Developing Learning Outcomes
Begin by asking, “What will the students be able to do upon successful completion (of the degree, the program, or the course)?” Consider in the answer the knowledge, skills, and abilities you might expect a student to have years after successfully completing your course or program. There may be several outcomes, and there is no magic number of outcomes for an institution, a program, or a course. What is important is that the essential components of learning are represented. Once a desired outcome is identified, it must be developed and written.
Author Ruth Stiehl (2017) provides an excellent four-part backward-design model for developing learning outcomes. Her model requires faculty to collaboratively consider and find consensus regarding the concepts and issues that students must understand and address, the skills students must master, the assessments that students must take to demonstrate mastery in class, and finally, what students can do after they finish the course or program. The result of this process is an outcome for the course, program, or institution.
Once the intended outcome is identified, it must be carefully written. Good outcomes clarify expectations of the faculty member to the student and ultimately the public, so ensuring the outcome is in fact “good” becomes important.
Several qualities characterize a good learning outcome, including these.
- Good learning outcomes include action verbs.
- Good learning outcomes clearly state who is to do the action.
- Good learning outcomes clearly state what action is to be done.
- Good learning outcomes are achievable.
- Good learning outcomes are observable.