The Learning Outcomes Team (LOT) has been thinking about…well…outcomes. We are poised to help anyone create SMARt Learning Outcomes for their courses. Updated learning outcomes (SLOs) are due on Course Outlines by May 8th, 2015. Typically questions spring to mind along with looking at and revising course outcomes. The biggest question is what are SMARt Outcomes?

• Specific. The outcome must be clear and target what you want the students to learn. For instance, if you were concerned with the health of a particular segment of society, make that clear in your outcome.
• Measureable. In other words, do you have an assessment for this goal. How is it measured? Remember, we can measure a goal with either summative or formative assessments.
• Achievable. While it is always good to stretch our student’s abilities, your outcomes should be attainable, this should lower the frustration level of students (and instructors).
• Relevant. The outcomes should be aligned with the overall goals of the course, program and institution.
• time bound. I put this in lower-case on purpose, as we can pretty much say all our courses, and therefore assignments, are at the most, bound by the end of the course. But you could certainly set other deadlines for a given assignment.

Some areas of the college are far along in the process as they have well established learning outcomes, or have accreditation or governmental guidelines and regulations that inform such outcomes.  But we recognize that some areas need help in the writing of learning outcomes.  To address this need for additional guidance, the Learning Outcomes Team received approval to hire Dr. Cathy Meyer-Looze to serve as an additional instructional designer for spring semester to work with faculty either individually or as groups to complete their learning outcomes for the courses that will be offered in 2015-16.

It is critical that every course outline for the 2015-16 academic year is complete by Friday, May 8, 2015.  Academic areas that plan to revise their outcomes further over the summer may do so but it is important that we have a complete set of course outlines by the end of spring semester so that we can be assured that all courses have outlines.  The academic chairs may set due dates earlier than May 8^th in order to provide them or their department heads sufficient time to review the outlines before the final due date.

LOT, Tracy Russo and Cathy are providing assistance to any instructor needing help to complete their learning outcomes and identification of activities/assessments tied to those outcomes and the placement of those outcomes in one or more of the significant learning outcome categories on the course outline form.

Based on faculty requests, the Learning Outcomes Team has developed a one-page guide for those working on developing learning outcomes. This document is ready and available for you to use in crafting SMARt Outcomes – click here.