Student Guide to Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)
Student Learning Outcome (SLO) assessment ensures that LBCC delivers an engaging, relevant learning experience to students!
Long Beach City College wants all students, regardless of educational goals, to know what SLOs are and where to find them. Having access to this information will assist students as they choose courses, a major, or a program of study. It will also help them track their learning through a degree or certificate program, and provide a clear understanding of what’s expected of students and faculty alike.
SLOs are statements of the knowledge, skills, abilities, and/or attitudes that faculty members expect students to learn in a course or a program. Every year, faculty assess these outcomes to discover whether students are learning what faculty say they should be learning, and the results of these assessments guide faculty in making improvements to curriculum, course and program design, instruction, and assessments. SLO assessment is also a way to inform the community and outside agencies about the quality of student learning and success at LBCC.
Since SLOs indicate the scope and difficulty of learning, students can use them to determine the level of commitment required for a course and what kind of support or assistance may necessary for achieving success. Students may even use SLOs to inform potential employers about what they learned or can do as a result of attending LBCC. Students will also be able to demonstrate to university professors a grasp of the undergraduate knowledge necessary to move forward in a major or career path.
Course & Program SLO Information for Students
At the course level, faculty create SLOs to explain to students and outside agencies what should be learned in a course. Faculty then use assessments to generate and collect information that can be used to evaluate their courses, with the overall goal of improving educational quality and student learning.
At the program level, faculty create overarching SLOs to explain to students and outside agencies what should be learned throughout all of the courses in an instructional program. Faculty then use assessments to generate and collect information that can be used to evaluate their programs, with the overall goal of improving educational quality and student learning.
Course SLOs (CSLOs)
At the course level, faculty create SLOs to explain to students and outside agencies what should be learned in a course. Faculty then use assessments to generate and collect information that can be used to evaluate their courses, with the overall goal of improving educational quality and student learning.
The SLOs for a course represent the learning expectations for the course. Knowing the learning outcomes can give students an idea as to what faculty believe is crucial for student learning in that course. As such, it is recommended that students find out what each course’s SLOs are and consider how best to approach the course.
Students can locate a course’s SLOs by reading the course syllabus, by asking their instructors, or by accessing the Course Outline of Record for a specific course.
The faculty who teach a course decide how to assess each SLO. Often faculty will use an assignment, quiz, essay, or exam that is already part of the course to assess the learning outcomes. SLO assessments are typically given/taken on Canvas, and instructors will provide students with the necessary information required to complete the assessment(s) at the right time.
Program SLOs (PSLOs)
Instructional programs are more than a collection of random courses. Each program prepares students for a goal, such as transfer to a university or entering the workforce, with a definite set of skills, knowledge, and attitudes.
Students typically have many time commitments, so they need to know exactly what they’ll learn, how they’ll be able to use that knowledge, and be assured that the investment they are making in their education is worth it. PSLOs help students understand the expertise they are expected to gain from each of LBCC’s instructional programs. Knowing what outcomes each program delivers may also help students make an informed choice about enrolling at LBCC. Every program’s SLOs are available in the College Catalog.
Instructional programs use and assess SLOs to ensure that LBCC delivers an engaging and relevant learning experience. Like course SLOs, PSLOs are expressed in statements of what students will be able to think, know, do, or value because of a particular educational experience. However, unlike course SLOs, PSLOs define what students should learn by the time they complete a specific program. Instructors assess students’ demonstrated proficiency of PSLOs throughout their courses and sometimes during the final stages of a program. Faculty then analyze this information and take action to improve instructional programs to better serve LBCC students.
The PSLOs for each program of study represent the overall learning goals for that program. Knowing a program’s learning outcomes can give students an idea as to what faculty believe is crucial for student learning in a particular sequence of study. Thus, it is recommended that students find out what each program’s SLOs are and consider how best to approach the program in order to meet the expectations.