LeMoyne-Owen College December 15, 2009 Mimi Czarnik, Professor of English and Dean of Humanities Becky Burton, Associate Professor of Biology Alverno College, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Developing Competence-Based Learning Outcomes

Outcomes for Session II  Discuss competence-based teaching and learning  Explore the purpose of outcomes  Examine the role of outcomes in designing curriculum  Move to groups: Put competencies into disciplinary context

Alverno College, 2009  One of about 60 US women’s colleges (Master’s programs include men)  About 2815 students, including 428 in masters program. 118 full-time faculty  35% ethnic minorities (17% African American), many first generation students and non- traditional age, 96% receive financial aid

“Non-Negotiable” Assumptions about Learning  All students can learn  Students need to learn how to learn  Education goes beyond knowing to be able to do what one knows  Educators are responsible for making learning more available by articulating outcomes and criteria for successful performance

Outcomes A set of statements that describe what a student will be able to do with what he or she knows as a result of a set of learning experiences. Combines knowledge, ability, and affective characteristics.

“If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll probably end up somewhere else.” Why Use Outcomes?

 Provide direction for teaching and learning  Help the student translate experience into learning  Contribute to coherence and continuity in the curriculum, leading to student development  Outcomes help facilitate efficient, coherent, consistent assessment procedures  Assure accountability by making teaching and learning public and explicit

Making Competencies Concrete Competencies must be:  Contextualized for individual programs and courses  Defined developmentally  Translated into student- friendly language

LeMoyne-Owen Competencies Program or Department Outcomes Course Outcomes Course Assessments Increasing Degrees of Specificity

Program and Departmental Outcomes are:  Developed by faculty in the department  Connected to the mission and outcomes of the institution  Public  Observable and measurable  A basis of assessment  Subject to regular faculty review and revision

Contextualize Competencies  Review the LeMoyne-Owen Competencies  Select one (other than Major Course of Study) that is central to what you do as a department or program  Restate the competency in the context of your department or program

LeMoyne-Owen Student Competencies  Critical Thinking  Communications  Values  Social Responsibility & Citizenship  Scientific & Technological Literacy  Lifelong Learning  A Sense of Heritage  Global Perspective & Diversity  Major Course of Study  Aesthetic Engagement

LeMoyne-Owen College December 15, 2009 Mimi Czarnik, Professor of English and Dean of Humanities Becky Burton, Associate Professor of Biology Alverno College, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Creating Departmental Learning Outcomes

Disciplines as Frameworks for Learning  Why should everyone study your discipline?  What conceptual frameworks, dispositions, or abilities does your discipline offer that all students need?

Disciplines as Frameworks for Learning  What are the qualities of my discipline that will be most helpful to my students?  What strategies for learning will students acquire as a result of studying my discipline?  How do I expect my students to change as a result of studying my discipline?

Departmental Outcomes  Where are they used?  In department or program planning and evaluation  How are they used?  To set goals and develop plans for student learning and assessment  Why are they used?  To provide shared direction  To make expectations public

Sample Outcomes: English  Reads and interprets diverse cultural expressions in works of literature, film, and other media  Communicates an understanding of literary criticism, questions its assumptions, and uses its frameworks to analyze and evaluate works  Engages personally, intellectually, and creatively in the expanding discourse of the discipline of English

Sample Outcomes: Biology  Demonstrates critical thinking skills in evaluating biological data  Demonstrates problem solving ability in designing and carrying out experiments  Collaborates effectively as a member of a research team

Alverno College Faculty-Designed in-Course Assessment INSTRUCTOR ADMINISTERS ASSESSMENT INSTRUCTOR (and Student) STUDIES RESULTS INSTRUCTOR DESIGNS/REDESIGNS ASSESSMENT (Integration of Abilities/ Discipline Concepts) INSTRUCTOR (and Student; Sometimes Peers) ASSESSES PERFORMANCE (Student Assessment-as-Learning at Alverno College, 1994, p. 97)

Departmental Outcomes: Pitfalls and Solutions  Turf wars  Keep applicable to any graduate  Endless lists  Think in terms of categories  Outcomes that can’t be assessed  Concentrate on observable abilities: What can they do?  Perfection  Outcomes can be reviewed, revised, changed

Writing Departmental Outcomes  Develop one refined departmental outcome  Brainstorm a list of other possible outcomes.