This document discusses a new assessment tool called Outcomes that will be used in Canvas courses at the university. Outcomes will allow program administrators and faculty to track student progress on Program Learning Outcomes. It will not affect student grades. Ratings from Outcomes are used to evaluate program effectiveness and make improvements, not assess individual student performance. The document provides examples of how Outcomes will appear in Canvas and answers frequently asked questions about the purpose and use of data from Outcomes.

1. ONLINE CAMPUS
TOWN HALL
Outcomes in Canvas
Spring II 2014

2. • Most Important Points
• FAQ Highlights
• What This Means for You
• Programs with Outcomes
• Outcomes in Canvas
• Questions
AGENDA

3. • What are Outcomes in Canvas and what do they have to do with me
as a student?
• Our new Learning Management System, Canvas, contains an
assessment tool called Outcomes. Outcomes will allow your
program administration and faculty to track student progress toward
mastery of Program Learning Outcomes (PLO) as your cohort
moves through the curriculum over time. Your instructors will be
using the Outcomes tool in your courses starting in the Spring II
2014 term. The Programs will be using the assessment data
collected in Outcomes for program effectiveness and student
learning assessment purposes.
MOST IMPORTANT POINTS FIRST

4. • Does this affect my grade on the assignment/in the course?
• No, instructors assign a grade based on an assignment-specific
grading rubric, when available. The Outcomes assessment is a
separate evaluation completed that is not related to your grade on the
assignment. For example, it is possible to receive an “A” on the
assignment but receive a lower rating on the Outcomes assessment.
This is to be expected, particularly if you are in the early stages of your
program. Your assignment grade will not affect the Outcomes
assessment, nor will the Outcomes assessment affect your grade on
the assignment, or in the course. Instructors are trained to differentiate
between these two evaluations. Simply stated, the Outcomes
assessment is an assessment of the program, and your assignment
grade is an assessment of your mastery of course learning outcomes.
MOST IMPORTANT POINTS FIRST

5. • What is this data/information used for? What happens to the data
after it has been collected?
• In short, assessment of student learning against the PLOs provides
information on potential gaps in the curriculum, areas where the
curriculum is strong, as well as identifies which courses need to be
revised. This is called Academic Program Review, which is an
assessment of educational effectiveness using PLOs that describe
what the student will be able to know and do, under what conditions,
with identified measurable results or products attained. This process
is ultimately a review and analysis of that data to assess progress
toward achievement of learning and to inform decision making.
FAQ HIGHLIGHTS

6. FAQ HIGHLIGHTS
Overarching Goal
• To ensure students
are learning what we
promise they will
learn
• To evaluate the
effectiveness of the
program and its
curriculum
Academic Program
Review Cycle
Action 11
Institutional
Effectiveness
Review
June
Action I
Student Learning
Assessment
(SLA) Plan
Action 2
SLA Data Collection
Action 3
SLA Review
July
Action 4
Document Findings from
SLA Review
Action 5
Develop Program
Profile
Action 6
Program
Effectiveness
Review( PE)
January
Action Plan
items included in
Budget Requests
March
Action 8
Develop Action Plan Action 7
Campus Meta
Review
February
Action 9
Cross-Campus
Program SLA
March
Action 10
System-wide
Meta
May

7. • Student Learning Assessment (SLA) is the process of determining
whether students are learning/mastering the Competencies and
achieving the Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs).
• Outcomes data is SLA data that is used for program evaluation
purposes.
• Online Programs have been collecting this data for two years. We
are sharing this process with you because our new LMS, Canvas, has
changed the availability of that data to include students.
• Outcomes in Canvas will eventually be in all of your courses.
FAQ HIGHLIGHTS

8. • SLA data is used by faculty and administration to gauge the
effectiveness of the program and its curriculum.
• No matter what rating you receive on an Outcomes assignment, the
primary purpose of Outcomes is for the evaluation of program
effectiveness, not for individual student performance assessment.
• The full list of FAQs can be found under Course Home in all courses
with Outcomes.
FAQ HIGHLIGHTS

9. • The Programs use a four-point rating scale: 1 = Novice, 2 =
Internship, 3 = Entry-Level, and 4 = Graduate, such that higher
ratings mean a demonstration of mastery on that PLO.
• No one is expected to get a “4” on all Outcomes assessments. We
expect that for most assignments, students will score in the 2-3
range. Again, this is not related to your grade.
ASSESSMENT WITH RUBRICS

10. • The bottom line is that there are no negative consequences for
you with this new assessment tool.
• There are no consequences for any score received for any of the
PLOs in any course. Your grades on assignments and in the course
are not affected by Outcomes ratings.
• The data is used to evaluate the Program and its curriculum,
not as an individual performance assessment.
• The ratings shared with you are meant to be used for developmental
purposes only.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU

11. Program Courses in Spring II
MA I/O Psychology All
PhD/PsyD Business Psychology All but dissertation courses
PhD Organizational Leadership None this term (OL539 & OL556)
MA Psychology MP505 & MP520
MA Forensic Psychology None
PhD International Psychology None
MA Public Health None
BCBA None
PROGRAMS WITH OUTCOMES

12. OUTCOMES IN CANVAS
• Outcomes will be linked to Rubrics in Canvas and will be added
to each signature assignment.
• Each Outcomes assignment contains the rubric at the bottom of
the page, along with a note in the instructions that this is an
Outcomes assignment.

13. • Open “Grades” from the
left navigation menu.
• Outcomes assignments
use a Rubric.
• Click the Rubric icon to
view rubric results.
OUTCOMES IN CANVAS

14. • This is what you will see
when you click on the
Rubric icon for an
Outcomes assignment.
• Outcomes are indicated
with the yellow “arrow”
next to the criterion label.
• You will see that they do
not contribute to your
grade for that assignment
(note the “--” indicated
under “Pts.”).
OUTCOMES IN CANVAS

15. • Outcomes allows your Program Directors and faculty to track
student progress toward mastery of Program Competencies.
• Outcomes ratings do not affect your grade in assignments, in the
course, or your ability to move forward in the curriculum.
• No one is expected to get a “4” on all Outcomes assessments. We
expect that for most assignments, students will score in the 2-3
range. These ratings are not related to your grade.
• The primary purpose of Outcomes is for the evaluation of our
Program’s effectiveness, not as a student-level performance
assessment.
• The bottom line is that there are no negative consequences for you
with this new assessment tool.
SUMMARY OF TAKE-AWAYS

16. QUESTION & ANSWER
PERIOD
Contact Dr. Noelle Newhouse at
312-315-8178 or
nnewhouse@thechicagoschool.edu
with any questions