Program Learning Outcomes

Architecture (All Programs)

Program Learning Outcomes

All architecture programs currently follow the 34 NAAB Accreditation criteria.

• Ability to read, write, listen, and speak effectively
• Ability to raise clear and precise questions, use abstract ideas to interpret information, consider diverse
points of view, reach well-reasoned conclusions, and test them against relevant criteria and standards
• Ability to use appropriate representational media, including freehand drawing and computer technology,
to convey essential formal elements at each stage of the programming and design process
• Ability to gather, assess, record, and apply relevant information in architectural coursework
• Understanding of the fundamentals of visual perception and the principles and systems of order that
inform two- and three-dimensional design, architectural composition, and urban design
• Ability to use basic architectural principles in the design of buildings, interior spaces, and sites
• Ability to recognize the varied talent found in interdisciplinary design project teams in professional
practice and work in collaboration with other students as members of a design team
• Understanding of the Western architectural canons and traditions in architecture, landscape, and urban
design as well as the climatic, technological, socioeconomic, and other cultural factors that have shaped and
sustained them
• Understanding of parallel and divergent canons and traditions of architecture and urban design in the non-
Western world
• Understanding of national traditions and the local regional heritage in architecture, landscape design, and
urban design, including the vernacular tradition
• Ability to incorporate relevant precedents into architecture and urban design projects
• Understanding of the theories and methods of inquiry that seek to clarify the relationship between human
behavior and the physical environment
• Understanding of the diverse needs, values, behavioral norms, physical ability, and social and spatial
patterns that characterize different cultures and individuals and the implication of this diversity for the
societal roles and responsibilities of architects
• Ability to design both site and building to accommodate individuals with varying physical abilities
• Understanding of the principles of sustainability in making architecture and urban design decisions that
conserve natural and built resources, including culturally important buildings and sites, and in the creation
of healthful buildings and communities
• Ability to prepare a comprehensive program for an architectural project, including assessment of client
and user needs, a critical review of appropriate precedents, an inventory of space and equipment
requirements, an analysis of site conditions, a review of the relevant laws and standards and assessment of
their implication for the project, and a definition of site selection and design assessment criteria
• Ability to respond to natural and built site characteristics in the development of a program and the design
of a project
• Understanding of principles of structural behavior in withstanding gravity and lateral forces and the
evolution, range, and appropriate application of contemporary structural systems
• Understanding of the basic principles and appropriate application and performance of environmental
systems, including acoustical, lighting, and climate modification systems, and energy use, integrated with
the building envelope
• Understanding of the basic principles of life-safety systems with an emphasis on egress
• Understanding of the basic principles and appropriate application and performance of building envelope
materials and assemblies
• Understanding of the basic principles and appropriate application and performance of plumbing, electrical,
vertical transportation, communication, security, and fire protection systems
• Ability to assess, select, and conceptually integrate structural systems, building envelope systems,
environmental systems, life-safety systems, and building service systems into building design
• Understanding of the basic principles and appropriate application and performance of construction
materials, products, components, and assemblies, including their environmental impact and reuse
• Understanding of the fundamentals of building cost, life-cycle cost, and construction estimating
• Ability to make technically precise drawings and write outline specifications for a proposed design
• Understanding of the responsibility of the architect to elicit, understand, and resolve the needs of the
client, owner, and user
• Ability to produce a comprehensive architectural project based on a building program and site that
includes development of programmed spaces demonstrating an understanding of structural and
environmental systems, building envelope systems, life-safety provisions, wall sections and building
assemblies, and the principles of sustainability
• Understanding of obtaining commissions and negotiating contracts, managing personnel and selecting
consultants, recommending project delivery methods, and forms of service contracts
• Understanding of the basic principles and legal aspects of practice organization, financial management,
business planning, time and project management, risk mitigation, and mediation and arbitration as well as
an understanding of trends that affect practice, such as globalization, outsourcing, project delivery,
expanding practice settings, diversity, and others
• Understanding of the role of internship in obtaining licensure and registration and the mutual rights and
responsibilities of interns and employers
• Understanding of the need for architects to provide leadership in the building design and construction
process and on issues of growth, development, and aesthetics in their communities
• Understanding of the architect’s responsibility as determined by registration law, building codes and
regulations, professional service contracts, zoning and subdivision ordinances, environmental regulation,
historic preservation laws, and accessibility laws
• Understanding of the ethical issues involved in the formation of professional judgment in architectural
design and practice

Learning Objectives: What are they and how do I write one?

WHAT ARE THE AIA/CES LEARNING OBJECTIVE REQUIREMENTS?
AIA/CES requires that all providers submit learning objectives for each program they register. There is a
minimum requirement of 4 learning objectives per course for continuing education courses. Please note that if
your course is HSW 3 of 4 of your objectives must be specifically related to HSW content.
WHY DOES AIA/CES REQUIRE LEARNING OBJECTIVES?
AIA/CES strives to maintain the highest standards of education, and as such, utilizes all tools available to
consistently improve and train providers. Learning objectives are proven to be an extremely effective tool for
assessing whether student outcomes are accomplished and whether a presenter has successfully taught the
material.
WHAT IS A LEARNING OBJECTIVE?
A learning objective is an explicit statement that clearly expresses what the student will be able to
do after taking a course. It is an observable and measurable student outcome statement. A learning objective
identifies what behavior(s) a student must demonstrate in order for the instructor to know that the planned
learning took place.

Learning objectives also benefit students by helping them clarify their personal goals for a course and give them
a framework against which to measure their own success.

Learning objectives should be concise and concrete so they are open to limited interpretation. They may be
used for both Synchronous and Asynchronous style courses.

A Learning Objective is Made Up of 3 Parts:

1. BEHAVIOR:
Describes what participants will be able to do as a consequence of taking a course. (example: calculate)
2. CONDITION:
Describes conditions under which the student will perform the behavior.
(example: using the sample course residential project...)

3. CRITERIA:
Describes the criteria you will use to evaluate student performance.
(example: the total cost of materials)

Combine the behavior, condition, and criteria and you have a official learning objective!

EXAMPLE: Participants will be able to calculate the total cost of materials using the sample course residential
project.
WRITING A LEARNING OBJECTIVE IN 4 STEPS
STEP 1. What BEHAVIOR will the student be able to do after taking the course?
Describe what new information, skills, or behaviors participants will be able to do at the conclusion of your
course. Behavior must be observable and/or measurable.
(Use behavioral verbs below)

EXAMPLE: Participants will be able to define 3 high-end performance goals in terms of site, water, materials,
energy, indoor environmental quality, mobility, or community.

STEP 2. Under What CONDITION will the behavior be performed?

Explain HOW the behavior will be performed. Think of circumstances, commands, materials, and directions that
the student will be given to perform the behavior.
EXAMPLE: Using an existing project...

STEP 3. Against What CRITERIA?

How will you evaluate the behavior? How often, how well, how many, how much, etc.

EXAMPLE: Evaluate if the project is still viable as measured against the performance goals.

STEP 4. Now Put It All Together

Combine the three steps into one or two complete sentences and you're finished.
Participants will be able to define 3 high-end performance goals in terms of site, water, materials, energy, indoor
environmental quality, mobility, or community, using an existing project, to evaluate if the project is still viable
as measured against the performance goals.

BEHAVIORAL VERBS TO USE WHEN WRITING A LEARNING OBJECTIVE

Below are some suggested behavioral verbs to use when writing learning objectives since they describe
observable and measurable behaviors. Using concrete verbs will help keep your objectives clear and concise.

abstract, acquire, adjust, agree, analyze, apply, appraise, argue, assess, avoid, breakdown, build, calculate,
carry out, catalog, clarify, classify, combine, compare, compute, conclude, construct, contrast, convert,
cooperate, create, criticize, defend, define, demonstrate, derive, describe, design, detect, determine,
differentiate, discover, discriminate, discuss, dissect, distinguish, employ, estimate, evaluate, examine, explain,
explore, formulate, generalize, help, identify, illustrate, implement, indicate, inspect, instruct, integrate,
interpret, investigate, join, judge, justify, label, list, master, measure, move, name, observe, offer, operate,
order, organize, participate, perform, plan, praise, predict, prepare, produce, propose, rank, recall, recognize,
relate, repair, represent, reproduce, research, restate, resolve, select, sequence, solve, specify, state,
summarize, support, systematize, taste, test, theorize, transform, translate, use, utilize, verify, weigh, write, etc.
BEHAVIORAL VERBS TO AVOID WHEN WRITING A LEARNING OBJECTIVE
Avoid using the following behavioral verbs when writing learning objectives because they are vague and difficult
to measure. As mentioned previously, learning objectives must be observable and measurable.

appreciate, cover, realize, be aware of, familiarize, study, become acquainted with, gain knowledge of,
understand, comprehend, know, learn
SAMPLE LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Participants will be able to identify the relationship between high-end goals and budget limitations, using
a completed project to compare and create a new budget that incorporates high-end goals.

LEARNING OBJECTIVE RESOURCES

For more information on Learning Objectives, please visit the following websites from which most of the content
found on this page was taken from.

A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching, and Assessing: A Revision of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives*

How to Write Learning Objectives that Meet Demanding Behavioral Criteria

TO LEARN HOW TO WRITE COMPLEX LEARNING OBJECTIVES VISIT OUR PAGE ON BLOOM’S
TAXONOMY Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning Domains