Quick SLO & Assessment Guide

1.  Every course that appears in the catalog needs an assessment plan on file with the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Assessment that includes:

• At least two SLOs for each course
• Assessments of record for each SLO – a department developed  common type of assessment and the  evaluation criteria
• A cycle of assessment for each course determined by faculty who teach the course and the needs of the department.  
  • Courses offered in both fall and spring should be assessed in fall and results reported in spring.

• Courses offered less than once annually –assess in term they are offered and report results the following term

2.  Each course SLO must be assessed at least once during a three-year cycle

    Example:  A course has three SLOs.  The course is offered annually.  The department decides which SLO will be assessed in year one.  They may assess all SLOs in year one or only a selected SLO.  If they assess only SLO # 1 in the first year, they must assess SLOs # 2 and 3 in the subsequent years so that all three SLOs are assessed by the end of the three-year cycle.  Click Here

• A course that is not taught annually must assess all SLOs when that course is offered.

• Departments decide to assess all sections of a course or a sample of sections.  For information about determining this, the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Assessment may be of help. 

3.  Results of assessments must be reported to the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Assessment on the 5 column reporting form: Click Here

4.  SLOs and assessment progress should be a regular topic of discussion at department meetings.  An in-dept dialog about the improvement of student learning and teaching as a result of assessment should occur annually and be recorded in the department meetings minutes. 

To see a complete statement on SCC Standards of Assessment Practice for Institutional Programs, click here: Click here

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