What are SLOs?

What are Student Learning Outcomes?

Student learning outcomes are statements of what students will be able to do after taking a particular class or completing a particular program. Student learning outcomes can be written for individual classes, entire programs, or for the institution as a whole. Student learning outcomes should be general in scope. They should be written using active verbs that describe what the student will be able to DO and they should also indicate how the outcome will be measured or assessed.

How Do Outcomes Differ From Objectives?

An outcome (student learning outcome) indicates general overarching concepts in a course or program. Typically, there will be between three and eight outcomes for any particular course or program. Objectives address the details in a course and are related to the specific course content. There will be many individual objectives for any class.

Here is an example taken from a handbook from a workshop given at Laney College in August 2004 (by Janet Fulks and Kate Pluta of Bakersfield College):

Course Objectives:

Discuss differences in nutritional requirements associated with sex, age, and activity.

Describe causes and consequences of nutritional problems.

Identify key factors involved in correcting nutritional behaviors.

Course Student Learning Outcome:

At the end of this nutrition course, a student will be able to analyze a documented nutritional problem, determine a strategy to correct the problem, and write a draft nutritional policy addressing the broader scope of the problem.