Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) define the specific knowledge, skills, attitudes, and habits students are expected to obtain from a learning experience. SLOs are more specific than goals and describe observable student behaviors. Well-written SLOs are flexible, learner-focused, realistic, applicable, integrated, assessable, timely, and use action verbs to describe the intended learning. When writing SLOs, authors should consider the domain or competency addressed, include conditions and criteria for evaluation, and ensure the outcome can be demonstrated through observable student behavior. Examples of SLOs are provided for different domains that specify behaviors like identifying gaps, developing social media plans, and contributing suggestions.

1. Alternative Reading Week
Student Learning Outcomes

2. What is a Student Learning Outcome?
Student Learning Outcomes are the knowledge,
skills, attitudes, and habits of mind that students take
with them from a learning experience.

3. How is a Student Learning Outcome
different from a Goal?
A goal is a statement of the intended general outcome of a project. A
goal statement describes a more global learning outcome. A learning
outcome is a statement of one of several specific performances, the
achievement of which contributes to the attainment of the goal.
A single GOAL may have many specific subordinate LEARNING
OUTCOMES.

4. Why are Student Learning Outcomes
important?
• Define the type and depth of learning students are expected to
achieve
• Provide an objective benchmark for formative, summative, and
prior learning assessment
• Clearly communicate expectations to learners
• Clearly communicate skills to prospective graduate schools,
employers
• Define coherent connections to in-class and other learning
• Guide and organize the community partner, project leader, and
student participant

5. Characteristics of Good Student Learning
Outcomes
Flexible: good learning outcomes allow for changes; while individual
outcomes should be specific, project leaders should feel comfortable
adding, removing, or adjusting learning outcomes over the course of the
planning process, and during the experience.

6. Characteristics of Good Student Learning
Outcomes
Learner-Focused: good learning outcomes describe knowledge or
skills that the student will employ, and help the learner understand why
that knowledge and those skills are useful and valuable to their
personal, professional, and academic future.

7. Characteristics of Good Student Learning
Outcomes
Realistic: good learning outcomes allow all students to demonstrate the
knowledge or skill described by the learning outcome at some point
during the project.

8. Characteristics of Good Student Learning
Outcomes
Applicable and Integrated: good learning outcomes reflect and
indicate the ways in which the described knowledge and skills may be
used by the learner now and in future academic and professional
endeavours.

9. Characteristics of Good Student Learning
Outcomes
Assessment: good learning outcomes include modes of assessment
and the specific elements that will be assessed in an effort to prepare
students help them feel engaged in and empowered throughout the
project.

10. Characteristics of Good Student Learning
Outcomes
Timely: good learning outcomes offer a timeline for completion of the
desired learning.

11. Domains & Competencies/Skills
The University of Toronto uses 34 Domains-Competencies/Skills to
track student learning across programs.
There are 6 Domains, and a number of Competencies/Skills
included under each Domain.
Each Competency/Skill has a very specific definition.
The GOALS of your project will determine which Domains-
Competencies/Skills you choose to use to write Student Learning
Outcomes for your project.

12. Writing Learning Outcomes - Structure
Behavior
• Describe the competency in performance terms
• Identify an observable student behaviour
• Choice of verb is important!
Conditions
• What conditions should the student perform under?
• What tools, references, aids will be provided to them?
Criterion
• How should the learner perform the observable behaviour?
• Quantify your observations

13. Writing Learning Outcomes - StructureWHO
Student
participants
Graduating
students
Project leaders
ACTION
Participate in
Engage with
Complete
PROJECTELEMENT
Specific
activity
Meeting or
Presentation
Program
who will be
able to

14. Writing Learning Outcomes - Structure
VERB
Identify
List
Describe
Summarize
Discuss
Explain
QUANTIFY
At least ¾
With 70%
accuracy
More/fewer than
All
OBSERVATION
Asking
questions
Blogging
Creation or
completion of
something
Engaging with
individuals
Intended Elements:
what do you want
them to learn?
as demonstrated by

15. Writing Student Learning Outcomes -
Language

16. Checklist for Specific Student Learning
Outcomes
1. Begin each statement of a specific learning outcome with a verb
that specifies definite, observable behavior.
2. Make sure that each statement meets all three of the criteria for
a good learning objective: observable behavior, the conditions
under which the student will be expected to perform, and the
criteria to be used for evaluation of the student's performance.
3. Be sure to include complex objectives (appreciation, problem-
solving, etc.) when they are appropriate.

17. Examples - 1
Domain: Novel and Adaptive Thinking
Competency/Skill: Strategic Thinking
SLO:
By completing an in-depth review of existing programming available
to mothers with young children, student participants will be able to
identify at least 3 gaps in learning and propose 2 meaningful
solutions for each during the meeting with board members on
Thursday Morning.

18. Examples - 2
Domain: Practical Skills Development
Competency/Skill: Communications and Media
SLO:
Through engaging with the organizations’ existing social media
platforms and conducting research on effective and engaging
internet-based promotions strategies, student participants will be able
to develop and begin implementing one short- (3 month) and one
long- (12 month) term social media plan that incorporates presence
on 4 social media platforms.

19. Examples - 3
Domain: Community and Global Engagement
Competency/Skill: Global Perspective and Engagement
SLO:
In actively participating in the Community Partner’s additional training
session on February 9, students will gain an understanding of at least
3 existing challenges to environmental resource sustainability, and
contribute at least 3 suggestions for actively engaging high school
students in outreach programs (these ideas will be the basis for the
ARW project).

20. References and Resources
• https://www.studentlife.utoronto.ca/research/learningoutcomes.ht
m
• http://www.teaching.utoronto.ca/topics/coursedesign/learning-
outcomes/characteristics.htm
• http://www.uwo.ca/tsc/graduate_student_programs/pdf/LearningO
bjectivesArreola.pdf
• https://ltc.uvic.ca/initiatives/documents/BCITWritingLearningOutco
mes.pdf
• A great article:
• http://www.nylc.org/sites/nylc.org/files/files/323unpacking.pdf