Teaching PortfolioLearning outcomes are descriptions of what students should be able to know and do following a particular course or program. Learning outcomes are useful in that they identify a set of goals for instructors to use in their teaching. These learning outcomes provide an essential set of building blocks for the assessment of students’ performance. Most universities and professional organizations recommend that instructors identify a set of objectives for each course and assess the extent to students meet these objectives.
The American Psychological Association (APA, 2023) offers a list of student learning outcomes for all psychology curricula. For my content courses, the following outcomes are particularly relevant. Students completing this course should be able to:
Importantly, the American Psychological Association (APA, 2023) learning outcomes maintain a sociocultural focus throughout the entire listing of program outcomes. Nonetheless, the following outcomes are particularly relevant to this course. Students completing this course should be able to:
Finally, as a Capstone course in the Major, the UWSP Department of Psychology requires the following learning outcomes:
I have outlined specific learning outcomes that are designed to encompass and combine the UWSP and APA learning outcomes described above. I believe that by fulfilling these learning outcomes, students will meet the spirit of both the UWSP and APA outcomes. Specifically, students completing this course will:
The relevant learning outcomes are outlined on the first day of the course, are explicitly emphasized throughout the course, and form the cornerstone of the grading rubric used in the course. Overall, I encourage all of my students to be familiar with this information because it explains why and how the various assignments and exams in the course are important.
In the table below (in a format adapted from Fink, 2003), I have outlined how my course is designed around these learning outcomes. The table briefly describes the learning experiences and assessment techniques that are directly relevant to each outcome.
| Learning Outcomes: What specific learning outcome is explicitly addressed in this learning experience? | Course/Unit/Experience Design: What do students specifically do to address the learning outcome during this learning experience? | Assessment Context: What is the assessment method and its context/setting for this learning experience? | Formal Feedback: What formal feedback do students receive about their representation of learning in this experience? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explain the key psychological mechanisms that create cultural groups and identities along with the psychological processes that result from those groups and identities. | In-class lectures, discussions, and small group exercises emphasize the use and application of relevant principles. Course materials focus on the explanation of the key principles. | In-class multiple-choice and essay exam questions assess the extent to which students accurately use these concepts. | For the written portions, students receive a rubric that shows their level of performance on this objective. Written comments are also made on the student work. |
| Describe applications of cultural psychology to personal and societal issues including (but not limited to) prejudice, discrimination, inequality, and acculturation. | Students participate in class discussions and complete out-of-class exercises targeted at applying the relevant principles. They typically create their own examples that demonstrate applicability. | In-class essay exams explicitly require students to provide relevant everyday examples. In-class multiple choice exam questions require students to examine the application of everyday examples. | For the written portions, students receive a rubric that shows their level of performance on this objective. Written comments are also made on the student work. |
| Examine the role that cultural factors play in the creation, implementation, and interpretation of empirical psychological research. | Course materials, along with in-class lectures and discussions, highlight relevant empirical studies and describe their applicability. | In-class essay exams explicitly require students to provide empirical evidence for major conceptual claims. In-class multiple choice exam questions require students to examine the application of empirical evidence. | For the written portions, students receive a rubric that shows their level of performance on this objective. Written comments are also made on the student work. |
| Demonstrate understanding of and empathetic insight about diverse cultural groups at the local, national, and global levels. | Course materials and all in-class elements use many cultural groups examples to emphasize the key principles of the course. | In-class exams – both the essay and multiple choice sections – require students to use cultural examples to highlight the connections to knowledge and applications aspects. | For the written portions, students receive a rubric that shows their level of performance on this objective. Written comments are also made on the student work. |
| Demonstrate effective scientific writing that communicates the understanding, application, and interpretation of cultural psychology principles and research. | Out-of-class activities provide ample opportunities to address the concerns above and do write about them using effective writing. | Both the in-class essays and the out-of-class activities serve as assessments of the ability to use effective scientific writing. | For the written portions, students receive a rubric that shows their level of performance on this objective. Written comments are also made on the student work. |
American Psychological Association. (2023). APA guidelines for the undergraduate psychology major (Version 3.0). Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/about/policy/undergraduate-psychology-major.pdf
Fink, D.L. (2003). Creating significant learning experiences: An integrated approach to designing college courses. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point. (2012). GEP learning outcomes. Retrieved from http://www.uwsp.edu/acadaff/GEP/GEP_Category_Learning_Outcomes.docx