Mapping and Understanding Institutional, GE, Program, and Course Student Learning Outcomes

Learning occurs on numerous levels within the academic environment. However, there are challenges in connecting the dots among student learning outcomes (SLOs) at the institution, General Education (GE), program, and course levels. Mapping relationships between and among these levels is important to ensure that the different elements create a unified whole in the educational design. Below are some explanations about the different levels of SLOs.

Institutional SLOs (ISLOs) focus on the abilities, knowledge, and skills that students develop from the environment of the College, including courses, student services, and other College features.They represent the educational values of the College and pertain to all students except those in certificate programs. Institutional mapping shows relationships with course, program, and GE learning that reflects the alignment of the institution’s values, knowledge, and skills upon graduation.

General Education (GE) SLOs describe what students will know or be able to do after completing a GE course or program. There sometimes is considerable overlap between institutional and GE SLOs. GE mapping shows relationships between GE and program level SLOs (the major).

Program SLOs emphasize the specific knowledge and skills a student can expect to attain upon completing a particular major or course of study. Program level curriculum mapping shows relationships between courses and program SLOs.

Course SLOs identify what students will know or be able to do by the end of a course. Course-level SLOs look at whether multiple sections of a course have the same SLOs. Course level curriculum mapping shows how courses align with SLOs.

Although many are familiar with program and course SLOs, there is less familiarity with institutional and GE level SLOs. Below is a more detailed look at institutional and GE SLOs.

SUNY New Paltz’s ISLOs are designed to foster students’ ability to apply knowledge and collaborative learning in their lives after graduation. New Paltz’s ISLOs state:

“The motto of the State University of New York is “To Learn. To Search. To Serve.” An education at SUNY New Paltz develops knowledge. More than that, it helps our students recognize that life is complex and worthy of endless curiosity. Our students recognize that life is complex and worthy or endless curiosity. Our students come away from their classrooms, residence halls, and service activities with an understanding of how the thoughtful application of knowledge and collaborative learning promote active engagement in communities (from local to global), critical reflection, and personal responsibility.

As a student at SUNY New Paltz, you will:

1. acquire a foundation of knowledge that will enable you to engage with different aspects of our world. You will gain exposure to the ways in which artists, humanists, mathematicians, and natural and social scientists address questions about the world and ourselves. You will explore and learn to apply quantitative reasoning, qualitative interpretation, and creative activity as means of addressing those questions.
2. explore questions of identity and community, including reflecting on who you are and your commonality and difference with respect to others. Through interacting with our diverse student body, studying or visiting regions of the world, exploring the activities and communities within and surrounding the university, and learning about diversity within the US and elsewhere, you will become an informed global citizen.
3. learn how to organize, synthesize and apply many types of information in a variety of formats; make and critique arguments; and express yourself clearly in multiple modes. These analytical, critical, and communicative skills will serve you at the university and beyond.
4. specialize in at least one disciplinary area of knowledge so you can succeed in that field, apply your expertise in other arenas, and/or go on to advanced study prepared to engage confidently with other practitioners or scholars.As a student at SUNY New Paltz, you will have the opportunity to:
5. apply your learning within and outside the classroom. Through directed research, internships, and service learning, yo experience what you can do with what you know.
6. develop the tools to become a lifelong learner and a productive contributor to learning commuities, including SUNY New Paltz.
7. attain an understanding of yourself as a citizen and community member with the knowledge and ability to engage others in progress toward a more sustainable world.”

In addition to ISLOs, New Paltz students receiving degrees are required to complete GE SLOs to demonstrate knowledge and skills in specific areas as well as competency in critical thinking and information management. GE4 is organized in three categories of knowledge. Below is a brief description of required areas and skills:

Category I: Foundation Skills (Mathematics, Basic Communication, Foreign Language): develops skills in basic communication, mathematics, and foreign language

Categpry II: Exposure to the Disciplines (The Arts, Humanities, Natural Science, Social Sciences): introduces art, the humanities, and the natural and social sciences and the different “ways of knowing” that these disciplines represent

Category III: Regions of the World (United States Studies, Western Civilization, World History): explores questions about identity and encourages students to become informed, engaged, and thoughtful citizens of the world

Critical Thinking: Identify, analyze, and evaluate arguments as they occur in their own and other’s work, and develop well-reasoned arguments.

Information Management: Perform basic operations of personal computer use; understand and use basic research techniques; and locate, evaluate, and synthesize information from a variety of sources.

These GE4 categories and the competencies of critical thinking and information management provide students with a foundation for academic, professional, and personal development along with essential communication skills that they will use throughout their lives.

RESOURCES
For more information about mapping, see the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment “Mapping Learning: A Toolkit of Resources.”

For more information on ISLOs see Associate Provost of SUNY Deborah Moeckel’s presentation “Assessment of Institutional Student Learning Outcomes and General Education”.

For more detail about GE assessment, visit the General Education Board’s website.