Northcentral University

Bloom's Taxonomy gives us a framework to set expectations for student performance and thus, we com- pose our learning outcomes using Bloom's verbs accordingly. Here's an example of program learning outcomes focused on communication from the psychology bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs: • BAPSY: Students will be able to articulate clear and effective communication for fellow professionals and the public. (Level 2: understand) • MAPSY: Students will be able to model clear and effective communication for fellow professionals and the public. (Level 3: apply) • PhDPSY: Students will be able to design clear and effective communication for fellow professionals and the public. (Level 6: create) In this example, at the bachelor's level, we're expecting students to understand or repeat, while at the master's level, we have a higher expectation that students demonstrate application. At the doctoral level, we want to see students create something unique. One benefit of using this hierarchy of learning is that it provides a standard method of assessment that can be applied to all courses. Rubrics are designed to help faculty rate student learning according to the cognitive domain that best represents student performance in each course. Faculty can determine how well the student has achieved the learning outcome by selecting the level of learning consistent with the student's performance in the course. In contrast to grading, rubrics are designed to consider the require- ments on one specific assignment and assigns a grade accordingly. The scope of the new PLO rubrics is student performance throughout the course. Starting in 2017, faculty will receive training on completing the PLO rubrics, and the rubrics will be more widely used in each program. (Image courtesy of Vanderbuilt University, Center for Teaching)

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