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Learning Outcomes

What are learning Outcomes

In their core nature, outcomes embody the expression of aims and the display of effective accomplishment of these aims. Learning outcomes, in particular, pertain directly to the aims of learning and the display of the acquired competencies corresponding to these aims. Some researchers have described learning outcomes as a way of thinking and practicing, while others have used the phrase “habits of mind” to describe the knowledge skills and attitudes students come away from an educational experience with. In this resource, we will define learning outcomes as statements that describe the learning that students can demonstrate at the end of an educational activity like a lesson, course, or program.

The concept of Learning Outcomes has been around for centuries. One need only look to the training for medieval guilds or the apprentices of craftspeople for examples of early Learning Outcomes. While Learning Outcomes have been evident for the psychomotor domain of learning for generations, it was in the 90s when post-secondary education began to shift to an approach known as Outcome-Based Education, (OBE). This concept will be explored in detail in the next section.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

There are many types of learning outcomes. This resource will focus on three types of learning outcomes are be discussed.

  • Program Learning Outcomes (PLO)
  • Course Learning Outcomes (CLO), and
  • Lesson Learning Outcomes (LLO)

Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) state what the learner should be able to demonstrate doing or knowing in a measurable way at the end of their program of study. The PLOs consolidate the learning from the courses. The learner should be able to use this consolidated information in measurable and demonstrable ways. Using an example of a class that might be part of a degree in History, a PLO might be:

By the end of this program, the student will be able to interpret past and contemporary events in broader historical contexts to explain the complex process by which societies have evolved.

Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) are probably the most familiar as most of the courses taught at KPU have Learning Outcomes baked into the course outline.  CLOs speak to what the student will be able to do or know at the end of the learning activity, and in this case that learning activity is a course.  As this is the end of the course, the CLOs should reference the integration of material taught in lessons into themes or broader understanding and its application in a measurable or demonstrated manner. For example, in a class on European history from 1918 – 1945, a CLO might be

By the end of this course, the student will be able to synthesize the impact of relevant occurrences in Europe between 1918 and 1945 and apply them in a cogent description of how these factors led to World War Two.

Lesson Learning Outcomes speak to what a student will be able to do or know at the end of the lesson.  These outcomes tend to be very specific, dealing with discrete ideas, tasks, or attitudes that will become the foundation of knowledge on which future broad understanding is built.  They should not be confused with Learning Tasks which are the discrete things a student must master to achieve the learning outcome. For example, in a class on European history from 1918 – 1945, an LLO could be as follows: 

By the end of this lesson, the student will be able to discuss discrete occurrences of economic, political, or social importance.

Types of Learning Outcomes will be explored in detail in this resource.

Why are learning Outcomes relevant?

There are many reasons why Learning Outcomes are relevant to post-secondary education. This resource will focus on exploring Learning Outcome relevance through the lens of the educator. Specifically, we will explore Learning Outcome relevance from an institutional/ structural perspective end from a student learning/ instructional perspective.

  • Ministry Requirements – In conventional higher education courses, the curriculum comprising these courses frequently consists of content that instructors deem to be significant. This material can change from instructor to instructor or course to course. This makes it particularly challenging for the ministry whose job it is to oversee the education provided in the postsecondary system. It is very difficult to compare and contrast programs and courses from various institutions when the material covered in those programs and courses may differ. Asking for the curriculum to be presented in an outcome-based manner means all institutions will be delivering their program curricula in a similar format which makes it much easier for the ministry to be able to assess, analyze, and compare curricula across the institutions.
  • Quality Assurance Processes – Comparing or assessing the curriculum can be difficult in a traditional post-secondary education program. Instructional elements may be indicated; however, this can change from instructor to instructor, and there’s no verification that the learners have obtained the knowledge suggested by the instruction. Having programmed curricula simplified and presented in an outcome-based format makes it much easier to assess the quality and alignment of the components.
  • Changing Currency of Post-Secondary Education – In a traditional post-secondary environment the currency of education has been the credit, or the unit granted by the completion of a course. In recent years, there has been a shift towards outcomes being the currency of education. As described above, having a shared format for presenting education goals and materials makes assessing equivalencies, or transferring credit much easier. As the shift towards outcomes gains momentum, the process of forming collaborations with other institutions becomes streamlined, facilitating smoother transfers among institutions on a provincial, national, or global scale.
  • Learning outcomes provide clarity around the critical knowledge skills or attitudes the students will achieve in an educational experience. This transparency can inform a student’s program selection and improve their ability to communicate their learned outcomes to others.
  • Learning outcomes also enhance learning by providing guidance and setting expectations. The student has clarity around what is expected of them in an educational activity and is therefore better prepared to deliver on those expectations.
  • Research suggests that students who are able to engage metacognitively with their own education tend to hold more integrity with their education experience and view their educators more positively (March 2007, Trigwell and Prosser, 1991).
  • Instructors are able to reflect on the aims of the course or program prior to delivering the instructional activities.
  • Learning outcomes foster an opportunity to coordinate teaching strategies with learning activities, course materials, and assessments.
  • Educators can engage in in-depth discussions regarding the alignment and interconnection of courses, as well as their correlation with the program’s intended outcomes.

Beyond the educator’s lens, learning outcomes also have benefits for employers who may be hiring graduates from vocational programs.

  • Learning outcomes clearly articulate the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of a program’s graduates who may be potential employees.
  • Employers can be engaged in the process of creating learning outcomes to ensure learning meets industry needs.

The key take away from all of this is that Learning Outcomes have merit. There are positive reasons to develop effective Learning Outcomes pedagogically, for student learning, for instruction, and for administrative purposes. While Learning Outcomes have many uses and support education and educators in many ways, they are only part of the education equation. 

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