program learning outcomes

Definition

The overarching competencies students should demonstrate upon completing an entire degree program, distinguishing them from mere course-level outcomes. The grand promises institutions make to accreditors about what graduates can do.

Example Usage

Our program learning outcomes state graduates will 'demonstrate critical thinking,' a claim we assess through rubrics that somehow quantify the unquantifiable.

Origin

Emerged from outcomes-based accreditation requirements in the 1990s-2000s

Fun Fact

Institutions spend countless hours mapping how individual courses connect to program learning outcomes, creating massive spreadsheets called 'curriculum maps' that nobody actually consults.

Source: Accreditation and assessment requirements

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silo effect

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contact hours

The actual time students spend in direct instructional contact with faculty, as opposed to all the other learning they're supposedly doing independently. It's how we justify claiming a 3-credit course represents 9-12 hours of weekly work.

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imprint

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Holistic Grading

Evaluating student work as a complete picture rather than itemizing every mistake, which is supposedly more humane and accurate.

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conversazione

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