Download Developing Measureable Learning Outcomes Articulating learning

Developing
Measureable
Learning
Outcomes
Articulating
learning
outcomes
are
an
important
part
of
developing
a
good
syllabus.
Well
articulated
learning
outcomes
help
to
eliminate
any
fuzziness
and
provide
a
way
to
evaluate
whether
your
students
have
learned
what
you
wanted
your
students
to
learn.
Developing
a
Common
Language:
The
terms
Goals,
Objectives,
Competencies,
Learning
Outcomes
and
Proficiencies
are
sometimes
used
interchangeably
but
are
actually
each
a
bit
different:
Goals
are
what
you
hope
to
achieve,
but
can
also
include
aims
outside
of
the
classroom.
You
may
have
a
goal
to
provide
students
with
an
understanding
of
the
interaction
of
energy
and
matter,
but
you
could
also
have
a
goal
to
complete
a
research
project
or
publish
a
paper.
Outcomes
are
the
end
result
rather
than
the
process
(how
will
your
students
be
different
because
of
their
learning
experience?).
At
the
end
of
the
semester,
you
may
have
an
outcome
that
your
students
“classify
ionic,
molecular,
and
metallic
substances
according
to
their
properties.”
Objectives
are
the
means
to
the
end
result.
For
example,
if
you
wish
your
students
to
explain
scientific
concepts
in
their
own
writing,
then
an
objective
might
be
to
have
them
keep
a
journal
reflecting
on
their
experiences
or
to
write
an
essay.
Competencies
(or
proficiencies)
are
used
to
describe
skills
rather
than
knowledge
or
values.
Performance
indicators
are
quantitative
measures
of
overall
performance.
If
a
learning
outcome
is
for
students
to
write
with
clarity
and
coherence,
then
a
performance
indicator
might
be
the
percentage
of
students
who
earn
a
passing
grade
on
a
test
or
rubric.
Benchmarks
and
Standards
are
the
targets
we
use
to
gauge
our
success,
such
as
students
at
our
peer
institutions.
Bloom’s
Taxonomy
Bloom’s
Taxonomy
is
the
best
framework
for
developing
course
outcomes.
It
contains
three
domains
of
learning:
cognitive
(intellectual
capability),
affective
(feelings,
emotions
and
behavior)
and
psychomotor
(manual
and
physical
skills).
Within
the
cognitive
domain,
there
are
six
progressive
levels
of
knowledge
and
skills:
Knowledge,
comprehension,
application,
analysis,
synthesis
and
evaluation.
Using
action
words
allows
you
to
describe
the
behaviors,
activities,
or
products
that
will
be
used
to
determine
that
understanding
or
learning
has
occurred.
As
you
write,
ask
yourself,
“What
will
students
be
able
to
do
or
produce
as
a
result
of
learning
that
occurs?”
Ideally,
each
course
should
include
learning
outcomes
from
more
than
one
domain
(cognitive,
psychomotor,
and
affective).
The
Learning
Outcomes
should
be
the
same
for
all
sections
of
a
course.
However,
each
instructor
may
include
on
their
course
syllabi
additional
outcomes
and/or
course
expectations.
Outcomes
should
focus
on
big‐picture,
overarching
concepts,
skills,
or
attitudes.
They
should
ask
students
to
apply
what
they
have
learned,
and
be
written
in
language
that
students
(and
the
community)
can
understand.
Remembering:
can
the
student
recall
or
remember
the
information?
define,
duplicate,
list,
memorize,
recall,
repeat,
reproduce
state
classify,
describe,
discuss,
explain,
identify,
Understanding:
can
the
student
locate,
recognize,
report,
select,
translate,
explain
ideas
or
concepts?
paraphrase
Applying:
can
the
student
use
the
information
in
a
new
way?
choose,
demonstrate,
dramatize,
employ,
illustrate,
interpret,
operate,
schedule,
sketch,
solve,
use,
write.
Analyzing:
can
the
student
appraise,
compare,
contrast,
criticize,
distinguish
between
the
different
differentiate,
discriminate,
distinguish,
parts?
examine,
experiment,
question,
test.
Evaluating:
can
the
student
justify
a
stand
or
decision?
appraise,
argue,
defend,
judge,
select,
support,
value,
evaluate
Creating:
can
the
student
create
assemble,
construct,
create,
design,
develop,
new
product
or
point
of
view?
formulate,
write.
Avoid
using
terms
such
as
“students
will
learn”
or
“students
will
understand”
because
these
cannot
be
measured
or
assessed.
Faculty
may
not
even
agree
on
what
constitutes
an
understanding
of
a
subject
so
that
makes
it
very
difficult
to
come
up
with
an
appropriate
assessment
of
that
outcome.
For
example,
if
the
outcome
was
“students
will
demonstrate
information
literacy
skills”
it
can
be
better
stated
as
“students
will
locate
information
and
evaluate
it
critically
for
its
validity.”
Then
the
outcome
can
be
assessed.
If
the
outcome
was
“recognize
a
need
for
lifelong
learning
and
plan
for
personal
and
professional
growth”
then
it
could
be
re‐written
as
“describe
and
adopt
a
plan
for
ongoing
professional
development
and
lifelong
learning”
and
then
it
could
be
assessed.
Adapted
from
Assessing
Student
Learning:
A
Common
Sense
Guide
and
Bloom’s
Taxonomy
Why
do
we
need
learning
outcomes?
It
builds
evidence
for
accountability,
accreditation
and
improvement.
– Shows
evidence
of
how
well
our
students
learn.
– Uses
evidence
for
continuous
improvement.
Benefits:
Allows
dialogues
among
faculty
about
what,
why
and
how
we
teach.
Sets
common
expectations
for
student
learning
Allows
for
the
construction
of
a
coherent
program
Allows
for
continuous
learning
and
improvement
as
faculty
Provides
clear
evidence
of
program
quality
and
teaching.
Syllabi
typically
fall
into
one
of
three
frameworks:
A
content‐focused
syllabus
focuses
primarily
on
what
content
the
instructor
will
cover
in
the
course.
It
highlights
topics,
assignments,
and
readings.
A
competency‐focused
syllabus
focuses
on
what
competencies
students
should
demonstrate
in
the
course.
These
competencies
are
usually
converted
to
a
grade.
An
outcomes‐focused
syllabus
focuses
on
what
the
students
should
be
able
to
do
upon
completion
of
the
course.
It
explains
the
themes,
concepts,
and
issues
students
need
to
understand,
and
what
skills
they
will
have
upon
completion.
One
of
the
biggest
changes
to
occur
in
contemporary
teaching
is
a
shift
in
planning.
Previously,
teachers
planned
their
activities,
and
then
thought
about
what
the
goals
of
the
course
would
be.
We
now
know
that
effective
planning
starts
with
the
course
outcome.
That
is
what
the
students
should
be
able
to
do
outside
the
classroom
with
the
information
that
they
have
learned.
Once
the
outcome
has
been
determined,
the
teacher
then
selects
appropriate
activities.
Look
at
the
learning
outcomes
or
course
objectives
outlined
in
the
curriculum.
If
the
syllabus
is
written
in
a
traditional,
content‐focused
format,
the
course
objectives
will
outline
what
the
teacher
was
planning
to
teach,
not
what
is
most
important
for
students
to
be
able
to
do
at
the
end
of
the
course.
See
if
you
can
rewrite
the
course
objectives
as
three
or
four
learning
outcomes
for
the
students.
This
will
make
it
clear
to
students
what
they
will
accomplish
in
the
course
and
will
help
you
keep
student
learning
central
to
your
teaching.
Outcomes
are
a
roadmap
for
educational
success.
Look
at
the
content
mapped
out
in
the
rest
of
the
syllabus,
using
your
new
student
outcome
statements
as
a
filter.
Do
all
the
readings,
activities,
and
homework
assignments
support
the
student
learning
outcomes?
If
topics
and
readings
no
longer
help
the
students
attain
the
desired
outcomes,
get
rid
of
them.
When
thinking
about
planning
for
outcomes,
you
need
to
consider:
•
•
•
•
The
current
demands
of
industry
and
any
certification
standards
How
you
can
link
your
course
goals
with
the
larger
program
goals
How
you
can
plan
your
course
based
on
the
intended
outcomes
How
you
can
create
lessons
that
will
lead
the
students
toward
the
desired
outcome
Good
planning
includes
connections
among
courses,
but
what's
more
important
is
what
happens
in
your
course.
Curriculum
design
begins
outside
the
classroom
with
one
important
question:
"What
do
my
students
need
to
be
able
to
DO
'out
there'
that
we
are
responsible
for
in
this
classroom?"
If
I
am
creating
a
course
in
information
technology,
I
begin
by
envisioning
what
my
students
will
DO
differently
in
the
community,
the
workplace,
or
the
family
as
a
result
of
this
course.
It
is
only
after
I
am
able
to
articulate
this
in
a
few
clear
and
agreed‐upon
outcome
statements
that
I
can
decide
what
content
is
necessary
and
how
competence
will
be
assessed.
Learning
outcomes
have
three
distinguishing
characteristics:
1. The
specified
action
by
the
learners
must
be
observable.
2. The
specified
action
by
the
learners
must
be
measurable.
3. The
specified
action
must
be
done
by
the
learners
(Student
focused)
Whenever
possible,
they
should
also
build
toward
and
measure
higher‐
thinking
skills
such
as
synthesis,
analysis,
and
evaluation.
Can
it
be
assessed?
The
ultimate
test
when
writing
a
learning
outcome
is
whether
or
not
the
action
taken
by
the
participants
can
be
assessed.
If
not,
the
outcome
probably
does
meet
all
three
of
the
characteristics.
1. who
is
to
perform;
2. what
action
they
are
to
take;
3. some
result
that
must
come
from
their
action.
How
do
you
fix
an
unclear
outcome?
Unclear:
Participants
will
understand
the
nine
reasons
for
conducting
a
needs
assessment.
Unclear:
Participants
will
develop
an
appreciation
of
cultural
diversity
in
the
workplace.
If
you
ask
a
simple
question
("Can
it
be
measured?"),
you
see
readily
that
these
learning
outcomes
have
shortcomings.
They
are
not
measurable.
The
same
outcomes
can
be
modified
by
changing
the
action
verbs.
Clearer:
Participants
will
list
nine
reasons
for
conducting
a
needs
assessment.
Clearer:
Participants
will
summarize
in
writing
their
feelings
about
cultural
diversity
in
the
workplace.
What
is
the
importance
of
action
verbs?
Since
the
learner's
performance
should
be
observable
and
measurable,
the
verb
chosen
for
each
outcome
statement
should
be
an
action
verb
which
results
in
overt
behavior
that
can
be
observed
and
measured.
Sample
action
verbs
are:
compile,
create,
plan,
revise,
analyze,
design,
select,
utilize,
apply,
demonstrate,
prepare,
use,
compute,
discuss,
explain,
predict,
assess,
compare,
rate,
critique
Certain
verbs
are
unclear
and
subject
to
different
interpretations
in
terms
of
what
action
they
are
specifying.
Such
verbs
call
for
covert
behavior
which
cannot
be
observed
or
measured.
Sample
verbs
to
avoid:
know,
become
aware
of,
appreciate,
learn,
understand,
become
familiar
with
Have
an
action
word
that
describes
what
the
student
will
DO
differently
as
a
result
of
your
course
•
•
•
Describe
meaningful
learning
Be
measured/verified;
i.e.
you
can
measure
students'
ability
to
achieve
them
Represent
high
levels
of
thinking,
rather
than
trivial
tasks
Another
example
to
try:
Unclear:
Students
will
demonstrate
information
literacy
skills
Clearer:
Students
will
be
able
to
use
the
college’s
online
services
to
retrieve
information
Best:
Students
will
locate
information
and
evaluate
it
critically
for
its
appropriateness
and
validity
NEXT
STEPS:
How
to
Assess
Learning
Assessment
generally
comes
in
two
forms:
traditional
paper‐pencil
assessment
(multiple
choice,
true/false,
short
essay,
etc.),
which
can
be
useful
for
assessing
WHAT
students
know;
and
performance
tasks,
which
enable
us
to
assess
WHAT
STUDENTS
CAN
DO
with
what
they
know.
For
these,
instructors
gather
data
as
students
complete
tasks.
Aligning
your
course
with
the
department
or
program
It
is
important
to
align
your
course
outcomes
with
those
of
your
department
or
degree
program.
If
you
are
teaching
a
class
in
genetic
fingerprinting,
for
example,
you
may
need
to
teach
students
about
the
molecular
structure
of
DNA,
or
they
may
have
already
learned
about
that
in
an
earlier
class.
Once
we
are
able
to
establish
learning
outcomes
for
each
course,
the
next
step
will
be
to
assess
student
learning.
Where
do
students
develop
the
desired
outcomes?
In
one
course,
over
several
or
throughout
their
program?
(Curriculum
Mapping
will
show
this).
How
do
students
demonstrate
their
learning
–
in
exams,
a
capstone
project,
a
paper?
This
will
also
help
us
to
see
how
well
our
programs
are
achieving
their
mission
and
stated
outcomes.
Because
individual
grading
doesn’t
show
us
patterns
of
strengths
and
weaknesses
in
student
learning
across
the
program/Institute.