CAREER LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS Benchmarking & Research Committee

Presentation Outline  Background  About Committee  Process Used  Why Learning Outcomes  How to Use Learning Outcomes  Learning Outcomes Frameworks  Learning Outcomes  Group Activity  Next Steps

About the Committee Heidi Harlander – Chair Julie Westlund – Guru Gary Donovan Sara Nagel Newberg Pam Weller-Dengel Mark Sorenson-Wagner

Process Used  Identified our professional values  Identified criteria for outcomes  Reviewed LO from variety of sources  Developed our LO  Presented draft of LO to MCUCSA, March 2010  Refined LO incorporating feedback from MCUCSA  Presenting LO to MCUCSA for acceptance, June 2010

Why Learning Outcomes? LO help us be accountable. The mission of colleges is to produce student learning. Are we? It’s easier to focus on student learning if we know what we want them to learn. With decreasing resources, LO help us focus our efforts. By having LO we can measure how effective we are.

Using Learning Outcomes The mission of colleges is to produce student learning. A college devoted to student learning:  Identifies the knowledge and skills it expects its graduates to possess  Determines how to assess them reliably  Uses resulting information to redesign and improve the processes and environments leading to such outcomes

What We Value About Our Profession  Human development  Quality/peak performance  Innovation  Students’ investment in selves  Continuous growth as professionals  Collaboration  Resilience/flexibility/adaptability  Diversity  Ethical behavior/integrity

Criteria for Outcomes Based on Values  Measurable  Student focused  Connect to learning activities  Applicable to large constituency  Developmental  Theory based  Articulate clear expectations

Reviewed Learning Outcomes Frameworks  AACU (Association of American Colleges and Universities)  Baxter-Magolda  Chickering  Learning Reconsidered  CAS

Reviewed Career Learning Outcomes  CAS Learning Outcomes for Career Services  National Career Development Guidelines  NACE

Developed Framework for MCUCSA Career Learning Outcomes Learning Goals  Knowledge  Thinking  Self-Realization  Relationship Competencies  Social Responsibility  Life Skills

Career Learning Outcomes  Students will analyze and articulate their interests, skills, values, and strengths and relate them to educational and career plans.  Students will identify, evaluate and use sources of information relevant to making career decisions.  Students will develop and implement career plans which integrate self-assessment and occupational information and consider the ethical and global implications.  Students will effectively present their qualifications to enhance their educational and career goals.

Group Activity  Identify career learning activities for your assigned learning outcome  Choose the top five activities from your list that you would most like to develop measures to assess the LO

Assessment strategies  Journaling  Interviewing  Portfolios  Visual Narratives (pictures, poetry, magazine clippings)  Expert Evaluation  Stories  Focus Groups  Case Studies  Observation Qualitative Approaches

Use existing sources of data  Intake information  Client notes  Employer evaluations  On-campus interviews  Career Fairs  Student evaluations of services, programs, courses  Placement information  Course assignments

Rubrics  Give objective, clear feedback to students on their performance  Source of data to measure performance  Examples

If all else fails…hire a consultant! Assessin’ Annie

Next Steps  Develop measurement tools to assess learning  Recruit MCUCSA members interested in helping with this process  WE NEED YOU!