The primary mission of the Learning Outcomes Committee is to provide coordination and leadership for outcomes-based assessment.

These key goals have been established to enhance student learning and support best practices in assessment.

• Develop policies and provide comprehensive training materials and professional development opportunities on outcomes-based assessment for administrators, faculty and classified staff.
• Support college implementation of assessment management system.
• Collaborate in the development of institutional efforts for academic program learning outcome assessment (e.g., assessment plan).
• Support and encourage dialogue of assessment activities and results across the college.
• Develop a systematic plan for assessing General Education areas.
• Review and help align the reporting cycles with institutional planning, program review and budget allocation.

The learning outcomes approach reflects a conceptual shift towards making learning more meaningful and effective. Making education more meaningful for students requires that they acquire a sense of the educational project as enabling them to lead a richer and more empowered life rather than a task done to satisfy the demands of others.

By explicitly building educational experiences based on what students should be able to do with their knowledge, the learning outcomes approach helps the educational community understand what the student is learning.

Some of the benefits of using student learning outcomes are as follows:

• increased student awareness of and involvement in their own learning;
• common language and framework for discussions about learning within departments;
• context for course design and revision;
• approach to curriculum assessment and change;
• important first step toward clear communication of expectations to students;
• requirement of accrediting agencies.

For information concerning Learning Outcomes at Glendale College please contact Michael Ritterbrown, VP of Instruction.