During the 2006-2008 calendar years, Palm Beach State will institute a major change in its curriculum focus towards the concept of learning outcomes. Defined, learning outcomes can be thought of as the knowledge, skills, and abilities students have attained as a result of their involvement in a particular set of educational experiences.

The learning outcomes approach reflects a conceptual shift towards making learning more meaningful and effective for both students and faculty. Making education more meaningful for students requires that they gain a view of education that education can enable them to enrich their lives by learning. This is in contrast to the viewpoint that education is a task primarily done to satisfy the demands of others, such as faculty or the institution.

By developing educational experiences based on what students should be able to do with their knowledge, the learning outcomes approach helps faculty, staff and students understand the point of the educational activity, be it a program or course.

Levels of Learning Outcomes
Learning outcomes are being developed at several curriculum levels. First, general education learning outcomes were developed (see www.palmbeachstate.edu/GeneralEducation.xml). The second phase of learning outcomes development was at the program and discipline level, where faculty and staff will develop learning outcomes for their areas (see www.palmbeachstate.edu/x10271.xml). The final development phase will be the revision of all course outlines to reflect the general education, program/discipline, and course level student learning outcomes.

The concept of this student learning outcomes model has at its center the idea that each part is interacting with the rest of the parts, not on how each part is performing individually. The knowledge, skills, and abilities that students achieve at the end of their programs and courses are affected by how well courses and other experiences in the curriculum fit together and build on each other.

As learning outcomes are developed and finalized, learning outcomes will be measured by faculty and staff through an on-line assessment process. This process will allow Palm Beach State to continually assess the learning outcomes of courses and more importantly allow faculty to adjust teaching methods and classroom activities to improve learning outcomes.

Please click here to access the learning outcomes development page.