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Office of Performance Excellence & Strategy

Office Of Institutional Research and Assessment

Student Learning Outcomes Assessment (Program-Level SLOs)

Texas A&M-Kingsville assesses the extent to which its students meet program-level student learning objectives. As part of the process, faculty members and program coordinators from each academic program identify expected SLOs for program completion and map the outcomes to the courses or venues in which students are expected to acquire the required knowledge or skill. Reporting occurs annually, with the report on the year just ended due in the Fall and a review of the reports by the Academic Assessment Committee in the spring.

The current system used for documenting expected outcomes, curriculum mapping, and outcomes reporting follows guidelines developed by the Academic Assessment Committee and introduced to the faculty in 2010. 

Chaired by: Appointed by the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs

Membership: Faculty or full- or part-time administrators with faculty status, selected and appointed by the Provost. The Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Assessment Coordinator will serve as ex-officio.

Function: The committee evaluates Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) and the SLO assessment processes for all academic programs.

 

 Academic Assessment Committee 2021-2022 Membership

Dr. Monica Wong-Ratcliff, Chair

Dr. Breanna Bailey

Dr. Colleen Ferguson

Dr. Michelle Garcia

Ms. Laura Gonzalez

Dr. Thomas Krueger

Dr. Enrique Massa

Dr. Jaya Goswami, ex-officio

Ms. Cadi Lusk, ex-officio

Program goals and program-level SLOs must be defined and assessed for every degree-granting program, including certificates. All departments should be prepared to assess them in Fall where possible and no later than Spring in all cases. Chairs and program coordinators should work with their faculty in developing SLOs.

Program Goals

Each program normally has a few broad goals relating to such aspirations as professionalism, ethics, critical thinking, communication, knowledge, and/or professional skills. When developing program goals, choose language that relates to the purpose of the program in terms of value added to the student.

  • Goal 1. Development of professional skills
  • Goal 2. Enhancement of communication skills
  • Goal 3. Acquisition of scientific knowledge

Avoid language that describes administrative goals such as “increase enrollment by 10%.” These are reported as part of the Institutional Effectiveness assessment process.

Additionally, please do not use University Goals from the Strategic plan as your program goals. University Goals are university-wide administrative goals and were never intended to reflect the aspirations of your academic program.

Program-Level Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

Each broad program goal should have four to eight intended SLOs that describe the specific skills and competencies sought. Each SLO should be measurable in a straightforward manner and stated in the following format: Students will be able to "insert action verb/something".

 The goals and SLOs to be developed and submitted could simply follow the format below.

  • Goal 1. Development of professional skills
    • SLO 1.1. Students will be able to identify behavioral disorders.
    • SLO 1.2. Students will be able to suggest remedial therapies.
  • Goal 2. Enhancement of communication skills
    • SLO 2.1. Students will be able to explain their observations.
    • SLO 2.2. Students will be able to write technical reports.
  • Goal 3. Acquisition of scientific knowledge
    • SLO 3.1. Students will be able to interpret research findings.
    • SLO 3.2. Students will be able to perform laboratory procedures.

Avoid using nebulous language such as “Students will appreciate art,” or “Faculty will provide students with opportunities to perform,” or "Students will demonstrate knowledge of the history, theories, and applications of math." 

Additionally, program-level SLOs should not be a list of all course-level SLOs. These are too specific and numerous for the purpose of this report.

Please note: If a department offers both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in two subject areas, the department must define and assess four sets of program-level SLOs.

If a program is offered in multiple locations or teaching modalities (e.g., on-campus, off campus/Weslaco/Harlingen/etc., online), show data for each location or modality of instruction.

2017-18 SLO Reporting Template [docx] - for use by programs

SLO Evaluation Form [docx] - for use by the Academic Assessment Committee