LATTC Assessment Guidelines – Approved by Academic Senate (10/21/15)
To ensure student success and quality instruction, all learning outcomes are assessed on a regular basis. There are several types of outcomes assessments done: course, program (required specialized courses that make up the major),general education program (required general courses from 5 areas), Required courses from the major program and the general education program lead to an Associate degree, Institutional and Service Areas.
Course Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) Assessment
Course assessment is the evaluation of student learning within a particular course. A course should be assessed for whether students are achieving the learning outcomes as stated in the master syllabus for that course. All sections of a course that are assessed should be assessed for the same learning outcomes and using the same assessment instrument. Course assessment is often accomplished through tools such as departmental or other exams, portfolios, or projects.
Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) Assessment
Program assessment is the evaluation of student learning within a particular academic program leading to a defined objective, degree, certificate, diploma, or transfer to another institution of higher education. A program should be assessed for whether students are achieving the learning outcomes and often is done through capstone experiences, portfolios, graduate or employer surveys, or licensure exams. Note: Although there is a formal process for creating a program, in Program Review, colleges often define programs to include specific disciplines. However, with regard to assessment, we are referring to the official list of district and state approved programs. To view Los Angeles Trade-Technical College’s current list of programs please visit Los Angeles Community College District’s Electronic Curriculum Development (ECD) System website.
General Education Learning Outcomes (GELOs) Assessment
Because General Education is usually the largest interdisciplinary program at any institution of higher learning, we have created a separate section to describe its unique qualities. General education assessment is the evaluation of student learning within the curricular areas meeting the College’s general education requirements for a degree: natural sciences, social and behavioral sciences, humanities, language and rationality, and health and physical education. Because the general education requirement is an institutional requirement that crosses disciplines, assessment occurs on a broader scale than course or program assessment. The general education areas are assessed for whether students are achieving the learning outcomes as stated in the College Catalog for each area. General education assessment can be done through standardized testing (for writing, mathematics, and natural science), surveys or prompts (for social and behavioral science and arts and humanities), evaluated speeches (for speech), and institutionally developed or administered exams (for critical thinking and computer and information literacy). General education assessment may occur in any of the courses that meet the general education requirement, and certain institutional assessments may also take place in courses outside the general educational areas. Click the link for the PLOs and GELOs Powerpoint Presentation.
Institutional Learning Outcomes (ILOs) Assessment
Institutional Learning Outcomes, or Core Competencies, are those skills and competencies which are embedded within every aspect of the college to inspire and enhance each student’s transferable learning skills. The ILOs represent the broad categories of competence that enable students to be successful in further education, in careers, as citizens, and in their personal lives. Student achievement of ILOs is assessed within their courses and co-curricular experiences. The results of those assessments are used to improve the learning experience at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College. The college’s ILOs:
- Students will use critical thinking skills to gather, identify, analyze, synthesize information, and evaluate problems and solutions.
- Students will use visual, numerical, verbal, written, and practical skills to create useful and original products.
- Students will demonstrate technical skills that meet industry and/or employment standards.
- Students will demonstrate effective communication and comprehension skills.
- Students will demonstrate ability to interface in a culturally diverse socio-economic environment.
Service Area Outcomes (SAOs) Assessment
Service Area Outcomes are the result of specific programmatic, operational and administrative activities. They may provide measures of program quality or the degree to which administrative goals are achieved. They are not directly related to student learning, but they support activities which ultimately lead to student learning.
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