Student Learning Outcomes

What are Course Student Learning Outcomes (CSLOs)?

Course Student Learning Outcomes (CSLOs) are statements about specific knowledge, skills, and abilities student should be able to attain and demonstrate after the completion of a course. CSLOs are assessed every two years for a course.

How many CSLOs is a course required to have?

The number of CSLOs a course has is determined by the minimum number of units required for the course:

• One unit or less = one CSLO
• Two units = two CSLOs
• Three units or more = three CSLOs

How do you write cSLOs? (CSLO Templates)

For writting CSLOs you can follow this template which aligns the language with Institutional Student Learning Outcomes (ISLOs):

'Upon satisfactory completion of the course students will be prepared to:'

• excel in the workplace, (insert course specific language).
• Example: excel in the workplace, reading and writing computer code at a basic level, including some basic object implementation.
• communicate effectively, (insert course specific language).
• Example: communicate effectively, comparing and contrasting searching and sorting algorithms using Big-O and Big Omega notation.
• think critically, (insert course specific language).
• Example: think critically, planning and implementing simple algorithms employing variables with appropriate data types to solve logic problems.
• demonstrate a knowledge of (insert course specific language).
• Example: demonstrate a knowledge of data types and a few simple data structures.
• integrate into the culture and community, (insert course specific language).
• Example: integrate into the community, responding professionally to ethical issues in computing, such as intellectual property, plagiarism, and software
• calculate precisely and interpret results accurately, (insert course specific language).
• Example: calculate precisely and interpret results accurately use confidence intervals to make inference about data

 

 

What are Program Student Learning Outcomes (PSLOs?)

Program Student Learning Outcomes (PSLOs) are statements about award specific knowledge, skills, and abilities that students should be able to attain and demonstrate after the completion of an award. PSLOs are not assessed directly but are based on the aggregation of CSLO assessments of courses in the program on the CSLO-PSLO mapping.

How many PSLOs does a program have?

Most programs (academic awards) have two to five PSLOs.

What are Institutional Student Learning Outcomes (ISLOs)?

Institutional Student Learning Outcomes (ISLOs) are broad statements of the general knowledge, skills, and abilities that all students should be able to attain and demonstrate. ISLOs are not assessed directly but are based on aggregations of CSLO assessments based on the CSLO-ISLO mapping.

There are six ISLOs at Columbia College (Commonly referred to as the ‘6 Cs’): Career, Communication, Critical Thinking, Knowledge, Culture and Community, and Calculation. Each ISLO begins with “Upon satisfactory completion of their course of study at Columbia College, students will be prepared to…

• Excel in the workplace and enter into fulfilling and productive careers.” (Career)
• Communicate effectively across levels and disciplines utilizing a variety of methods, mediums, and technologies.” (Communication)
• Think critically about the world, solve programs using appropriate analytic skills, and be discerning about the quality of information.” (Critical Thinking)
• Demonstrate a knowledge of facts, skills, and understanding of the subjects studied.” (Knowledge)
• Integrate into a vibrant community and culture, understand others, value diversity, and encourage sustainability.” (Culture and Community)
• Calculate precisely and interpret results accurately using key principles and methods of scientific inquiry and quantitative reasoning” (Calculate)

College Council Approved ISLO pdf

Columbia College’s ISLOs align closely to ACCJC Standard 2.3 regarding our general education framework.

What is student Learning Outcome Mapping?

Mapping is a required part in the evaluation of PSLOs and ISLOs. Each course CSLO is mapped to one of the six ISLOs and if the course a part of a program it is mapped to the one of the PSLOs.

In the chart below we can think of the red as representing the college and the six ISLOs and the yellow as a course with four CSLOs. Those CSLOs must be mapped to one (and only one) ISLO. The same structure follows with programs and PSLOs.

Since assessment is only done at the CSLO level, PSLOs and ISLOs are essentially aggregations of CSLO assessments. There are some important points about mapping in the interpretation of data:

• PSLO results do not reflect the results of students declared in the program but all students in a course of the program.
• ISLO results are not equal. If more CSLOs are mapped to a certain ISLO the results will be weighted differently.

It is the responsibility of the faculty member that is brings a program through curriculum to map a course’s CSLOs to the program PSLOs. If a course changes their CSLOs after a program has gone through curriculum, the Administrative Secretary of the Instruction Office will reach out to the faculty member to map the new CSLO.