Learning Outcomes & Assessment

MCC is committed to the assessment of Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) as a college-wide curricular and co-curricular practice. There are four types of SLOs that we assess:

1. Institutional
2. Program
3. Course
4. Co-curricular

In addition to these areas of assessment, faculty engage with classroom-based assessment practices.

Assessment of any kind is situated in a context of improvement that is clearly displayed with the Deming Cycle. Employees are encouraged to apply this iterative assessment process to assessment of student learning outcomes.

What is co-curricular?

“Learning activities, programs, and experiences that reinforce the institution’s mission and values and complement the formal curriculum. Examples: Study abroad, student-faculty research experiences, service learning, professional clubs or organization, athletics, honor societies, career services, etc.” (Higher Learning Commission, 4B, 2023).

Institutional Student Learning Outcomes

In Fall 2012, the Student Outcomes Committee and Faculty Senate approved a revision of the general education outcomes to improve student success across the college. MCC’s Institutional Student Learning Outcomes became MCC’s 4Cs: Communication, Civic Engagement, Critical Thinking, and Cultural and Global Engagement.

4Cs and Arizona General Education Curriculum (AGEC)

Faculty that teach a course that holds one or more AGEC designations and others are encouraged to use the MCC 4Cs assessment process to participate in college-wide assessment of institutional student learning outcomes.

Co-curricular & Institutional Student Learning Outcomes

Institutional outcomes may also be integrated into co-curricular activities, programs, and experiences. Contact the CTL if you would like to create and use a Canvas course for co-curricular assessment of SLOs.

Program-level Student Learning Outcomes

Guided Pathways was a major transformation across Maricopa colleges that shifted course offerings to more strategic pathways that inform program offerings and course sequencing. One important development was the creation of program-level SLOs. Department Assessment Coordinators (DACs) are facilitating a process for department-level participation to assess the SLOs.

Canvas and Learning Outcomes Assessment

Canvas offers several tools to assess student learning outcomes. The figure below shows the general architecture of Canvas to measure student learning outcomes.

The Canvas guides below may be useful for assessing student learning outcomes.

Outcomes already exist at the Account level for institutional student learning outcomes (4CS). You may create new outcomes in Canvas to to assess program-level outcomes and/or course competencies. Contact the CTL for assistance.

• How do I find an existing outcome to add to a course?
• How do I create an outcome for a course?
• How do I align and outcome with a rubric in a course?
• How do I align an outcome with a question bank?
• How do I use the Learning Master Gradebook to view outcome results in a course?

Sharing common assessments

• How do I export a Canvas course?
• How do I select a specific content as part of a course import?

Canvas Basics

• How do I create an assignment?
• How do I add a rubric to an assignment?

Complete list of Canvas instructor guides.