Guidelines for presentation submissions:

About the Symposium

The National Student Learning Outcomes (SLO) Symposium is an annual event dedicated to advancing the direct assessment of student learning through collaboration, professional dialogue, and practical solutions. The Symposium brings together faculty, department chairs, SLO coordinators, researchers, administrators, institutional researchers, academic deans, and leaders in educational effectiveness from colleges and universities across the United States and beyond.

The 14th National SLO Symposium invites proposals for breakout sessions that focus on the assessment of student learning as observable and verifiable behavior. Presentations should demonstrate how students’ knowledge, skills, and competencies are made visible through performances, products, demonstrations, projects, portfolios, or other forms of direct evidence.

Proposals should clearly explain how student learning is observed and assessed rather than inferred through indirect measures such as satisfaction, participation, attendance, persistence, or engagement. The Symposium encourages presenters to move beyond assumptions about learning and focus on evidence of what students can actually do.

Suggested Topics

We welcome proposals that examine the assessment of student learning outcomes from a variety of perspectives, provided they demonstrate how learning is made observable and assessable. Relevant topics include, but are not limited to:

Teaching and Learning Practices

• Experiential learning, project-based learning, active learning, and other instructional approaches that result in observable student performances or products
• Classroom strategies that help students demonstrate specific skills and competencies
• Authentic assessment practices that require students to apply learning in meaningful contexts
• Strategies for involving students in documenting, evaluating, and reflecting on their demonstrated learning

Competency-Based and Outcomes-Focused Approaches

• Competency-Based Education (CBE) models and practices
• Designing measurable Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs), Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs), and Institutional Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
• Rubric development and performance-based assessment
• Alternative credentialing, badges, and microcredentials tied to demonstrated competencies

Assessment, Accreditation, and Institutional Effectiveness

• Accreditation expectations related to student learning outcomes assessment
• Institutional approaches to documenting and improving student learning
• Program review processes that use direct evidence of student learning
• Data collection, analysis, interpretation, and reporting practices that support continuous improvement

Equity and Student Success

• Assessment practices that promote fairness and transparency
• Approaches for documenting learning gains across diverse student populations
• Strategies for ensuring that all students have meaningful opportunities to demonstrate learning

Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies

• The role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in supporting student learning and assessment
• AI-assisted feedback, evaluation, and competency development
• Challenges and opportunities associated with assessing learning in AI-rich environments
• Technology-enhanced approaches to collecting and evaluating evidence of learning

Presentation Expectations

Successful proposals will:

• Clearly identify the student learning outcomes, skills, or competencies being assessed.
• Describe the direct evidence used to evaluate student learning.
• Explain how learning is observed, documented, and assessed.
• Provide practical examples, tools, processes, or models that participants can apply in their own institutions.
• Demonstrate how assessment results are used to improve teaching, curriculum, programs, or institutional practices.

At the National SLO Symposium, learning is not assumed. Learning must be demonstrated through observable student action, performance, product, or behavior that can be evaluated using clear criteria and evidence.

Accessibility Requirements

As the Symposium is conducted entirely online, all presentation materials must comply with ADA accessibility standards. Presenters are expected to ensure that slides, documents, videos, and other materials are accessible to all participants, including individuals with visual, auditory, cognitive, or other disabilities.

Examples of accessible practices include:

• Providing alternative text for images and graphics
• Using sufficient color contrast
• Captioning videos and audio content
• Using accessible document formats and heading structures
• Ensuring readability of presentation materials

Our goal is to create an inclusive learning environment in which every participant can fully engage with the content and discussions.ual, 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 29th between 10am and 3pm PST