Learning Outcomes

The first and most important step in designing any course is to write the learning outcomes. For students, well-written outcomes clearly communicate what they should know and be able to do by the time they complete the course.  Note that learning outcomes should be written so that they can be achieved in any modality, though the delivery of the content or the way students are assessed may change.

Outcomes should be student-centered.

• Example:
  • Teacher-centered: Opportunities to become familiar with research theories and methodologies.
  • Student-centered: Compare the basic methodological approaches for gathering data.

Outcomes should be written at an appropriate level.

• Focus on the thinking skill expected from the students within the timeframe of the course. 
• Bloom's Taxonomy is a good place to start. Lower level thinking skills include comprehension for concepts that are brand new to students. Higher level thinking skills include analysis, evaluation, creation and synthesis.

Outcomes should be measurable and observable.

• If the outcome is measurable then you can provide a confident assessment of student mastery.

• Example:
  • Not measurable: Students will explore art from other cultures.
  • Measurable: Students will identify characteristics of art from other cultures.

• Observability is important because you can't assess what you can't see.

• Example:
  • Not observable: Students will understand democracy.
  • Observable: Students will describe the major theories of democracy.

Outcomes should feature only one, single verb.

• It is impossible to measure an outcome with two verbs. 
  
  • Always write outcomes at the highest level you expect students to achieve during the course. In this example, being able to analyze assumes the students can already perform the lower-level identification. 
    • Two verbs: Identify and analyze the qualities of fresh fruit.
    • One verb: Analyze the qualities of fresh fruit.
  • Some outcomes with multiple verbs turn out to be two essential take-aways from the course. In that case write two separate course outcomes that can be assessed independently.
    • Two verbs: Cut and present fruit with attention to peeling, slicing and appropriate display.
    • One verb: Cut fruit with attention to peeling, slicing and chucking.
    • One verb: Present fruit salad appropriately for a variety of audiences and purposes.

Courses should have an appropriate number of outcomes for the number of credit hours.

• When writing outcomes the course should be boiled down to the few most essential concepts and skills. 
• For a three credit course somewhere between 3-6 outcomes is an achievable goal. 

Avoid including assessments or activities in the outcomes.

• The product is not what the learning outcome is measuring. Instead it is the knowledge and skills required to complete the assessment or activity that are important beyond the course. 

Well-written outcomes should result in better alignment within the course and across the curriculum.

• When you begin with well-written outcomes alignment almost becomes a natural byproduct. 
• Course outcomes should align with the the program-level outcomes, the course description, the assessments, and the course resources.