Overview of Learning Outcomes

What are learning outcomes (LOs)?

Learning outcomes are measurable statements that describe significant knowledge or skills students should learn or be able to demonstrate upon completion of a course or program. Learning outcomes can be thought of as a destination and faculty’s teaching pedagogy as the route taken to get students there. The focus of learning outcomes is on the application of knowledge and skills.

Four Types of Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcome	Description
Institutional Learning Outcomes (ILOs)	ILOs represent broad categories of competencies. Students achieve outcomes, regardless of academic program of study, upon completion of Chaffey College’s certificate or degree programs. Chaffey’s ACES (Academic, Community & Employability Skills) are aligned with the college’s ILOs and therefore provide both career skills practice and assessment at the institutional level.
Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs)	Students achieve these discipline-specific outcomes upon completion of their program.
Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs)	Students achieve these discipline-specific outcomes upon completion of a an individual course. These are the outcomes instructors list on their syllabi and are commonly referred to as SLOs. Every course learning outcome should align with one program learning outcome.
Student Support Outcomes (SSOs)	Students achieve outcomes after a service or academic support resource or participating in a student support program. These outcomes can also be aligned with Chaffey’s ACES-ILOs.

 

What is the difference between program goals and learning objectives?

The terms are often used interchangeably, but they do have distinct differences. Program goals are long-term, broad statements of what students should learn, understand, value, and appreciate as a result of completing a program, and goals should directly relate to a mission statement. Conversely, learning objectives are short-term, precise statements that describe what faculty plan on covering in a learning experience. While program goals may be difficult or impracticable to measure, learning objectives are observable and measurable. Multiple learning objectives are typically developed to reach one program goal.

 

How are learning outcomes different from program goals and learning objectives?

The table below shows similarities and differences between program goals, learning objectives, and learning outcomes.

• Goals are too general to guide assessment, planning, and program decisions, whereas learning outcomes provide evidence that puts student learning at the forefront of institutional and program planning. Assessment of learning outcomes is used to make curriculum changes and program improvement.
  
  
• Learning objectives focus on the input of the course: the learning process. Learning outcomes focus on the output of the course or program: the end product.

 

Alignment of Learning Outcomes

Accreditation requires learning outcome assessment at various levels including institutional, program, and course levels, as well as evaluation of results so there is a shared understanding of strengths and weaknesses in order to improve student learning across campus. Faculty will be assessing ACES-ILOs along with their discipline specific PLOs/CLOs. 

4 Institutional Learning Outcomes

Each ILO has 3 nested ACES Skills.

Personal, Academic & Career Development

• Adaptability (4 ACES outcomes per skill)
• Resilience (4 ACES outcomes per skill)
• Professionalism (4 ACES outcomes per skill)

Critical Thinking & Problem Solving

• Critical Thinking (4 ACES outcomes per skill)
• Innovation (4 ACES outcomes per skill)
• Data Utilization (4 ACES outcomes per skill)

Community/Global Responsibility & Leadership

• Collaboration (4 ACES outcomes per skill)
• Environmental Responsibility (4 ACES outcomes per skill)
• Social Justice (4 ACES outcomes per skill)

Communication

• Communication (4 ACES outcomes per skill)
• Empathy (4 ACES outcomes per skill)
• Digital Fluency (4 ACES outcomes per skill)

Discipline Specific Program and Course Learning Outcomes

OAC recommends 3-5 PLOs with 3-5 CLOs nested under each PLO.

Program Learning Outcome (PLO)

• Course Learning Outcome (CLO)
• CLO
• CLO
• CLO
• CLO

Program Learning Outcome (PLO)

• Course Learning Outcome (CLO)
• CLO
• CLO
• CLO

Program Learning Outcome (PLO)

• Course Learning Outcome (CLO)
• CLO
• CLO

Putting It All Together

The following example is taken from the Communication Studies discipline.

Type of Learning Outcome / Course Objective	Statement Examples
Institutional LOs: What is the purpose of the college? What skills or knowledge should every Chaffey College graduate have acquired while attending classes here?	ILO: Communication—Students will practice effective communication and comprehension skills and strategies.
Program LOs: What is the purpose of your program? What skills or knowledge do you expect students who take multiple courses in the program to come away with? What are the consistent themes that carry over from course to course? How do these themes relate to our institutional goals?	Program: Communication Studies PLO: Communication Process: Exchanges messages effectively in various communication contexts, ensuring clarity, coherence, and mutual understanding
Course LOs: What is the purpose of the course? What particular skills or knowledge does it attempt to communicate? What do you expect students who complete the course to have learned? How does this relate to the overall content and purpose of your program?	Course: Fundamentals of Effective Speaking CLO: Message Encoding and Decoding: Creates messages to convey information and original thought to an audience as well as interprets verbal and non-verbal communication cues by assessing their impact on the effectiveness of message delivery and interpersonal interactions.
Course objectives are specific statements about content or material being taught in a course and can be considered the “nuts and bolts” of the course. Objectives are the means, not the ends. Course LOs are statements about significant and essential learning that has occurred as a result of taking a course and may include assessing multiple courses. Course LOs can be described as what we expect students to do with the “nuts and bolts” after they leave the course.	Course: Fundamentals of Effective Speaking Course Objectives: Design and deliver informative and persuasive speeches. Expand their understanding of the relationship of the public forum as it applies to a democratic society.