At the course level, faculty create SLOs to explain to students and outside agencies what should be learned in a course. Faculty then use assessments to generate and collect information that can be used to evaluate their courses, with the overall goal of improving educational quality and student learning.

At the program level, faculty create overarching SLOs to explain to students and outside agencies what should be learned throughout all of the courses in an instructional program. Faculty then use assessments to generate and collect information that can be used to evaluate their programs, with the overall goal of improving educational quality and student learning.