AAS Degrees and Certificates Outcomes Guidelines

Below is a series of questions that the D/C committee members will consider when reviewing AAS Degrees and Certificates Outcomes, followed by sample Outcome statements.  Generally, the committee expects to see three to ten outcomes per AAS Degree and/or Certificate, though the exact number of outcomes will depend, of course, on the specifics of your program.

  1. Do the outcomes describe what we intend students to be able to do “out there” (in life roles: worker, family member, community citizen, global citizen, and life-long leaner), as opposed to an activity “in here”?  Good outcomes statements will suggest context to indicate this “out there”.
  2. Do the outcomes describe what students can DO with what they know, rather than just what they know?
  3. Are the outcomes clear? Can the student understand them?  Do they give a clear sense to faculty and to community and professional stakeholders?
  4. Are the statements robust (complex) enough so that they encompass the essential content?
  5. Are the statements robust (complex) enough so that you can generate engaging assessment tasks and quality criteria for measuring attainment of the outcomes?
  6. Do the course outcomes in the required course work align with the AAS degree and/or certificate outcomes?  Is it clear how completion of the required course work leads to achievement of the program outcomes?
  7. Do the AAS outcomes and Certificate outcomes in the same Program area distinguish differences between the Degree and the Certificate?
  8. Do the AAS degree and/or certificate outcomes meet all the college Core Outcomes?

Sample AAS Degree and/or Certificate Outcome Statements

Original Outcome Statements

 Outcomes rewritten, with external focus, by Dr. Ruth Stiehl
  • Understand professional and ethical responsibilities.
  • Relate the history of (program name) practices to contemporary policies relevant to the skills required for a (practitioner) to meet current and future needs and practices.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the strategic marketing process.
  • Work within the ethical and professional parameters of (program name).
  • Use an understanding of the history of (program name) practices to reflect on the contemporary policies and skill requirements for the (practitioner) in a (name) office.
  • Apply the “strategic marketing process” to a specific product or service in a specific business environment.

 

Committee Chair 2007-2008: Susanne Christopher (503-614-7632)
Curriculum Manager: Amy Alday-Murray (503-977-8730)