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Assurance of Student Learning Outcomes

[Note: If you would like someone to do a training session for your program, department, or college, please email for scheduling.]

 

What are student learning outcomes?

Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) are the specific skills and/or knowledge graduates of your program (majors and certificates) are expected to master.  Many programs developed good SLOs, but some are still struggling with this concept.  The University of Wisconsin has a helpful breakdown of the concept and how to write effective SLOs.  Similarly, Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) are the skills, competencies, and “big ideas” students should be able to articulate, put into action, or utilize (theoretically or pragmatically) after the completion of a major or certificate program. As the site notes, learning outcomes should be clear, observable, measurable, and reflect the skills and knowledge covered in the program.

Ask yourself the following questions when developing learning outcomes:

  • What do we want students in our program to know?
  • What do we want students to be able to do?
  • When do we want them to be able to do it?
  • Are the outcomes observable, measurable, and reasonable (can they be performed by students)?


Note: While “graduate school attainment” and “employment” are clearly important results of the overall educational experience, they are not appropriate indicators of what students learn in the program or can do at the point of graduation.  For example, a student learning outcome like “Graduates of the XYZ program obtain a job in the XYZ field or are accepted into a XYZ graduate program” is NOT an appropriate learning outcome.

Avoiding Multi-Barrel Student Learning Outcomes
"Multi-barrel" student learning outcomes (SLOs), more commonly referred to in academic literature as "double-barrel" or multi-barreled outcomes, are statements that combine multiple, distinct skills, behaviors, or areas of knowledge into a single learning outcome. These are generally considered poor practice in curriculum design because they make it difficult to determine which specific skill a student has or has not mastered.
 
Here is a detailed breakdown of what they are and why they are discouraged.
 
Characteristics of Multi-Barrel Outcomes
  • Too Broad: They encompass too much information, often combining two or more separate concepts, skills, or behaviors.
  • Difficult to Measure: Because they contain multiple, distinct elements, it is hard for instructors to create a single, valid assessment to measure all of them simultaneously.
  • Contain Multiple Verbs: They often use two or more action verbs (e.g., "analyze," "create," "evaluate") applied to different concepts.
 
Examples of Multi-Barrel Outcomes
  • Poor Example: "Students will be able to identify and apply economic theories to real-world scenarios" (This combines recall/recognition with application).
  • Poor Example: "Students will write an essay and deliver an oral presentation" (This combines written and oral communication, which are distinct skills).
  • Poor Example: "Students will design a website and analyze its traffic" (This combines technical creation with data analysis).
 
Why They Should Be Avoided
  • Assessment Confusion: If a student fails to meet a "double-barrel" outcome, the instructor cannot know if the student failed because they couldn't "identify" or because they couldn't "apply" the concept.
  • Ineffective Grading: They often force instructors to give a single grade for two different types of work, reducing the accuracy of assessment data.
  • Lack of Clarity: They are less precise, making it harder for students to understand exactly what is expected of them.
 
How to Fix Them (Separation)
To make outcomes more effective, they should be split into separate, discrete statements.
  • Instead of: "Students will analyze and interpret statistical data"
  • Use:
    1. "Students will analyze statistical data using appropriate measures."
    2. "Students will interpret statistical data to solve real-world problems."
Good SLOs should be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound).
 

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 Last Modified 2/10/26