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• Missionstatement
• Program outcomes map
• Assessment activity
• Acceptable achievement level and rubric
• Summary of Results
• Intervention
• Whatwill your department do to determine if intervention worked?

Mission statement

Your program’s mission statement states a holistic vision of the values and philosophy of the program. It answers the question: What is the purpose of this program? A clear mission statement will help you develop learning outcomes for your program.

If you are happy with the mission statement for your program in Oakton’s catalog, use that one. You can also use this as an opportunity to refine, update, and/or clarify your program’s mission.

For examples and additional help writing mission statements, look in Oakton’s catalog or check-out the following sites:

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Program outcomes map

Program outcomes are statements that answer the question: What do you expect graduates from this program to be able to do (skills), know (knowledge), or value (attitudes)? Bloom’s taxonomy can help you get started.

Examples:

• Students know basic biological principles and concepts.
• Students understand and speak the language of accounting.
• Students can use appropriate technology tools.
• Students have the skills to works effectively with others in completion of joint tasks.
• Students respect the professional code of ethics for business practice.

Other examples can be found at

Program specific examples can be found by googling “Learning Outcomes for” followed by your program’s name, e.g., “Learning Outcomes for Computer Information Systems.”

It is overwhelming to assess a large list of objectives, so identify those that are most important (no more than 3 for a certificate and 6 for a degree).

In other words, planning for assessment requires setting priorities; Select those outcomes that your department is most interested in having students achieve. And, since you may not be able to assess all of your important learning outcomes in a single year, remember that outcomes assessment is an ongoing process…there is always next year!

After listing your objectives, create a program outcomes map for each certificate and degree in your program. Rows represent the outcomes and columns represent the courses or course cluster (e.g., one course from the following). The letters I (introduced), D (developed or practices), and M (mastered) are used to indicate the level of competence attained in each course.

Sample Template for a Program Outcomes Map

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Assessment activity

This is the actual activity or activities that you will be doing. Look at courses in which students are expected to master the outcome or look at program graduates. What instrument, test, project, assignment, demonstration, etc. will be used to see if students have achieved the learning outcome?

Learning outcomes are observable indicators or evidence of actual student learning. You should select one or more tools which can include both direct measures of student knowledge and performance, and indirect measures of changes in student behavior, attitudes, or values.

Direct measures include national standardized tests; licensing or certification exams; local content or competency exams, papers, or projects; skills tests, projects, reports, demonstrations, or performances; portfolio analysis; capstone projects, experiences, or performances; email or online discussion board content; and so forth.

Indirect measures include surveys of students, alumni, or employers; student or graduate profiles, interviews, or focus groups; transcript analysis; periodic review of syllabi, textbooks, exams, or other curricular materials; and so forth.

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Acceptable achievement level and rubric

For this assessment activity, what is the acceptable level of achievement (letter grade, percent, or whatever), and how many of the students must achieve this level for you to feel that the students in the program have mastered the outcome.

Example 1: 80% of the students who complete the program will be able to work in groups to give an effective presentation.

After selecting a standard, explain how you chose the accepted level of achievement. If your assessment does not include all students, please provide a rationale.

Be sure to include your grading rubric (scoring tool), if you use one. If you have not used a formal rubric, you should consider developing one and sharing it with your students. Rubrics are a way of describing evaluation criteria (or "grading standards") based on the expected outcomes and student performance. Rubrics provide an "objective" external standard against which student performance may be compared.

You can find examples of rubrics and tools to help you create rubrics can at the following sites:

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Summary of results (attach report of actual results)

What results were obtained when you administered the assessment activity?

If the results were not what you expected, please explain.

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Intervention – What will your department do, based on results?

When you reviewed the results, what changes in the program, if any, has your department decided to make? What is the time frame for making the change?

Example: If you discover that students cannot work well in groups, you may decide to modify the curriculum.

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What will your department do to determine if intervention worked?

Will you redo the assessment this semester or in a future semester or substitute a related assessment activity? Briefly describe your plan.

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