Academic Senate Student Learning Outcomes Why The Controversy

Academic Senate Student Learning Outcomes Why The Controversy? Presentation to the MPC Board of Trustees November 25, 2008

Academic Senate First Things First What are SLOs? ACCJC: Knowledge, skills, abilities, and attitudes that a student has attained at the end (or as a result) of his or her engagement in a particular set of collegiate experiences. MPC: An SLO is a measurable or evaluable description of what students are expected to be able to “do” as they successfully complete a course. The word “do, ” in this context, could mean “perform, ” “paint, ” “analyze, ” “demonstrate, ” “synthesize, ” “use the scientific method, ” or any number of verbs appropriate for a particular course. But there’s more…. .

Academic Senate First Things First What is the SLO-Assessment Model? Expectations of student learning…. . Assessment…. . Analysis…. . Dialog…. . Planning Ø Shifts the focus to student learning Ø Integrates the assessment results into all aspects of institutional planning and resource allocation

Academic Senate SLOs: So Why the Controversy? ØEvaluation ØWork Load ØStandardization/Academic Freedom ØStudent Indoctrination? Not suggesting these objections are valid, or that we all agree. Just that they exist. ØBureaucratic waste of time because §We already do it §Doesn’t value the individuality of students §Doesn’t value the complexity of teaching and learning §Can’t possibly be of any value §It’s a fad…Nobody cares §We should spend our time teaching

Academic Senate SLO Controversy Evaluation ØFrom the ACCJC Standards, in the HR section: “Faculty and others directly responsible for student progress toward achieving stated student learning outcomes have, as a component of their evaluation, effectiveness in producing those learning outcomes. ” Ø Faculty evaluation is negotiable issue, not a directive of an accrediting agency. Ø CTA parent investigating legal action. Ø Could lead to low-level learning…. Can you spell E-a-r-t-h?

Academic Senate SLO Controversy Work Load Developing SLOs…. . evaluating them…. . analyzing the results. . …talking about them……planning what to do next…. All take time. How much time will this take? A lot, to do it well. It’s why we’re all so busy.

Academic Senate SLO Controversy Work Load An un-negotiated addition to our workload. An over-riding framework for what we already do as faculty. Developing SLOs…. . evaluating them…. . analyzing the results. . …talking about them……planning what to do next….

Academic Senate SLO Controversy Standardization/Academic Freedom Assessment and Dialog: ØWhere should it lead us? . . . What should we agree on? -Student Expectations? -Assessment Tools? -Identical Syllabi -Tests? -Assignments? -Daily lectures? ØStudents’ access to a diversity of views and opinions. ØThis diversity is intellectual pluralism, the marketplace of ideas, the foundation of our Academic Freedom policy. ØOr a framework for ensuring consistency between courses?

Academic Senate SLO Controversy Standardization/Academic Freedom Intellectual Pluralism Consistency between sections, alignment of curriculum How should assessment and dialog change our teaching?

Academic Senate SLO Controversy Standardization/Academic Freedom This is No Child Left Behind Means to defend against No Child Left Behind CTA State Leadership State Academic Senate Lower academic stds Can you spell E-A-R-T-H? Faculty’s opportunity to set academic stds What are SLOs again?

Academic Senate SLO Controversy Student Indoctrination “The evidence the institution presents should also be about student learning outcomes (mastery of the knowledge, skills, abilities, competencies, attitudes, beliefs, opinions, and values at the course, program, and degree levels in the context of each college’s mission and population)…” [ACCJC Guide to Evaluating Institutions, page 11; emphasis mine] ØThis is more like brainwashing than education. ØRelates to Students’ Academic Freedom Or is it all up to us to define?

Academic Senate SLO Controversy Which beliefs, values, or opinions? ……. . Appropriate? “ mastery of the knowledge, skills, abilities, competencies, attitudes, beliefs, opinions, and values at the course, program, and degree levels in the context of each college’s mission and population…” [ACCJC Guide to Evaluating Institutions, page 11; emphasis mine]

Academic Senate SLO Controversy Which beliefs, values, or opinions? ……. . Appropriate? Skills, abilities, and competencies are up to us “ mastery of the knowledge, skills, abilities, competencies, attitudes, beliefs, opinions, and values at the course, program, and degree levels in the context of each college’s mission and population…” [ACCJC Guide to Evaluating Institutions, page 11; emphasis mine]

Academic Senate SLO Controversy Bureaucratic Waste of Time Doesn’t value the complexity of topics and teaching. ØSLOs become overly vague generalizations of what we expect §“Use the Scientific Method to investigate the natural world. ” §In what context? §At what complexity? Doesn’t value the individuality of students. ØStudents learn differently ØHave chaotic lives ØRespond/learn in many different ways to our courses ØNot always captured in pithy statements

Academic Senate SLO Controversy Bureaucratic Waste of Time We already do this. ØCourse Outline of Record §State Mandated through Title 5 §Objectives (=ACCJC SLOs) §Assessment Methods ØInformally with Colleagues Can’t possibly be of any value It’s a fad…. . Nobody cares about them We should spend our time teaching Ø What is it we shouldn’t do, to complete these SLO tasks?

Academic Senate SLO Controversy Bureaucratic Waste of Time We already do this Extra work better directed elsewhere Why don’t we want this again?

Academic Senate SLOs Controversy ØStandardization/Academic Freedom ØEvaluation ØWork Load ØStudent Indoctrination? ØBureaucratic waste of time Do ALL faculty worry about these things? YES! But we also believe in accreditation.

Academic Senate SLO Controversy Why has there been such controversy? No agreement on what SLOs represent or should be used for. No clarity from ACCJC Lack of experienced leadership at MPC

Academic Senate SLO Controversy No agreement on what SLOs are. NCLB Prevent NCLB More work What we do now Standardization Consistency

Academic Senate SLO Controversy No clarity from ACCJC “General education has comprehensive learning outcomes ……including the following: Ø A recognition of what it means to be an ethical human being and effective citizen…. ”

Academic Senate SLO Controversy No clarity from ACCJC “General education has comprehensive learning outcomes ……including the following: Ø A recognition of what it means to be an ethical human being and effective citizen…. ” Ø “The willingness to assume civic, political, and social responsibilities locally, nationally, and globally. ”

Academic Senate SLO Controversy Lack of experienced leadership at MPC SLOs are a multi-faceted and complicated SLOs are new; no agreement on what they represent Difficult to lead without common definitions

Academic Senate So what are SLOs? On behalf of the Academic Senate, Thank you.