Theme: Engaging with learning

outcomes.
 What Are Learning
Outcomes?
 Learning outcomes are statements that describe the knowledge or skills
students should acquire by the end of a particular assignment, class,
course, or program, and help students understand why that knowledge and
those skills will be useful to them.
 Learning outcomes are user-friendly statements that tell students what
they will be able to do at the end of a period of time. They are measurable
and quite often observable.
 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.
Learning outcomes:
 state in clear terms what it is that your students should be able to do at
the end of a course that they could not do at the beginning.
 focus on student products, artifacts, or performances, rather than on
instructional techniques or course content.
 are student-centered rather than instructor-centered.
 explicitly communicate course expectations to your students.
WHY DEVELOP LEARNING OUTCOMES?

 Learning outcomes are user-friendly statements that tell students what they will be able to do at
the end of a period of time. They are measurable and quite often observable. Learning outcomes
are usually discussed within the context of program-wide assessment, but they can be valuable
components of any class because of the way they sharpen the focus on student learning.
 Learning outcomes are valuable to learners, instructors, and administrators. Mark Battersby
(1999) of the Learning Outcomes Network explains that learning outcomes are more than simply
several sentences appended to existing lesson plans or curricula; instead, the development of
learning outcomes and their use within a unit of instruction shapes learning and assessment
activities and can enhance student engagement and learning.
 Because of their ability to benefit many groups in postsecondary education, the development of
learning outcomes has become an increasing priority for instructors and institutions over the
course of the last decade. Establishing a focus on integrated, generalizable, and transferable
skills complements contemporary demands on graduates and builds a foundation for lifelong
learning. As government and public attention on the products of higher education increases,
learning outcomes help to define the goals and essential aspects of higher education within the
institution, to students, and to the general public.
FOR STUDENTS AND FOR INSTRUCTORS

 By focusing on the application of knowledge and skills learned in a course and on the
integration of knowledge and skills with other areas of their lives, students are more
connected to their learning and to the material of the course.
 The emphasis on integration and generalizable skills helps students draw connections between
courses and between coursework and other kinds of knowledge, enhancing student
engagement.
 Students understand the conditions and goals of their assessment.
 The process of developing learning outcomes itself offers an opportunity for reflection on the
content of the course in the context of its potential applications. Developing learning
outcomes means that the context of the learning will always be emphasized, and courses focus
on the knowledge and skills that will be most valuable to the student now and in the future.
 Learning outcomes point to useful methods of assessment.
 Learning outcomes allow instructors to set the standards by which the success of the course
will be evaluated.
FOR INSTITUTIONS & ADMINISTRATORS

 In order to determine what is essential for students to know, an instructor must

consider the particular course or unit in the context of future coursework and the
curriculum as a whole. This contributes to the development of a coherent curriculum
within a decentralized institution while maintaining instructor autonomy, and helps to
ensure that students are prepared for future work and learning.
 The application and integration of learning emphasized by learning outcomes reflect
and support the contemporary nature and priorities of the university, enhancing
student engagement, uncovering opportunities for interdisciplinary, and providing
guidance and support for students with many different kinds of previous academic
preparation.
 Learning outcomes provide structures from which courses and programs can be
evaluated and can assist in program and curricular design, identify gaps or overlap in
program offerings, and clarify instructional, programmatic, and institutional priorities
Example of Learning Outcomes:

 By the end of this course, students will be able to:

 identify and describe the political, religious, economic, and social uses of art
in Italy during the Renaissance
 identify a range of works of art and artists
 analyze the role of art and of the artist in Italy at this time
 analyze the art of the period according to objective methods
 link different materials and types of art to the attitudes and values of the
period
 evaluate and defend their response to a range of art historical issues
Tools for Developing Learning Outcomes

 1. Language: Articulating your outcomes

 2. Educational objectives: Addressing levels of

learning

 3. Context – Connecting your outcomes

1. 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 generalizable
skills taught in the course. In addition to the information about context and types of
learning provided below, you may wish to consider the following questions as you
develop this list of key words:
 What are the essential things students must know to be able to succeed in the
course?
 What are the essential things students must be able to do to succeed in the course?
 What knowledge or skills do students bring to the course that the course will build
on?
 What knowledge or skills will be new to students in the course?
 What other areas of knowledge are connected to the work of the course?
2. 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 of Educational Objectives
Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives is particularly useful because it
associates particular verbs with each level of learning. Although Bloom’s
Taxonomy is a hierarchy, each type of learning can be a valuable aspect of a
course. Ultimately, however, learning outcomes should focus on the “higher
order thinking” found in the highest levels of the Taxonomy: analyze,
evaluate, and create. Bloom’s Taxonomy was developed in 1956, and was
revised in 2001 by Bloom’s colleagues
3. Context – Connecting your outcomes
 Learning outcomes help instructors and learners focus on the potential applications of the knowledge and skills gained
in the course. In turn, this helps students perceive the value of their learning, and helps instructors develop appropriate
assessment tools.
 In developing learning outcomes, some questions that allow for reflection on the context of the learning taking place in
the course might include:
 How does this course fit into the student’s program or curriculum?
 If the course is part of the major or specialization, what knowledge or skills should students have coming into the
course? What knowledge or skills must they have by its conclusion in order to proceed through their program?
How can this course contribute to the student’s broad learning and the student’s understanding of other subjects or
disciplines?
 What are the priorities of the department or faculty within which the course takes place? How does the particular focus
of the course contribute to those broader goals?
 Does the course play a particular role within the student’s program (introductory, elective, summative)? How is the
course shaped by this role?
 How does this course fit into the student’s personal or professional future?
 What knowledge or skills gained in this course will serve students throughout their lives? How will the class shape the
student’s general understanding of the world?
 Which careers commonly stem from education in this field? What are the skills or knowledge essential to these careers?
 What kinds of work are produced in those careers?
 How can this course enrich a student’s personal or professional life? How can the student employ the knowledge and
skills gained in the class to make his or her own life, or the lives of others, better?
 Where will the student encounter the subject matter of the course elsewhere in his or her life? In what situations might
the knowledge or skills gained in the course be useful to the student?
Learning objectives:
 Learning objectives are statements that define the expected goal of a
curriculum, course, lesson or activity in terms of demonstrable skills or
knowledge that will be acquired by a student as a result of instruction.
 Learning objectives can include 3 components: performance, conditions, and
criteria. Performance All SMART learning objectives contain a performance
component. The performance statement describes what the learner will know
or be able to do in specific, measurable terms. The statement should contain
an action verb.