Goals, Objectives and Slo's - Building Effective Assessment Plans in Equine Science

Educational assessment is fundamental to the teaching-learning process. In its earliest forms, it was how teachers determined the extent to which students learned what was taught. The measurement was grades. Today, it is a much broader and deeper look at the outcomes of student learning within different assessment segments. The coinciding measurements range from individual student assessment to full university assessment. In both, the use of grades is replaced by evaluation of mission, goals, objectives, and student learning outcomes. These measurements surround questions of both input and output as well as value and worth. The ‘doing’ and ‘reporting’ of assessment is no longer optional in most US higher education. Faculty are best advised to embrace assessment for its core purposes – to improve teaching; to improve student learning; and to respond to external audiences.

The purpose of this session is to help the audience: 1) Advance their understanding of how assessment is tied to Mission, Goals, and Objectives; 2) Gain insights into writing effective Student Learning Outcomes linked to Mission, Goals, and Objectives; 3) Develop a tool box of resources useful for building effective assessment plans.