Guide to Program-Level Student Learning Outcomes

An effective community college degree program or certificate is more than a collection of courses. Well-designed programs should help improve retention and completion rates and facilitate entry into the workforce or higher education. Program-level student learning outcomes (PSLOs) are an important aspect of certificate and degree programs that demonstrate student learning with respect to the core elements of the program’s curriculum.

Program faculty at Pasadena City College (PCC) are responsible for developing and regularly updating PSLOs. The process invites faculty to reflect upon and translate disciplinary knowledge and skills into clear expectations for students in a program (CTE Certificate, AA, ADT).

This guide describes PSLOs related to instructional programs. A separate guide describes how non-instructional student service programs (e.g., counseling, DPSP, transfer center, etc.) can use PSLOs to assess how to best serve students.

PSLOs identify core knowledge, skills, and abilities that students are expected to achieve upon completion of a degree program or certification, and they should be addressed in multiple courses across the curriculum. PSLOs are valuable because they guide an intentional curriculum designed to foster student achievement, communicate the intent of the program to prospective students, employers, and the public, and help faculty plan a coherent educational experience in the program.

PSLOs describe what students know or can do rather than what courses cover or what faculty will teach. They are observable, measurable, and easily understood by students, faculty, advisors, accreditors, and the general public because they use concrete, observable, and measurable terms.

• PSLOs guide course and curriculum planning and development so students experience a cohesive learning experience. Consider including PSLOs on course syllabi, alongside course-level SLOs, as appropriate.
• PSLOs guide decisions about class activities, assignments, and exams, as concrete PSLOs help instructors design activities and assignments that build and reinforce key skills, sometimes called “reverse-engineering” curriculum to ensure outcomes are achieved.
• PSLOs shape assessment efforts and faculty conversations surrounding student learning.

Navigate to WebCMS (Curriculum Management System) from the PCC Faculty and Staff home page on PCC’s website.

• Select “Public Access”
• Select “Program Outlines” from the upper left area of the page
• Use the filter box to find the program
• Click on the printer icon to the left of the program
• The PSLOs will be at the bottom of the program outline
• NOTE that in this format they are not referred to as program-level student learning outcomes, only as student learning outcomes

PSLOs are also publicized in the PCC Catalogue and on Division and Department program websites to help make them accessible to students, faculty, advisors, accreditors and the general public.

Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) occur at three levels. At the course and program levels, SLOs describe the knowledge and skills students develop by the end of a course or degree program, respectively. At the institutional level, SLOs describe knowledge, skill, abilities, and attitudes that students develop from all aspects of their college experience including courses, programs, departments, and services.

• Course-level Student Learning Outcomes (CSLOs) are relatively narrow in scope, articulating what students are expected to achieve as they complete a course. In general, one or more CSLOs in courses required for a major will contribute to student achievement of PSLOs.
• Program-level Student Learning Outcomes (PSLOs) are broader in scope, articulating what students are expected to achieve as they complete a program. PSLOs should be addressed in multiple courses across the curriculum.
• Institutional-level Student Learning Outcomes (ISLOs) are very broad in scope. In general, through the achievement of PSLOs, students demonstrate specialized knowledge and skills in the discipline, as well as disciplinary achievement of some of PCC’s ISLOs (as appropriate to the disciplinary focus), through depth of study within the chosen academic field.

 

One element of PCC’s Comprehensive Program Review process focuses on PSLOs to ensure they are reflective of the program in its current state. During the program review process, which functions on a four-year cycle, program review authors are required to review current PSLOs for each of the degrees and/or certificates within the department/discipline. There is a space to briefly discuss the process authors used to review and update their PSLOs as well as a mechanism for uploading proposed new/updated sets of PSLOs for each degree/certificate. Once completed in the program review process, the proposed outcomes must be submitted to the Curriculum and Instruction Committee for approval and official distribution.

Step 1: Research & Reflection

A useful first step in developing or updating PSLOs is to take stock of what is happening in your discipline or field, PCC more broadly, current and emerging labor market information, and the world at large. Reflect on the mission, values, culture, and aims of your academic program in relation to any external sources.

The following resources may be useful sources of reference:

• Learning goals or standards stated by relevant disciplinary associations
• PSLOs from similar programs at other CCCs
• Feedback from employers and recent graduates
• Input from an advisory board
• PCC’s ISLOs (add link when available)
• PCC’s Mission, Vision, and Values

Step 2: Collaboration

Students learn more effectively when their learning experiences are purposeful, coherent, and integrated, making it important for faculty to collaboratively determine PSLOs that are specific and critical to the program. It is helpful to begin by compiling and sharing the results of the research and reflection (Step 1) with other faculty. It may be helpful to first work on your PSLOs amongst a faculty committee, prior to sharing with all program faculty (see Step 4). The following questions might be useful in directing faculty discussions about PSLOs:

• Why do we offer this program? Why is it important that students study or experience this?
• What is this program all about? What do we want students to get out of this program?
• What do we want students to know or be able to do when they complete this program? What kinds of culminating experiences or projects should completers be able to do? What skills or knowledge are demonstrated as part of these culminating experiences or projects?
• What evidence tells you when students have achieved specific knowledge or skills?
• What do students do after they graduate? What are the most important things they need to effectively continue on their career pathway?
• What would an employer need (evidence, behavior, etc.) to see that students are achieving specific knowledge, skills, and abilities?
• What makes graduates successful?

Step 3: Writing or Revising Your PSLOs

A set of PSLOs is not intended to be a comprehensive list of everything students will learn in a certificate or degree program (with an important exception: some specialized program accreditors do have lists of required competencies). Instead, an effective program focuses on a few key PSLOs that are addressed across the curriculum, because faculty want students to internalize and incorporate specific requirements at a high level (and students learn best through repeated practice in a variety of contexts, deepening in complexity and rigor).

Generally, a program should have 3-4 PSLOs focused on the knowledge, skills, and abilities that are most meaningful. It may be helpful to think of PSLOs as Standards, Benchmarks, or Capstones for students who have successfully completed all requirements of the program. Effective statements clarify expectations through precise word choice and can be broken down into three main components:

• An introductory phrase that specifies the context of the learning outcome
• An action verb that clearly identifies the concrete knowledge, skill, or ability to be demonstrated
• A learning statement that specifies what learning will be demonstrated

Step 4: Consensus

Effective PSLOs are widely accepted and supported by program faculty members. Some departments/disciplines may choose to have faculty formally approve PSLOs (e.g., via a vote), while others may choose more informal acknowledgements of approval (e.g., general consensus during a faculty meeting). Regardless of the process a program chooses, it is important to note that developing and updating appropriate and useful PSLOs is an iterative process; it’s not unusual to refine outcome statements prior to reaching consensus.

Certificate EXAMPLE
Program: Certified Nursing Assistant Occupational Skills Certificate

PSLOs: Students will be assessed on their ability to

1. Apply the principles of nursing concepts and skills essential to the function of a certified nurse assistant in the direct care of patients in the healthcare setting.
2. Demonstrate safe and competent care within the scope of certified nurse assistant practice, utilizing the characteristics of professional and ethical behavior and attitude.
3. Use effective communication techniques with patients, families, and healthcare members within the context of the healthcare environment.
4. Employ compassionate nursing care based on respect for patient's preference, values, and needs in a culturally diverse healthcare setting.

AA Degree EXAMPLE
Program: AA Degree in English Literature

PSLOs: Students will be assessed on their ability to

1. Apply critical thinking skills in reading and writing, specifically to analyze the nuances of poetry, drama, fiction, or other types of literature.
2. Appraise critical conversations about the historical, social, cultural, and aesthetic contexts of literary texts.
3. Examine how literature aligns with student interests, cultural diversity, and global awareness to support a global society.
4. Analyze the human condition from a multitude of perspectives by exploring culture/ethnicity, religions, personalities, communication styles, psychologies, sexualities, politics, and philosophies through literature.

AA-T Degree EXAMPLE
Program: AA-T Degree in Psychology for Transfer

PSLOs: Students will be assessed on their ability to

1. Using (and/or applying) basic terms, facts, principles, and theories, explain (and/or demonstrate the understanding of) behavior and cognitive processes, drawing from historically important, relevant cross-cultural, and contemporary perspectives, including biological, cognitive, behavioral, psychodynamic, and socio-cultural approaches.
2. Compare and distinguish between scientific and non-scientific approaches to the study of behavior, and evaluate the strength of evidence offered in support of a given hypothesis, theory or conclusion, using terminology and elements of the scientific method.
3. Given a topic in psychology, research and apply psychological concepts and theories to scientific and/or popular media in a written or oral report.
4. Explain ethical principles in psychological research and practice in an increasingly diverse world.
5. Explain career alternatives within the field of psychology, and an awareness of how a background in psychology relates to various careers outside of psychology, toward making informed career choices.