How to Write Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) describe what students can DO differently in their community, family, workplace or  further education as a result of their experiences in our classes and at the college.

1.  SLOs use action verbs from Bloom’s Taxonomy with an emphasis on higher-order thinking skills. If you have trouble describing the action, focus on what you envision students doing out there in the rest of their lives. (Bloom's Taxonomy can be found under "Documents.")
    
2. SLOs should focus on big-picture, overarching concepts, skills, or attitudes.
    
3. SLOs should be written in language that students (and those outside the field) are able to understand.
4. Avoid starting SLOs with the words such as “understand”, “learn”, “know”, etc. since these indicate internal mental processes for the students. If you get stuck on the word “understand,”  ask yourself what students will use their understanding to do:   “Use their understanding of ______ to (do what)?”  Then drop the “use their understanding."
    
5. When writing SLOs, think about how you will assess each one. This keeps our intended outcomes grounded in reality.
6. There should be 3-8 SLOs for each class or program. When in doubt, fewer is better.
    
7. Check out the "SLO Scoring Guide" under documents for some helpful criteria.