BRIEF GUIDE TO

LEARNING OUTCOMES

University of Health
Sciences: Lahore
Before we start
Think of a course/module/session that you teach
• How is it described
• Aims??
• Objectives??
• Outcomes??
• Content??
• Some or none of the above

• Many many curricula focus on the content

• What information do students get about the course?

Introduction
• Learning outcomes describe what a student

should be able to do or achieve at the end of the

module (or course or session)
• This process shifts attention from content

(teacher centered approach) to student

achievement and ability on successful
completion (student centered approach)
Therefore
Learning outcomes are helpful in terms of:
• Communicating the purpose a module (or a

session) is intending to accomplish

• Making explicit what is expected of the student

• Specifying the minimum acceptable standard

for passing (threshold level)

So
At the end of this session you will be
able to write student centred learning
outcomes that specify what the
student will be able to do; including
the nature of the task and the required
standard
*Apply* the
+techniques of multivariate analysis+
in order to be able to
-handle straightforward multivariate data sets in practice-
How to write learning outcomes

• This can be a challenging task

• It needs practice
• It can influence the effectiveness of the
learning of students
• Put simply it shows the students what
matters
Good practice in writing learning outcomes

• Introduce the LO as: “at the end of this

module/course you should be able to ...”

• Then use an active verb like define,

perform, demonstrate, insert, identify pros

and cons etc.
• Next, provide a few words that indicate on what or

with what the student is acting e.g. making tooth

cavity, IUCD insertion, patient examination etc

• Finally and if necessary, add brief text to indicate

the nature of the performance required as

evidence that the learning was achieved
Blooms taxonomy

Complex/abstract

Simple/concrete

Blooms taxonomy 1956

Blooms taxonomy revised
Learning outcome
Level Verbs
Knowledge : define, describe, identify, know, label, list, match,
outline, recall, select, state.
Comprehension: comprehend, convert, describe, discuss, explain,
give example, paraphrase, recognize, summarize
Application apply, construct, demonstrate, discover, modify,
prepare, show, solve, write
Analysis analyze, compare, contrast, diagram, differentiate,
illustrate, outline, select, separate

Evaluation: appraise, compare, conclude, defend, describe,

evaluate, judge, interpret, predict, support
Synthesis: create, combine, compose, revise, adapt, propose,
formulate, teach, compile, devise, design
Note:
• Avoid the use of the verbs
‘understand’ or ‘appreciate’ or ‘be
aware of’ or ‘know’
• Always think about how you could
measure the outcome
• E.g. to know if they know you have to get
them to do something – what is that?
Another note
• The various verbs, outcomes, tasks can be seen in
terms of

Knowledge,

Skills

Attitude

Do the learning outcomes of your course express the right

balance of these?
So Learning outcomes

Course/module learning outcomes must be achievable and

measurable.

They should connect directly to the assessment criteria that are

used to judge achievement

or

SMART
SMART ?

• Specific

• Measurable

• Achievable

• Relevant

• Time bound
 Exercise
• Write 3 learning outcomes on any
topic of your interest
Or
• These could be learning outcomes of
your mini lecture that you will deliver
tomorrow
Have you achieved the learning
outcome?
At the end of this session you will be able to write
student centred learning outcomes that specify:
• what student will be able to do
• the nature of the task
• the required standard

• Do your learning outcomes meet the criteria above?

• Do you have the level right for your course?
• Did you choose verbs that reflect the academic level?
One more thing
• Learning outcomes are a key element in
quality assurance systems (e.g. UK)
• They tell auditors about the learning level of
the course/programme, the alignment with
the stated aims, as well as the content &
teaching and assessment (in outline)
• E.g. is CMT at an introductory level, does it
have a practical focus
• Does MPHE have a higher level demand
(analyse, evaluate, synthesise)
BRIEF GUIDE TO
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Next slides have
additional information

University of Health
Sciences: Lahore
Outcomes
• an explicit statement of learning intent (intended
learning outcome) expressed in a form that permits their
achievement to be demonstrated and measured.
 
• the process and resources to enable the outcomes to
be achieved and demonstrated (curriculum, teaching,
learning methods and materials, assessment and support
and guidance methods);
 
• the criteria for assessing whether the intended
outcomes have been achieved and for differentiating
the performance of students.
Guide for Busy Academics
Using Learning Outcomes to Design a Course and Assess Learning
We need to answer these questions

• what do I intend students to learn (what learning

outcomes do I want them to achieve)?
• what teaching methods and curriculum design will
I use to encourage students to behave in ways
that are likely to achieve these outcomes?
• what assessment tasks and criteria will tell me
that students have achieved the outcomes I
intend?

Guide for Busy Academics

Using Learning Outcomes to Design a Course and Assess Learning
 Moving on a step further
It is essential to ensure that
assessment tasks associated with a
module are designed to fulfil the
learning outcomes of that module.
Every learning outcome must be
assessed. This arrangement has a
direct association to learning and
teaching methods used during the
Constructive alignment
delivery of the module content. This
concept is known as “Constructive
alignment” (Biggs, 2003)

Brief Guide to Learning Outcomes: Dr Christos Petichakis,

Educational Development Division, CLL, University of Liverpool
• Aims – broad purposes or goals e.g. this course aims to…They are
generally aspirational at programme level but are more specific and
achievable at the level of modules/courses.

• Objectives – the specific steps that take us from where we are now
towards our goals. They can be formulated as teaching objectives (what
the teacher does to promote students’ learning), as curriculum objectives
(how the curriculum supports the achievement of the intended learning)
and as objectives for students’ learning (what the students do to learn).

• Intended learning outcomes – what students will know and be able to

do as a result of engaging in the learning process. They represent
statements of achievement expressed from the learners’ perspective.. at
the end of the course learners will be able to do….Course/module
learning outcomes must be achievable and measurable. They should
connect directly to the assessment criteria that are used to judge
achievement.

Guide for Busy Academics

Using Learning Outcomes to Design a Course and Assess Learning
And for further information:
• Biggs, J. (2003) Teaching for quality learning at
university. 2nd ed. Buckingham: SRHE and OUP
• Higher Education Academy (2005) Writing
Learning Outcomes.
http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/ps/documents/primers/pri
mers/ps0091_writing_learning_outcomes_mar_2005.pdf

• Moon, J. (2002) The Module and Programme

Development Handbook. London: Kogan Page
• Kahn, P. (2003) Guidance on writing aims and
intended learning outcomes. Academic
Framework and Regulation Project