Levels

Assignment Level

At the assignment level, each individual faculty member determines what assessment tools to use to determine how well their students are attaining the learning outcomes. Some faculty may want to engage in the creation of shared assignments, activities, quizzes, or exams for different sections of the same course, but that is the decision of each individual instructor. As long as the course outcomes are agreed upon and aligned, assignment-level assessment can take many different forms.

Course Level (ideally 5-7 outcomes)

At the course level, faculty collaboration is also essential to determine outcomes.

According to College policy, all sections of a course with the same title must have common outcomes, and these outcomes must be stated on all syllabi and entered into Banner, the student information system. For help reviewing and adjusting course learning outcomes at any time throughout the year, contact Assessment Coordinator Randy Ware (warer@lanecc.edu). Course learning outcomes updates are now finalized in the catalog on a rolling calendar through the OCA's outcomes update process.

Faculty teaching the same course should also share a common understanding of the course learning outcomes to ensure that successful students across all sections leave the course with the same knowledge and skills.

At both the course and program levels, faculty are encouraged to collaborate to ensure that course and program outcomes align.

Program/Discipline Level (ideally 3-6 outcomes)

PLOs and DLOs (program-level or discipline-level learning outcomes) tend to look different depending on whether your academic area at Lane is primarily for skill development/transfer or is a CTE/degree-conferral program.

At the program level, it is the responsibility of faculty to collaborate and determine which PLOs must be attained in order to successfully exit the program. For skills development, general education, and transfer areas (FOS), DLOs should represent general abilities and knowledge that a student might develop through engagement with one or more of the courses in the field of study.

Some programs may have external agencies that guide the articulation of program-level outcomes. For others, course learning outcomes and program learning outcomes will influence each other, and faculty will have full agency in determining program learning outcomes.

In cases where program-level outcomes have not yet been articulated, faculty can use course outcomes to help them determine what types of learning goals rise to the top as the most essential outcomes of the program.

Institution Level (5 outcomes)

Institution-level learning outcomes are the skills or habits of mind that are important for all students to develop, regardless of their program of study or degree/certificate type. At Lane, the ILOs are:

1. Think critically

2. Engage diverse values with civic and ethical awareness

3. Create ideas and solutions

4. Communicate effectively

5. Apply learning

While the expectation is that all academic units at the college will engage students in all or most of the ILOs through their instruction, activities, and assessments, it is the responsibility of program faculty to collaboratively determine which ILO(s) should be formally assessed at the program level and when.

Examples

Below is a list of activities faculty and faculty teams might engage in at each level of outcomes assessment.