Learning outcomes are statements that describe the knowledge or skills students should acquire by the end of a particular assignment, class, course, or program. They help students: Show
Good learning outcomes emphasize the application and integration of knowledge. Instead of focusing on coverage of material, learning outcomes articulate how students will be able to employ the material, both in the context of the class and more broadly. Consider using approximately five to ten learning outcomes per assignment; this number allows the learning outcomes to cover a variety of knowledge and skills while retaining a focus on essential elements of the course. Learn how you can add learning outcomes to your Quercus course. Examples of Learning OutcomesFor reference, Bloom’s Taxonomy of relevant active verbs. By the end of this course, students will be able to:
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
Learning outcomes that address content:
Learning outcomes that address skills:
Learning outcomes that address values:
Specific LanguageLearning outcomes should use specific language, and should clearly indicate expectations for student performance. Example One Vague Outcome: By the end of this course, students will have added to their understanding of the complete research process. More Precise Outcome: By the end of this course, students will be able to:
Example Two Vague Outcome: By the end of this course, students will have a deeper appreciation of literature and literary movements in general. More Precise Outcome: By the end of this course, students will be able to:
For All LevelsLearning outcomes are useful for all levels of instruction, and in a variety of contexts. Beginning language course By the end of this course students will be able to:
Graduate research methodologies class By the end of this course, students will be able to:
Teaching development course for faculty By the end of the course you will be able to:
Why Develop Learning Outcomes?For students:
For instructors:
For institutions and administrators:
Context of LearningIn developing learning outcomes, first consider the context of the learning taking place in the course might include: How does this course fit into the student’s program or curriculum?
How does this course fit into the student’s personal or professional future?
Tools for Developing Learning OutcomesThe process of developing learning outcomes offers an opportunity for reflection on what is most necessary to help learners gain this knowledge and these skills. Considering the following elements as you prepare your learning outcomes. Language: Articulating your outcomes To begin the process of developing learning outcomes, it may be useful to brainstorm some key words central to the disciplinary content and skills taught in the course. You may wish to consider the following questions as you develop this list of key words:
Educational objectives: Addressing levels of learning Scholars working in pedagogy and epistemology offer us taxonomies of learning that can help make learning outcomes more precise. These levels of learning can also help develop assessment and evaluation methods appropriate to the learning outcomes for the course. Bloom’s Taxonomy and Structure of Observed Learning Outcomes (SOLO) Taxonomy Content, skills, values These three areas can be used to identify and describe different aspects of learning that might take place in a course. Content can be used to describe the disciplinary information covered in the course. This content might be vital to future work or learning in the area. A learning outcome focused on content might read: By the end of this course, students will be able recall the 5 major events leading up to the Riel Rebellion and describe their role in initiating the Rebellion. Skills can refer to the disciplinary or generalizable skills that students should be able to employ by the conclusion of the class. A learning outcome focused on skills might read: By the end of this course, students will be able to define the characteristics and limitations of historical research. Values can describe some desired learning outcomes, the attitudes or beliefs imparted or investigated in a particular field or discipline. In particular, value-oriented learning outcomes might focus on ways that knowledge or skills gained in the course will enrich students’ experiences throughout their lives. A learning outcome focused on values might read: By the end of this course, students will be able to articulate their personal responses to a literary work they have selected independently. Characteristics of Good Learning OutcomesGood learning outcomes are very specific, and use active language – and verbs in particular – that make expectations clear and ensure that student and instructor goals in the course are aligned. Where possible, avoid terms, like understand or demonstrate, that can be interpreted in many ways. See the Bloom’s Taxonomy resource for a list of useful verbs. Examples of vague vs. more precise outcomes Vague Outcome: By the end of the course, I expect students to increase their organization, writing, and presentation skills. More precise outcome: By the end of the course, students will be able to:
Vague Outcome: By the end of this course, students will be able to use secondary critical material effectively and to think independently. More precise outcome: By the end of this course, students will be able to evaluate the theoretical and methodological foundations of secondary critical material and employ this evaluation to defend their position on the topic. Keep in mind, learning outcomes:
Each assignment, activity, or course might usefully employ between approximately five and ten learning outcomes; this number allows the learning outcomes to cover a variety of knowledge and skills while retaining a focus on essential elements of the course. Keep in mind... Learning outcomes should be SMART(TT)
The SMART(TT) method of goal setting is adapted from Blanchard, K., & Johnson, S. (1981). The one minute manager. New York: Harper Collins Assessment: Following Through on Learning OutcomesThrough assessment, learning outcomes can become fully integrated in course design and delivery. Assignments and exams should match the knowledge and skills described in the course’s learning outcomes. A good learning outcome can readily be translated into an assignment or exam question; if it cannot, the learning outcome may need to be refined. One way to match outcomes with appropriate modes of assessment is to return to Bloom’s Taxonomy. The verbs associated with each level of learning indicate the complexity of the knowledge or skills that students should be asked to demonstrate in an assignment or exam question. For example, an outcome that asks students to recall key moments leading up to an historical event might be assessed through multiple choice or short answer questions. By contrast, an outcome that asks students to evaluate several different policy models might be assessed through a debate or written essay. Learning outcomes may also point to more unconventional modes of assessment. Because learning outcomes can connect student learning with its application both within and outside of an academic context, learning outcomes may point to modes of assessment that parallel the type of work that students may produce with the learned knowledge and skills in their career or later in life. Unit of Instruction (e.g. lecture, activity, exam, course, workshop) and Assessment ExamplesClassroom Exam Classroom Objective: What content or skills will be covered in this instruction?
Outcome: What should students know or be able to do as a result of this unit of instruction?
How do you know?: How will you be able to tell that students have achieved this outcome?
Assessment: What kind of work can students produce to demonstrate this?
Exam Objective: What content or skills will be covered in this instruction?
Outcome: What should students know or be able to do as a result of this unit of instruction?
How do you know?: How will you be able to tell that students have achieved this outcome?
Assessment: What kind of work can students produce to demonstrate this?
Course, Program, Institution: Connecting Learning OutcomesLearning outcomes can also be implemented at the program or institutional level to assess student learning over multiple courses, and to monitor whether students have acquired the necessary knowledge and skills at one stage to be able to move onto the next. Series of Courses Courses that require prerequisites may benefit from identifying a list of outcomes necessary for advancement from one level to another. When this knowledge and these skills are identified as outcomes as opposed to topics, assessment in the first level can directly measure preparation for the next level. Program Many major and specialist programs identify a list of discipline-specific and multi-purpose skills, values, and areas of knowledge graduating students in the program will have. By articulating these as things that students will know or be able to do, the benefits of a program of study can be clearly communicated to prospective students, to employers, and to others in the institution. Athabasca University developed learning outcomes for all its undergraduate major programs. Please see their as an example. Institution Academic plans increasingly include a list of learning outcomes that apply across programs of study and even across degree levels. These outcomes provide an academic vision for the institution, serve as guidelines for new programs and programs undergoing review, and communicate to members of the university and the public at large the academic values and goals of the university. As previously discussed, the best learning outcomes address course-specific learning within the context of a student’s broader educational experience. One way to contribute to a coherent learning experience is to align course outcomes, when appropriate, with institutional priorities. The University of Toronto’s academic plan, Stepping Up: A framework for academic planning at the University of Toronto, 2004-2010, outlines institutional goals in relation to the learning experience of our undergraduate and graduate students. These priorities are further articulated in “Companion Paper 1: Enabling Teaching and Learning and the Student Experience”. The skills outcomes meant to apply to all undergraduate programs follow. Undergraduate students should leave the University of Toronto having acquired certain abilities, values, and commitments:
Curriculum Mapping: Translating between local and global learning outcomesAt the global program or institutional level, learning outcomes are often necessarily vague to allow for flexibility in their implementation and assessment. Consequently, in order to be effectively applied at the local level of a course or class, they must be reformulated for the particular setting. Similarly, learning outcomes from individual courses may be extrapolated and generalized in order to create program or institution-wide learning outcomes. Both of these processes are most frequently accomplished through a technique called “curriculum mapping”. When moving from programmatic or institutional to course or class outcomes, curriculum mapping involves identifying which courses, portions of courses, or series of courses fulfill each programmatic or institutional learning outcome. The global learning outcomes can then be matched with course-specific outcomes that directly address the content and skills required for that particular subject material. Identifying and locating all the learning outcomes encountered by a student over the course of their program can help present learning as a coherent whole to students and others, and can help students make the connection between their learning in one course and that in another. Maki (2004) notes that understanding where particular pieces of learning take place can help students take charge of their own education: A map reveals the multiple opportunities that students have to make progress on collectively agreed-on learning goals, beginning with their first day on campus. Accompanied by a list of learning outcomes, maps can encourage students to take responsibility for their education as a process of integration and application, not as a checklist of courses and educational opportunities. Maps can also position students to make choices about courses and educational experiences that will contribute to their learning and improve areas of weakness. For more information about and examples of curriculum mapping, please see Maki, P. (2004). Maps and inventories: Anchoring efforts to track student learning. About Campus 9(4), 2-9. Which of the following is true of organizing as a learning strategy?Which of the following statements is true of organizing as a learning strategy? It requires the learner to find similarities and themes in the training material.
Which of the following is true about a learning organization?Which of the following is true about a learning organization? In a learning organization, employees learn from failure and from successes. Explicit knowledge is thought to have a stronger impact on helping organizations achieve a competitive advantage than tactic knowledge.
Which of the following statements is true of closed skills quizlet?Which of the following statements is true of closed skills? They refer to skills that are to be identically produced by the trainee on the job.
Which of the following statements is most true for on the job training?Which of the following statements is most true of on-the-job training (OJT)? Skills learned through OJT are easily transferred to the job.
|