Learning Outcomes: Great Tools or Great Blinders

Recently, there has been much discussion about Learning Outcomes in class and UC staff meetings. We've spent much time talking about how we’re implementing these with our students and if they’re effective in helping our students develop. The concept of using Learning Outcomes to access how we’re helping students develop is new to me and I’m not sure I’m on board with using them just yet.

At North Central, I don’t believe Learning Outcomes were used. If they were, they weren't as much of a focus as they are here.  At the beginning of the year, I remember asking another cohort member what exactly Learning Outcomes were used for because I haven’t had any experience with them. They were floored by this question because they had attended this institution where they felt it was strange and uncommon if a professor didn’t start out their class by going over the Learning Outcomes for the course. Now, the professors had course objectives at North Central, but they didn’t take center stage in classes. There were many times that I had professors change a path of the course based on what was happening in the world. It was nice to know that my professors weren’t so glued to course objectives that they were willing to ignore what was happening outside of the campus.

 I have felt a little bit of this in my time here, especially in our UC staff meetings. It seems that directors and other staff are so focused on making sure we’re fulfilling the Learning Outcomes and Goals that were set for this year that they aren’t seeing what is really happening to our students. For example, a student of color who attended Soledad O’Brian this week asked a question about how to adjust to feeling alone in classes because he doesn’t have anyone else who looks like him to relate to. This is an issues that shouldn’t be taken lightly, but I feel it has been in many cases here.

Since Learning Outcomes are new to me, I’m still figuring out the best way to utilize them. I agree they are important in creating a goal or path of a position or class, but I also feel they can be blinders to bigger issues that should be addressed.