Guidelines for presentation submissions:

The Student Learning Outcomes (SLO) Symposium is an annual event dedicated to building support, fostering networking, and providing practical solutions for the direct assessment of student learning. The expected audience includes faculty and their leaders, SLO coordinators, researchers, administrators, research analysts, academic deans, and deans of institutional effectiveness from across higher education.

This year’s Symposium invites proposals for breakout sessions that address topics related to the assessment of student learning as observable behavior. All presentations must demonstrate how the practices, tools, or approaches discussed result in student learning that can be directly assessed through products, performances, demonstrations, or other verifiable and observable means. Sessions should clearly articulate how student learning is observed and assessed directly, rather than inferred through indirect measures or abstract notions of engagement.

We welcome sessions that explore the assessment of student learning outcomes, with learning defined as observable behavior that can be directly assessed. Presentations may approach this focus from a variety of angles, including classroom pedagogies, instructional methods, or external influences as long as they demonstrate how students’ skills, knowledge, or competencies are made visible through assessment. Relevant perspectives may include:

• Pedagogical models such as experiential learning, active learning, and project-based learning when used to elicit and assess student performance, products, or skills
• Strategies for engaging students in the assessment of their own demonstrated learning
• Competency-Based Education (CBE) and other structured methods of instruction focused on demonstrable outcomes
• Accreditation guidelines and institutional accountability measures related to learning outcomes
• Equity-focused assessment practices that highlight measurable gains for diverse student populations
• Grading systems that align with clearly defined student learning outcomes and observable skills and competencies
• Faculty learning communities, faculty focus groups, centers for teaching and learning dedicated to improving the assessment of what students can do
• Record keeping and data analysis that support evidence-based evaluation of student learning outco
• The role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in shaping, supporting, or evaluating observable learning outcomes

All proposals should center the idea that learning is not assumed—it must be observed and assessed through student action, product, or performance. As we come together for the SLO Symposium, an online webinar, we ask that all materials meet ADA standards so that every participant, whether they have visual, hearing, or other access needs can fully participate. Let’s create inclusive sessions where all feel involved and valued. Providing accessible materials is a shared commitment that ensures a memorable and impactful experience for everyone. Thank you for helping make this possible!

All breakout sessions will be scheduled for Friday, January 30th between 10am and 3pm PST