Learning outcomes and assessment based course design

Learning outcomes are the specific intentions of a programme or module, written in specific terms. They describe what a student should know, understand, or be able to do at the end of that programme, module or course.

What are the benefits of Learning Outcomes

Designing your courses using learning outcomes leads to a more student-centred approach: it marks a shift from the content of a module or course towards its outcome. Actually means "What the student is able to do on successful completion of the course or module?".

Learning outcomes can:

help to guide students in their learning in that they explain what is expected of them, in turn helping them to succeed in their studies.
help staff to focus on exactly what they want students to achieve in terms of both knowledge and skills.
provide a useful guide to inform potential candidates and employers about the general knowledge and understanding that a graduate will possess.

knowledge and understanding
intellectual skills
practical skills
key/transferable skills

2. Bloom's Taxonomy (1956)

Bloom identified six categories of learning – knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation – which you can use at any academic level. The first two of these relate specifically to knowledge and understanding, while the remaining four involve intellectual skills.

Comments in italics are our own brief explanations of the differences between the six levels of the taxonomy. The list of verbs here is not exhaustive, and some appear under more than one heading.

Click on the headings to link to examples for each of these levels.

> > Increasing level of cognitive complexity > >
< knowledge & understanding		intellectual skills >
Recalling important information	Explaining important information	Solving closed-ended problems	Solving open-ended problems	Creating ‘unique’ answers to problems	Making critical judgments based on a sound knowledge base
					Evaluation
				Synthesis	judge appraise evaluate rate compare revise assess estimate
			Analysis	compose plan propose design formulate arrange assemble collect construct create set up organize manage prepare
		Application	distinguish analyse differentiate appraise calculate experiment test compare contrast criticize diagram inspect debate question relate solve examine categorize
	Comprehension	interpret apply employ use demonstrate dramatize practise illustrate operate schedule sketch
Knowledge	translate restate discuss describe recognize explain express identify locate report review tell
define repeat record list recall name relate underline

If you have any longer-term outcomes on a programme and feel a student may only be able to demonstrate them on completion of the programme, state them as programme outcomes, rather than module outcomes.

Writing Learning Outcomes

Start programme outcomes with the phrase:

‘A successful learner from this programme will be able to …’

Start module outcomes with the phrase:

‘On successful completion of the module, students will be able to …’
OR, better still:
‘On successful completion of the module, you will be able to …’

These phrases lead you to use action verbs so that students are able to demonstrate that they have learned or achieved the outcome. Verbs relating to knowledge outcomes – ‘know’, ‘understand’, ‘appreciate’ – tend to be rather vague, or to focus on the process students have gone through (e.g. ‘undertake action research’) rather than the final outcome of that process (e.g. ‘formulate strategies appropriate to their topic’), so use action verbs – ‘solve’, ‘evaluate’, ‘analyse’ – to indicate how students can demonstrate acquisition of that knowledge.

Make sure you only use one verb per learning outcome, and that you keep the sentence structure simple to avoid misinterpretation. Avoid unnecessary jargon; if absolutely necessary, use more than one sentence to ensure clarity.

Linking Outcomes to assessment

It is often helpful to combine intellectual outcomes and skills-based outcomes when devising assessments. For instance, if your outcomes state that students will be able to:

analyse contrasting strategies for dealing with organizational change,
demonstrate that they are effective team workers, and
reflect on the role they play in groupwork,

you can then conflate these through one assessment, such as a group presentation with supporting group documentation including individual statements about the role each individual played in the final piece of work.

Knowledge & understanding