.
- Conditions: Under what conditions the learning is to be demonstrated (environment, support, etc.).
Steps to Writing Measurable Outcomes
*Source/Reference: These steps were derived from information collected at various conferences by Dr. Cia Verschelden. She tailored the information to fit the approach that was implemented at Kansas State University in the fall of 2002.
Practical Suggestions for Program Outcome Development
- Review your list of potential outcomes, asking, "Can any of these outcomes be combined?" and "Are each of these outcomes essential to our program?"
- Include only essential outcomes in your assessment plan.
- Externally accredited programs may necessarily have more outcomes than non-accredited programs.
- Consider developing a matrix of program outcomes and courses. Identify which course(s) or activities will assess each outcome.
- Establish a timeline for assessing each outcome, ensuring all outcomes are assessed at least once during the program review cycle.
- Reflect how students authentically demonstrate their learning in various ways to measure outcomes.
- Assessment is the responsibility of all faculty, though not all coursework leads to programmatic assessment reporting. Program faculty are responsible for establishing the recency, relevance, and rigor of the SLOs for their degree programs. As the curriculum evolves, so do the learning outcomes.
Guiding Principles:
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- Recency: Reflects current knowledge and practice in the discipline.
- Relevance: Relates logically and significantly to the discipline.
- Rigor: Requires academic precision and thoroughness for successful outcomes.
Course-level Student Learning Outcomes
Student learning outcomes at the course level identify the knowledge, skills, and dispositions students are expected to acquire by the end of the course. Some outcomes should connect to those for the degree program, while others may be specific to the course, such as learning a set of techniques for conducting an experiment.
Effective Student Learning Outcomes:
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- Are student-focused rather than professor-focused.
- Focus on the learning resulting from an activity rather than the activity itself.
- Are in alignment at the course, academic program, and institutional levels.
- Focus on important, non-trivial aspects of learning.
- Central to the discipline and based on professional standards of excellence.
- Are general enough to capture important learning but clear and specific enough to be measurable.
*Source: Huba, M.E., & Freed, J.E. (2000). Learner-centered assessment on college campuses: Shifting the focus from teaching to learning. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.