Assurance of Learning Basics

Course-level learning goals and outcomes, which should be clearly stated in the learner's terms, must be included in every syllabus for every course taught in the Stony Brook University College of Business as part of the assurance of learning process. This practice helps students get a clear picture of what is expected of them in the course, keep on track with their learning, and at the end of the course, evaluate the sufficiency and quality of instruction aimed toward those outcomes. At the same time, well-articulated learning outcomes can help faculty frame the work they do as teachers around student learning rather than content coverage.

In addition, each program’s learning goals and outcomes must be listed and appended to the syllabi of all courses taught at the school. When syllabi draw explicit connections between course learning goals and outcomes and program learning goals and outcomes, both students and faculty see the coherence of a program’s curriculum. They are able to see how the learning in that particular course relates to the overall learning for a given degree and how individual required courses work in concert. 

All too often, students see their various courses as discrete entities with little or no relationship to each other. The inclusion of learning goals and outcomes for the course, learning goals and outcomes for the program, and a statement or table relating the two can do much to help students see this important relationship.

New to this process, or just need a refresher? Walk through it here.

• Developing Course Learning Goals

  Course goals describe the large domains of knowledge that you expect students to command by the end of your course. Course learning goals should be broad and conceptual in scope. They should be stated as nouns or noun phases because they are what students will have or be by the end of your course. Because of their size, course goals are typically difficult to measure; they encompass too many dimensions. Nevertheless, they are an important part of communicating to students what the main thrust of the course is and what they should have in their intellectual tool box when they end the course.

   

• Developing Course Learning Outcomes
  Course-level learning outcomes are the specific knowledge, skills, and/or attitudes instructors expect students to acquire or master by the end of a given course. Clearly articulated course learning outcomes indicate observable student performance and at the same time suggest measurement. These outcomes, stated in terms of what students should be able to do, are necessarily articulated with verbs and together describe the competencies students must master in order to reach the course goal. Typically, a course will have three to six course-level learning outcomes. Each of them should support mastery of the course goal.

  You should place your course goal(s) and learning outcomes together early on in your syllabus, preferably on page one or two of the document or web page. These are the foundational ideas of your course, and as such, should be front and center for your students to see.

  For additional tips for writing measurable learning outcomes visit the SBU Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) website.

   

   

• Obtaining Program Learning Goals and Outcomes

  Each of the College of Business' degree-granting programs has a set of four to seven learning goals that articulate in broad strokes the knowledge, skills, and attitudes students should command upon graduation from that program. These macro-level goals support the mission of the College of Business and have been created and endorsed by the faculty.

  To make it possible to measure students’ progress toward the learning articulated by the program goals, each goal is broken down into three to six student learning outcomes (SLOs). It is through observation of individual student performance on each of the SLOs that faculty determine the extent to which students are mastering the learning goals set forth by the program.

  As a COB faculty member, you are required to include the appropriate set of program learning goals and SLOs to your syllabus. 

  Program Goals and Objectives