Program Goals Just Aren’t Enough: Strategies for Putting Learning Outcomes into Words

1. Program Goals Just Aren’t Enough:Strategies for Putting Learning Outcomes into Words Dr. Jill L. LaneResearch Associate/Program ManagerSchreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence Dr. Barbara Wiens-TuersAssociate Professor of EconomicsPenn State Altoona

2. Workshop Goals To guide you through the process of: • Identifying your program goals • Developing measurable learning outcomes • Identifying which courses in your program are producing the desired learning outcomes.

3. Why Conduct a Program Assessment? • To determine whether the intended goals and learning outcomes are being met • To keep the curriculum current • To bring to the surface ways in which the course or program might be improved • To assess for accreditation

4. Steps in the Program Assessment Process • Identify program goals • Identify learning outcomes for each goal • Determine which courses are helping students achieve the desired learning outcomes • Select appropriate evaluation methods • Conduct evaluations • Interpret results • Provide feedback to inform and/or improve

5. Identify Program Goals • Goals specify what the program intends to accomplish • Goals are written broadly and do not necessarily specify exactly what the student will know or be able to do • Sample Program Goal: The program will produce graduates who can think critically, solve problems, and make decisions

6. Health and Human Development Program Goal Graduates of the Physical Therapy Assistant Program will be prepared to understand and implement the interventions that are prescribed by the physical therapist.

7. Physics Program Goal Graduates will acquire the theoretical and experimental background for work in areas such as acoustics, astrophysics, biophysics, chemical physics, computer science, mathematical physics, and engineering.

8. Comparative Literature Program Goal Students will obtain a global awareness through a wide range of international literary and language experiences that are critical in today's world.

9. Psychology Program Goal Students will understand and generate applications of psychology to individual, social and organizational issues.

10. Engineering Program Goal Students will have the ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as analyze and interpret data.

11. Communications Program Goal Graduates will demonstrate an understanding of the diversity of groups in a global society in relationship to communications

12. Activity 1: Goal Development • List at least 3 goals for your program. • Trigger Questions: • Program Level: • Are there specific accreditation or certification requirements for your curricular area? • What are the needs of the potential student population upon graduation?

13. Steps in the Program Assessment Process • Identify program or goals • Identify learning outcomes for each goal • Determine which courses are helping students achieve the desired learning outcomes • Select appropriate evaluation methods • Conduct evaluations • Interpret results • Provide feedback to inform and/or improve

14. Identifying Learning Outcomes • Outcomes describe what the students must know or do upon completing the program or course. • Outcomes help produce evidence that your program or course is meeting its intended goals. • Outcomes are measurable. • Outcomes statements contain verbs • If applicable, program outcomes should incorporate appropriate accreditation standards.

15. Developing Learning Outcomes • There are different types of outcomes: • Knowledge • Skills • Attitudes

16. Knowledge Outcomes • Synthesis and integration of information • Learn new techniques and methods • Evaluating research methods

17. Skill Outcomes • Analytical • Analyze problems from multiple perspectives • Communication • Communicates effectively when writing and/or speaking • Research • Designs appropriate experiment to answer question • Teamwork • Shares information with others

18. Attitude Outcomes • Identifies beliefs about the nature of the field • Indicates perceptions about interdisciplinary connections

19. Learning Outcomes: Students will be able to: Distinguish between different types of aerobic conditioning exercises Correctly measure standard vital signs Recognize and monitor responses to positional changes and activities Health and Human Development Program Goal: Graduates of the Physical Therapy Assistant Program will be prepared to understand and implement the interventions that are prescribed by the physical therapist.

20. Learning Outcomes: Students will be able to: Evaluate an article from a discipline-specific text and write a critique using theoretical principles. Employ the correct procedure for a given experiment. Physics Program Goal: Graduates will acquire the theoretical and experimental background for work in areas such as acoustics, astrophysics, biophysics, chemical physics, computer science, mathematical physics, and engineering.

21. Learning Outcomes: Students will be able to: Analyze a text who setting is outside of the U.S. and infer the social and economic conditions based on the author’s descriptions. Compare a non-U.S. publication with a U.S. publication and show the similarities and differences between the two settings. Comparative Literature Program Goal: Students will obtain a global awareness through a wide range of international literary and language experiences that are critical in today's world.

22. Learning Outcomes: Students will be able to: Distinguish between several different psychological issues Recommend a course of treatment for an individual based on the issues presented. Psychology Program Goal: Students will understand and generate applications of psychology to individual, social and organizational issues

23. Learning Outcomes: Students will be able to: Choose the appropriate method for testing the strength of materials. Create a hypothesis and the methods necessary to test their hypothesis Engineering Program Goal: Students will have the ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as analyze and interpret data.

24. Learning Outcomes: Students will be able to: Analyze a film for its inclusion or exclusion of certain diverse groups. Write an unbiased news article about a two-sided issue. Communications Program Goal: Graduates will demonstrate an understanding of the diversity of groups in a global society in relationship to communications.

25. Activity 2: Outcome Development • Choose one of the goals from Activity 1 and develop learning outcomes for that goal. • Trigger Questions: • What should students know upon successfully completing the program or course? • What skills should students possess upon successfully completing the program or course? • Think: If I am a student in your course or program what do I have to do to demonstrate that I have completed the course or program successfully?

26. Steps in the Program Assessment Process • Identify program or course goals • Identify learning outcomes for each goal • Determine which courses are helping students achieve the desired learning outcomes • Select appropriate evaluation methods • Conduct evaluations • Interpret results • Provide feedback to inform and/or improve

27. Determining Course Contribution to Program Outcomes • Use a mapping matrix to determine which courses are contributing to the attainment of specific program outcomes and goals • Helps to identify gaps or incorrect sequencing of courses. • Helps to determine where internal evaluations should take place.

28. Activity 3: Mapping Outcomes to Courses • Using the list of outcomes you developed in Activity 2: • List courses in the program across the top of the worksheet • Place a check mark in each box to indicate the courses in your program where the outcome is covered.

29. Steps in the Program Assessment Process • Identify program goals • Identify learning outcomes for each goal • Determine which courses are helping students achieve the desired learning outcomes • Select evaluation methods and tools • Conduct evaluations • Interpret results • Provide feedback to inform and/or improve