1. Taft College’s Progress in SLOs Faculty Reports January 16, 2009 Geoffrey Dyer

2. Overheard This Week • “I don’t know if you know what you’re talking about, but it makes sense to me.” • “Give us release time to do this.” • “I still don’t know what SLOs are.” • “Can you get someone to do it for me?” • “Our campus has embraced change!”

3. Taft College’s SLO History • Course SLOs added to Course Outlines of Record, 2002 • Independent efforts to raise SLO awareness, 2002-present • Social Sciences Division Wide SLOs and assessments • Science includes specific Learning Objectives, linked with instructional units, into course-packs • eLumen purchased, piloted • Student Services integrate SLOs into program review handbook, work extensively; develop timeline, template and five sets of Student Services program SLOs

4. History • Liberal Arts division retreat focusing on SLOs, spring 2008 • SLOs placed on syllabi, spring 2008 • Institutional SLOs drafted through divisions and Academic Senate, 2007-2008 • SLO Coordinator identified to begin duties in fall, 2008 • Meaningful discussion! “Campus embraces change”

5. Since Summer, 2008 • SLO Assessment Teams implemented • New Course Level SLO template adopted • New Individual Assessment Report template adopted • 53 new Course SLOs written in new template • 22 documented Individual Assessment Reports from Assessment Team participants to date • Course Level SLO workshops at in-service • SLO Webpage created • Program SLOs drafted in Business Administration • Program SLOs discussed at Planning and division meetings as component of Program Review template

6. SLO Assessment Teams • Pilot launched in summer 2008 • Offered fall and spring, 2008-2010 • Participants identify or write an SLO to assess, conduct assessment, document it, and suggest improvements. • Individual Assessment Reports shared • Emphasis is on integrating assessment of SLOs into campus culture

7. Course Level SLO template • Easy and fun to use • Lists SLOs, assessments, and institutional alignment • Ensures academic freedom (Faculty write SLOs . . . Does not ensure freedom from SLOs) • Available on Taft College’s SLO Webpage—free!

9. Individual Assessment Report Template • A home for data • Guides you through the steps of conducting assessment • Consolidates evidence for accreditation • Eye catching, thanks to Linda West’s in-service training on Microsoft Word 07 • Improved by input from the summer Assessment Team • And . . .

10. You guessed It! Fun and easy to use!

11. SLO Webpage • The living repository of course SLOs, templates, Individual Assessment Reports, and training materials • Created at faculty request • Soon to be the home of program SLOs • Visit: http://faculty.taftcollege.edu/slos/data/slo.shtml

12. Apples to Apples 1 Palomar’s statistic taken from their 2006-2007 Annual Report Update on SLOs for ACCJC. Sacramento and LA Mission taken from their 2007-2008 Annual Reports, and Riverside from its most recent Self Study.

13. . . .But then . . . • That 42% of course SLOs for Taft includes the old SLOs written in grids on Course Outlines (95 courses from our 2008-2009 offerings) and courses using the Social Sciences division wide SLOs. • The percentage, based on courses offered at Taft in 2008-09, of courses with our new revised SLOs is 16%. • This is the area we have made the most progress in. In assessment, improvement, and program SLOs, we are even weaker.

14. How can we fix it? How can I help?