Additional Course SLO Examples

Course Learning Outcomes

Assessment Method and Performance Expectation

Alignment with Program SLO(s)

SLO1: Students will be able to describe how the portrayal of stereotypical images of people of color (e.g., African Americans, Latinx, Asians, Middle Eastern, and Native Americans) in film & media have evolved over time.

SLO2: Students will be able to analyze the impact films, and other media platforms, has made on the lived experiences of people of color.

SLO3: Students will demonstrate knowledge of the history of people of color’s presence in American films.

SLO1 Assessment: Students will complete a semester term paper. Seventy-five percent (75%) of students will meet or exceed expectations on the term paper per a provided rubric.

SLO2 Assessment: Students will complete a series of reading & critical summaries. Seventy-five percent (75%) of students will meet or exceed expectations on the reading & critical summaries.

 SLO3 Assessment: Students will complete three comprehensive exams. Seventy-five percent (75%) of students will meet or exceed expectations on the three comprehensive exams (a C-level performance or better).

 In alignment with the programmatic Student Learning Outcomes for African American Studies majors/minors, students in this course will:

Program SLO1: Demonstrate disciplinary knowledge of African American Studies. Relates most critical debates, core thinkers, and canonical texts to historical, cultural, and/or political contexts. Synthesizes key concepts and terminology in written and oral communication within the discipline.

Program SLO2: Exhibit competence in African American Studies research design, theory, and/or methods.

Program SLO3: Practice critical inquiry and analysis of the political, social, and historical perspectives of African American life and culture. Demonstrates complex analysis and interpretation, organizes, and synthesizes evidence, and makes meaningful attempts to apply theory to the interpretation of text.

Course Learning Outcomes

Assessment Method and Performance Expectation

Alignment with Program SLO(s)

SLO #1: Students will be able to demonstrate knowledge and skills to utilize the arts as a tool in their classroom

SLO #2: Students will be able to compare and contrast the visual and performing arts in the USA and Italy.

SLO #3: Students will be able to critically examine the documents they have read on visual and performing arts and reflect on their experience during the study abroad trip.

Assessment #1: Students will create lesson plans.

80% of students will score a 4 or higher on a 5-point scale.

Assessment #2: Students will write a comprehensive synthesis paper to compare and contrast the visual and performing arts in the USA and Italy.

80% of students will score a 16/20 or higher on the synthesis paper rubric.

Assessment #3: Students will present and lead a discussion on a topic based on their experience, and documents they have read.

80% of students will score a 12/15 or higher on the presentation rubric.

The SLOs follow the necessary course requirements to meet the needs of both the Early Childhood and Elementary Programs.  Both of these programs are required to have basic arts concepts and skills, factual or contextual learning about dance, drama/theatre, music, and the visual arts this is covered by SLO #1.

SLO #2 Covers the cultural comparison and critical thinking about culture and history of the arts in education.

SLO #3 covers the experiences in each art form through four curricular components: aesthetic perception, creative expression, historical and cultural heritage and aesthetic valuing.

Course Learning Outcomes

Assessment Method and Performance Expectation

Alignment with Program SLO(s)

SLO 1: Students will demonstrate critical thinking about selected health topics from global perspectives.

 SLO2: Students will demonstrate an understanding of social and cultural aspects of health, illness, and medicine.

 SLO 3:  Students will synthesize ideas addressing health issues through social, cultural, and/or global perspectives.

Assessment SLO1:  Through weekly reading and reflection papers, students will demonstrate their ability to think critically about global health topics.  Students should achieve a minimum of 75%.

Assessment SLO2: Through midterm and final exams, students will demonstrate their understanding of social and cultural aspects of health, illness, and medicine. Students should achieve a minimum of 75%.

Assessment SLO3: Through a research paper, students will demonstrate their ability to synthesize ideas addressing social, cultural, and/or global health issues. Students should achieve a minimum of 75%

This course aligns with all 3 BA-PBHL Global Health Concentration outcomes:

GH SLO1: Describe the social and cultural aspects of health, illness, and medicine.

GH SLO2: Examine the historical and contemporary impact of development and globalization on the health and wellbeing of populations in low-middle income countries. 

GH SLO3: Recognize the practical and ethical challenges associated with working to address health issues across cultural and geographical boundaries.

Course Learning Outcomes

Assessment Method and Performance Expectation

Alignment with Program SLO(s)

1. Students recognize the products generated by the NWS and NCDC.

2. Students demonstrate how a specific business is impacted by weather and how it should manage those impacts.

3. Students recognize the reasons specific industries treat weather as an uncertain variable.

4. Students predict the impact global change has on specific businesses.

A half dozen questions on one of the tests, two of the quizzes, or the final exam that are specifically keyed to each learning objective/outcome will be used to assess learning outcomes 1 and 3.

Learning outcomes 2 and 4 will be assessed via student projects.

Because this is an upper level course, it is expected that students go beyond just learning the material, but show imagination, ingenuity and creativity in using the material in their project.  It is expected that students score at least 80% on a standard rubric.

This course is specifically designed to serve the minor in Business Applications of Weather and Climate (BAWC).  This course shows students how to synthesize the material given in the many electives within the BAWC minor.  Specifically related to the learning outcomes articulated in the proposal for the minor, the many guest speakers from various types of business will directly address learning outcomes 4, 6, 8, and 9.  The project within the course directly assesses learning outcomes 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7.  Regarding learning outcome 5, the scientific method will be reviewed at the start of the course and applied in the project.  However, the scientific method is taught more specifically in the meteorology elective prerequisite courses.  Similarly, many basic principles of business will be taught in the business elective prerequisite courses.  Many of these principles will be addressed and reinforced by the guest speakers.  Many of the learning outcomes of the minor will be further developed in the experiential learning course that is in addition to this present course.

Course Learning Outcomes

Assessment Method and Performance Expectation

Alignment with Program SLO(s)

SLO #1: Students will be able to demonstrate knowledge and skills to utilize the arts as a tool in their classroom

SLO #2: Students will be able to compare and contrast the visual and performing arts in the USA and Italy.

SLO #: Students will be able to critically examine the documents they have read on visual and performing arts and reflect on their experience during the study abroad trip.

Assessment #1: Students will create lesson plans.

80% of students will score a 4 or higher on a 5-point scale.

 Assessment #2: Students will write a comprehensive synthesis paper to compare and contrast the visual and performing arts in the USA and Italy.

80% of students will score an 16/20 or higher on the synthesis paper rubric.

Assessment #3: Students will present and lead a discussion on a topic based on their experience, and documents they have read.

80% of students will score an 12/15 or higher on the presentation rubric.

The SLOs follow the necessary course requirements to meet the needs of both the Early Childhood and Elementary Programs.  Both of these programs are required to have basic arts concepts and skills, factual or contextual learning about dance, drama/theatre, music, and the visual arts this is covered by SLO #1.

SLO #2 Covers the cultural comparison and critical thinking about culture and history of the arts in education.

SLO #3 covers the experiences in each art form through four curricular components: aesthetic perception, creative expression, historical and cultural heritage and aesthetic valuing.

Course Learning Outcomes

Assessment Method and Performance Expectation

Alignment with Program SLO(s)

1. The student will be able to articulate the context in which contact improvisation emerged, the cultural factors that have shaped the aesthetic, and its relationship to contemporary dance and theater.

2. The student will be able to demonstrate increased facility in performing contact improvisation including increased sensitivity to the use of weight, momentum, release, and strength in their movement choices.

3. The student will be able to demonstrate increased facility in performing improvised movement within the context of contact improvisation.

SLO 1 will be assessed through students' written assignments and class discussions. Ninety percent of students are expected to earn a 78 or higher in these assignments.

SLOs 2-4 will be assessed formatively in regular teacher observations and summatively in larger performance-based assignments. Eighty-five percent of students should earn a 78 of higher on summative, performance-based exams.

This course aligns with the program learning outcome #1. This outcome states that "Students will reach a proficient level of technical and theoretical understanding of dance within a liberal arts education". This course serves to expand student's proficiency in dance technique. 

Student Learning Outcomes

Assessment Method and Performance Expectation

Alignment with Program SLO(s)

Be able to identify basic taxonomic groups within the Dinosauria.

Understand the short and long-term effects of different mass extinction events in Earth’s history.

Evaluate conflicting lines of paleobiological reasoning and evaluate major arguments in the field of dinosaur paleontology.

Outcome one: A test specific to taxonomy will be administered roughly 3/4 through the course and valued at 15% of the total grade. Taxonomic material will also be tested on the midterm and final. The “Dig Site Report” is a written assignment, valued at 15%, that will require taxonomic identification as a major component.  70% of all students will achieve 80% or greater on material specific to taxonomy on the final exam.

Outcome two: A test specific to major events in geologic history will be administered roughly ¼ through the course and valued at 15%. Questions pertaining to the effects of mass extinctions will also appear on the midterm and final exam. 70% of all students will achieve 80% or greater on the final exam specific to major events in geologic history including interpreting information on mass extinction events

Outcome three: Basic questions pertaining to paleotological interpretations and historic arguments will appear on the midterm and final exam. Additionally, the “Dig Site Report” and “Paleontological Hall of Heroes” writing assignments will require students to make their own interpretations and evaluate those of past researchers (cumulatively these assignments are valued 30% of the total course grade). 70% of all students will achieve 80% or greater on the “Dig Site Report” writing assignment which will require students to evaluate data collected from paleontological expeditions and make their own interpretations

The course directly aligns with the Geology major (Student Learning Outcomes 1 and 2) and the Geology major-Paleontology Concentration (Student Learning Outcomes 1, 2 and 4):

Learning Outcome 1 Identify, Describe, and Classify. Students will identify, describe, and classify minerals, rocks, fossils, structures, and strata; make scientific observations of these items in the field and in the laboratory; analyze observations and measurements in a scientifically sound manner.

Learning Outcome 2 Summarize and Explain. Students will summarize and explain the Earth's history, uniformitarian processes that shape the Earth, and the evolution of life as reveled in the fossil record.

Learning Outcome 4 Paleontology Specialization. Students will apply knowledge of earth and evolutionary changes to analyze and interpret paleontological problems.

In this proposed new course, students will gain direct experience identifying, classifying, and describing fossil specimens and sedimentary rocks that are key to paleoenvironmental interpretations. Mass extinctions and species evolution are a major aspect of Earth's history, and geologists’ and paleontologists’ study of such, and this course will focus on exploring the evolution of life as revealed in the fossil record. Students will also apply understanding of the above topics toward interpretations of paleontological problems, such as for the “Dig Site Report” project which uses real scientific data collected from excavation projects.