5 Reminders When Designing Course or SLS Outcomes

1. – Aim for outcomes that are neither too broad nor too specific. SLOs focus on the Big Picture to describe the broadest ‘over-arching’ goals for the class.
   
   
2. – Define fuzzy terms. What does it mean to “think critically” or “demonstrate an understanding of…”? The outcomes should be clearly understood by all – students, colleagues, administrators.
   
   
3. – Focus on the end, not the means. We want to focus on what students can do when they finish the course, not on the individual tasks that they do while they are in the course.
   
   
4. – Keep it measurable. Plan how you will assess the outcome when you write it. A measurable SLO statement describes the knowledge, skills, abilities and attitudes students learn as a result of taking a class AND what students can DO with what they have learned.
   
   
5. – Keep it simple. There should only be 3-5 outcomes per course/program.
   

Adapted from Suskie 2004

SLO Worksheet (PDF)
Click the link above for a worksheet that can be used to develop course SLOs.