Learning outcomes LOC 🔳 AZEEZ - The UNV

Discussion topic:

Characteristics of Good Learning Outcomes [LO]

Key points: ( Please cover the following areas)

1. What are Learning Outcomes?

2. Examples of Learning Outcomes

3. Why Develop Learning Outcomes?

4. Tools for Developing Learning Outcomes.
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What are learning outcomes?

Learning  outcomes {LOC} are statements that describe the knowledgeொ or skills students should acquire by the end of a particular assignment, class, course, or program.

LOC help students:

• Understand why that knowledge and those skills will be useful to them.
• Focus on the context and potential applications of knowledge and skills.
• Connect learning in various contexts
• Help guide assessment and evaluation.

Good learning outcomes emphasize the application and integration of knowledge. Instead of focusing on coverage of material, learning outcomes articulate how students will be able to employ the material, both in the context of the class and more broadly.

Consider using approximately five to ten learning outcomes per assignment; this number allows the learning outcomes to cover a variety of knowledge and skills while retaining a focus on essential elements of the course.
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Examples of LOC:
[For reference, Bloom’s Taxonomy of relevant active verbs]

¶ By the end of this course, students will be able to:

• Identify and describe the political, religious, economic, and social uses of art in Italy during the Renaissance
• Identify a range of works of art and artists
• Analyze the role of art and of the artist and analyze the art of the period according to objective methods
• Link different materials and types of art to the attitudes and values of the period
• Evaluate and defend their response to a range of art historical issues
• Provide accurate diagrams of cells and be able to classify cells from microscopic images
• Identify and develop data collection instruments and measures for planning and conducting sociological research
• Identify and classify their spending habits and prepare a personal budget

¶ By the end of this course, students will be able to:

• Predict the appearance and motion of visible celestial objects
• Formulate scientific questions about the motion of visible celestial objects
• Plan ways to model and/or simulate an answer to the questions chosen
• Select and integrate information from various sources, including electronic and print resources, community resources, and personally collected data, to answer the questions chosen communicate scientific ideas, procedures, results, and conclusions using appropriate SI units, language, and formats
• Describe, evaluate, and communicate the impact of research and other accomplishments in space technology on our understanding of scientific theories and principles and on other fields of endeavour

¶ Learning outcomes that address content:

• By the end of this course, students will be able to categorize macroeconomic policies according to the economic theories from which they emerge.
• By the end of this unit, students will be able to describe the characteristics of the three main types of geologic faults (dip-slip, transform, and oblique) and explain the different types of motion associated with each.

¶ Learning outcomes that address skills:

• By the end of this course, students will be able to ask questions concerning language usage with confidence and seek effective help from reference sources.
• By the end of this course, students will be able to analyze qualitative and quantitative data, and explain how evidence gathered supports or refutes an initial hypothesis.

¶ Learning outcomes that address values:

• By the end of this course, students will be able to work cooperatively in a small group environment.
• By the end of this course, students will be able to identify their own position on the political spectrum.
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Why Develop Learning Outcomes?

¶ For students:

• By focusing on the application of knowledge and skills learned in a course and on the integration of knowledge and skills with other areas of their lives, students are more connected to their learning and to the material of the course.
• The emphasis on integration and generalizable skills helps students draw connections between courses and other kinds of knowledge, enhancing student engagement.
• Students understand the conditions and goals of their assessment.

¶ For instructors:

• Developing learning outcomes allows for reflection on the course content and its potential applications, focusing on the knowledge and skills that will be most valuable to the student now and in the future.
• Learning outcomes point to useful methods of assessment.
• Learning outcomes allow instructors to set the standards by which the success of the course will be evaluated.

¶ For institutions and administrators:

• When an instructor considers the particular course or unit in the context of future coursework and the curriculum as a whole, it  contributes to the development of a coherent curriculum within a decentralized institution and helps to ensure that students are prepared for future work and learning.
• The application and integration of learning emphasized by learning outcomes reflect and support the contemporary nature and priorities of the university, enhancing student engagement, uncovering opportunities for interdisciplinary, and providing guidance and support for students with many different kinds of previous academic preparation.
• Learning outcomes provide structures from which courses and programs can be evaluated and can assist in program and curricular design, identify gaps or overlap in program offerings, and clarify instructional, programmatic, and institutional priorities.
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Characteristics of Good Learning Outcomes:

Good learning outcomes are very specific, and use active language – and verbs in particular – that make expectations clear and ensure that student and instructor goals in the course are aligned.

Where possible, avoid terms, like understand or demonstrate, that can be interpreted in many ways.

¶ Keep in mind, learning outcomes:

• Should be flexible: While individual outcomes should be specific, instructors should feel comfortable adding, removing, or adjusting learning outcomes over the length of a course if initial outcomes prove to be inadequate
• Are focused on the learner: Rather than explaining what the instructor will do in the course, good learning outcomes describe knowledge or skills that the student will employ, and help the learner understand why that knowledge and those skills are useful and valuable to their personal, professional, and academic future
• Are realistic, not aspirational: All passing students should be able to demonstrate the knowledge or skill described by the learning outcome at the conclusion of the course. In this way, learning outcomes establish standards for the course
• Focus on the application and integration of acquired knowledge and skills: Good learning outcomes reflect and indicate the ways in which the described knowledge and skills may be used by the learner now and in the future
• Indicate useful modes of assessment and the specific elements that will be assessed: Good learning outcomes prepare students for assessment and help them feel engaged in and empowered by the assessment and evaluation process
Offer a timeline for completion of the desired learning.

Each assignment, activity, or course might usefully employ between approximately five and ten learning outcomes; this number allows the learning outcomes to cover a variety of knowledge and skills while retaining a focus on essential elements of the course.
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Learning outcomes should be SMART

• Speak to the learner: Learning outcomes should address what the learner will know or be able to do at the completion of the course
• Measurable: Learning outcomes must indicate how learning will be assessed
• Applicable: Learning outcomes should emphasize ways in which the learner is likely to use the knowledge or skills gained
• Realistic: All learners who complete the activity or course satisfactorily should be able to demonstrate the knowledge or skills addressed in the outcome
• Time-bound: The learning outcome should set a deadline by which the knowledge or skills should be acquired;
• Transparent: Should be easily understood by the learner; and
• Transferable: Should address knowledge and skills that will be used by the learner in a wide variety of contexts
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Tools for Developing Learning Outcomes:

The process of developing learning outcomes offers an opportunity for reflection on what is most necessary to help learners gain this knowledge and these skills.

You may wish to consider the following questions as you develop this list of key words:

• What are the essential things students must know to be able to succeed in the course?
• What are the essential things students must be able to do to succeed in the course?
• What knowledge or skills do students bring to the course that the course will build on?
• What knowledge or skills will be new to students in the course?
• What other areas of knowledge are connected to the work of the course?

These three areas can be used to identify and describe different aspects of learning that might take place in a course.

• Content can be used to describe the disciplinary information covered in the course. This content might be vital to future work or learning in the area.

A learning outcome focused on content might read:

By the end of this course, students will be able recall the 5 major points from the topic taught.

• Skills can refer to the disciplinary or generalizable skills that students should be able to employ by the conclusion of the class.

A learning outcome focused on skills might read:

By the end of this course, students will be able to define the characteristics and limitations of the topic taught.

• Values can describe some desired learning outcomes, the attitudes or beliefs imparted or investigated in a par.
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Active Verbs For Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy for LOC

The information below provides definitions and attributes for each of the six levels of Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy, along with Active Verbs that should be used when developing learning outcomes.

Level 1: Remember
Level 2: Understand
Level 3: Apply
Level 4: Analyze
Level 5: Evaluate
Level 6: Create

• Level 1: Remember

Definition and Attributes: Students are able to exhibit memory of previously learned materials by recalling facts, terms, basic concepts, and answers.

Active Verbs: choose, define, find, how, label, list, match, name, omit, recall, relate, select, show, spell, tell, identify, describe, copy, locate, recognize, memorize, quote, reproduce, tabulate, discover, duplicate, listen, enumerate

Example of Learning Outcomes:

° Sub: Physics: By the end of this course, students will be able to recite Newton’s three laws of motion.

• Level 2: Understand

Definition and Attributes: Students are able to demonstrate understanding of facts and ideas by interpreting, exemplifying, classifying, summarizing, inferring, comparing and explaining main ideas.

Active Verbs: classify, compare, contrast, extend, demonstrate, explain, illustrate, infer, interpret, outline, relate, rephrase, show, summarize, select, translate, describe, paraphrase, ask, differentiate, discuss, express, distinguish, restate, group

Example of Learning Outcomes:

° Sub: History: By the end of this course, students will be able to explain the causes the revolution.

• Level 3: Apply

Definition and Attributes: Students are able to solve problems in new situations by applying acquired knowledge, facts, techniques and rules in a different way.

Active Verbs: calculate, predict, apply, solve, illustrate, use, demonstrate, determine, model, build, construct, develop, experiment with, identify, make use of, organize, plan, select, solve, utilize

Example of Learning Outcomes:

° Sub: Physics: By the end of this course, students will be able to calculate the kinetic energy of a projectile.

• Level 4: Analyze

Definition and Attributes: Students are able to examine and break information into parts by identifying motives, causes and relationships. They can make inferences and find evidence to support generalization.

Active Verbs: classify, outline, break down, categorize, analyze, diagram, illustrate, assume, compare, conclusion, contrast, discover, dissect, distinguish, divide, examine, function, inference, inspect, list, motive, relationships, simplify, survey, take part in, test for

Example of Learning Outcomes:

° Sub: English: By the end of this course, students will be able to determine William Shakespeare’s point of view in terms of his political perspective.

• Level 5: Evaluate

Definition and Attributes: Students are able to present and defend opinions by making judgments about information, validity of ideas, or quality of work based on a set of criteria. They can justify a decision or course of action.

Active Verbs: design, formulate, build, invent, create, compose, generate, derive, modify, develop, agree, appraise, assess, award, choose, compare, conclude, criteria, criticize, decide, deduct, defend, determine, disprove, estimate, evaluate, explain, influence, judge, interpret, justify, mark, measure, perceive, prioritize, rate, recommend, rule on, select, support, value

Example of Learning Outcomes:

° Sub: Economics: By the end of the course, students will be able to apply discrete and continuous probability distributions using industry standard statistical software, in order to evaluate the probability of real world events.

• Level 6: Create

Definition and Attributes: Students are able to compile, generate or view information, ideas or products together in a different way by combining elements in a new pattern or by proposing alternative solutions.

Active Verbs: adapt, build, change, choose, combine, compile, compose, construct, create, delete, design, develop, discuss, elaborate, estimate, formulate, happen, imagine, improve, invent, make up, maximize, modify, originate, plan, predict, propose, solve, suppose, test, hypothesize, substitute, compile, develop, rearrange, anticipate, assemble, collaborate, collect, devise, imagine, intervene

Example of Learning Outcomes:

° Sub: Chemistry: By the end of this course, students will be able to design and execute synthetic and analytical experimental procedures found in the scientific literature in physical and inorganic chemistry.
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Structure of Observed Learning Outcomes (SOLO) Taxonomy

• Pre-structural: Here students are simply acquiring bits of unconnected information, which have no organization and make no sense.
• Unistructural: Simple and obvious connections are made, but their significance is not grasped.
• Multistructural: Anumber of connections may be made, but the meta-connections between them are missed, as is their significance for the whole.
• Relational level: The student is now able to appreciate the significance of the parts in relation to the whole.
• At the extended abstract level, the student is making connections not only within the given subject area, but also beyond it, able to generalize and transfer the principles and ideas underlying the specific instance.
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How Do You Know if Learning Objectives Are Being Met?

Here are a few in-class tips to get you started:

1. Avoid Yes/No questions.

Avoid yes/no questions and phrases like “Does this make sense?” In response to these questions, students usually answer “yes”. So of course it’s surprising when several students later admit that they’re lost. To help students grasp ideas in class, ask pointed questions that require students to use their own prior knowledge.

2. Ask students to reflect.

During the last five minutes of class ask students to reflect on the lesson and write down what they’ve learned. Then, ask them to consider how they would apply this concept or skill in a practical setting.

3. Use quizzes.

Give a short quiz at the end of class to check for comprehension.

4. Ask students to summarize.

Have students summarize or paraphrase important concepts and lessons. This can be done orally, visually, or otherwise.

5. Hand signals.

Hand signals can be used to rate or indicate students’ understanding of content. Students can show anywhere from five fingers to signal maximum understanding to one finger to signal minimal understanding. This strategy requires engagement by all students and allows the teacher to check for understanding within a large group.

6. Response cards.

Index cards, signs, whiteboards, magnetic boards, or other items are simultaneously held up by all students in class to indicate their response to a question or problem presented by the teacher. Using response devices, the teacher can easily note the responses of individual students while teaching the whole group.

7. Four corners.

A quick and easy snapshot of student understanding, Four Corners provides an opportunity for student movement while permitting the teacher to monitor and assess understanding. The teacher poses a question or makes a statement. Students then move to the appropriate corner of the classroom to indicate their response to the prompt. For example, the corner choices might include “I strongly agree,” “I strongly disagree,” “I agree somewhat,” and “I’m not sure.”

8. Think-pair-share.

Students take a few minutes to think about the question or prompt. Next, they pair with a designated partner to compare thoughts before sharing with the whole class.

9. Choral reading.

Students mark text to identify a particular concept and chime in, reading the marked text aloud in unison with the teacher. This strategy helps students develop fluency; differentiate between the reading of statements and questions; and practice phrasing, pacing, and reading dialogue.

10. One question quiz.

Ask a single focused question with a specific goal that can be answered within a minute or two. You can quickly scan the written responses to assess student understanding.

11. Socratic seminar.

Students ask questions of one another about an essential question, topic, or selected text. The questions initiate a conversation that continues with a series of responses and additional questions. Students learn to formulate questions that address issues to facilitate their own discussion and arrive at a new understanding.

12. 3-2-1.

Students consider what they have learned by responding to the following prompt at the end of the lesson: 3) things they learned from your lesson; 2) things they want to know more about; and 1) questions they have. The prompt stimulates student reflection on the lesson and helps to process the learning.

13. Ticket out the door.

Students write in response to a specific prompt for a short period of time. Teachers collect their responses as a “ticket out the door” to check for students’ understanding of a concept taught. This exercise quickly generates multiple ideas that could be turned into longer pieces of writing at a later time.

14. Journal reflections.

Students write their reflections on a lesson, such as what they learned, what caused them difficulty, strategies they found helpful, or other lesson-related topics. Students can reflect on and process lessons. By reading student journals, teachers can identify class and individual misconceptions and successes.

15. Formative pencil–paper assessment.

Students respond individually to short, pencil–paper formative assessments of skills and knowledge taught in the lesson. Teachers may elect to have students self-correct. The teacher collects assessment results to monitor individual student progress and to inform future instruction. Both student and teacher can quickly assess whether the student acquired the intended knowledge and skills. This is a formative assessment, so a grade is not the intended purpose.

16. Misconception check.

Present students with common or predictable misconceptions about a concept you’re covering. Ask them whether they agree or disagree and to explain why.

17. Analogy prompt.

Periodically, present students with an analogy prompt: “the concept being covered is like ____ because ____.”

18. Practice frequency.

Check for understanding at least three times a lesson, minimum.

19. Use variety.

Teachers should use enough different individual and whole group techniques to check understanding that they accurately know what all students know. More than likely, this means during a single class the same technique should not be repeated.

20. Make it useful.

The true test is whether or not you can adjust your course or continue as planned based on the information received in each check. Do you need to stop and start over? Pull a few students aside for three minutes to re-teach? Or move on?

21. Peer instruction.

Perhaps the most accurate way to check for understanding is to have one student try to teach another student what she’s learned. If she can do that successfully, it’s clear she understood your lesson.
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What will you do if LOC are not being met?

1. Outdoor Teaching

How to implement it?

• Conduct classes outside the classroom on the lawn, garden or any place on the school premises.
• Take students on field trips to different places depending on the topics you are teaching.
• Allow them to interact outside of the classroom for effective communication with you and other students.
• Allow them to observe the nature, surroundings, places or objects for their learning.

2. Updating Teaching Methods

How to implement it?

• Conceptualise strategies for different teaching methods
• Conduct learning activities in the classroom with the help of technology or any materials
• Focus on visual learning as they can retain information for longer periods of time than words.
• Adapt different learning styles of students, such as visual, aural, social, and physical to teach.

3. Use of Technology

How to implement it?

• It helps in promoting students’ engagement for effective learning with the help of online tools.
• It is said that students learning with technology show more enthusiasm and interest in the lectures, content, assignments, assessments and projects.
• It allows you to implement different learning styles for a student, such as visual learning, aural, physical and social learning the students.
• It will provide abundant information in the form of text, videos, images, graphics, documentaries, animations, maps, graphs, infographics etc. Also, have e-books, journals, articles, and blogs for enhancing the teaching and learning experience.
• It will help in assessing students with automated questions, quizzes etc. and provide feedback based on the performance of the students.
• It will enable you to provide personalised guidance to the students for their better learning outcomes.

4. Regular Assessment

How to implement it?

• Conduct chapter-wise full test and revision tests on a regular basis.
• Take help of online platforms for the assessment of students.
• Help students in managing their time during the test or exams.
• Create questions for chapter-wise, unit-wise or whole syllabus in an online platform.

5. Encourage Self Learning

How to implement it?

• Ask them to take a topic for self-learning.
• Give them assignments that need a lot of research, reading and analytical skills.
• Conduct debates, seminars and talks for the students.
• Ask them to create a questionnaire from their syllabus.
• Encourage them to ask questions.

6. Regular Feedback

How to implement it?

• You should provide feedback regularly after each assessment on projects, assignments, tests, games, etc.
• Give them honest and fair feedback for their improvement
• Make sure you provide feedback based on their performance
• Provide feedback with positivity and areas of improvement for future assessments
• Ask them about how they feel about the assessment and overall learning experience so that you can work accordingly.

7. Interactive Learning

How to implement it?

• Conduct interactive activities for the students in the form of seminars, extempores, speeches, debates, etc.
• Encourage students to participate in interactive sessions in the classroom.
• Give them the spot topic to speak about so that they can develop thinking skills.
• Conduct group activities for the students for role play, model making, assignments, projects, outdoor activities, etc.

8. Engaging

How to implement it?

• Conduct engaging activities using visual tools, audio, documentaries, graphics, animations, etc.
• Use material or props for explaining or demonstrating the concept in the class.
• Give real-life examples or situations so that students can connect to the concept easily.
• Promote learning through examples of everyday routine for a better understanding of the concepts.

9. Effective Course Content

How to implement it?

• Design curriculum keeping in mind student interest and need
• Include learning activities, games, and styles in the curriculum
• Add regular assessment and feedback process for chapter wise, unit wise and whole syllabus
• Break down a complex topic into simpler ones for a better understanding of the concepts

10. Personalised Guidance

How to implement it?

• Communicate with the students on a regular basis
• Identify their interest based on the learning pattern
• Conduct practice and revision tests for better learning outcomes
• Pinpoint their mistakes to identify their weaknesses and strengths
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Assessment cycle for the improvement of learning outcomes

The Cycle of Assessment relies on four simple but dynamic words to represent this process: Teach, Measure, Reflect, and Plan & Improve.

• Assessment Cycle: Teach

“Teaching” is the first phase of our assessment cycle. We employ strategies to help our students learn the course outcomes.

• Assessment Cycle: Measure

“Assessing Student Learning” is the second phase of our assessment cycle. We develop methods to assess whether our students are learning the material.

• Assessment Cycle: Reflect

“Reflecting” is the third phase of our assessment cycle. We look back on whether our teaching strategies were successful and what changes we can make improve to student learning.

• Assessment Cycle: Plan & Improve

“Improving our instruction” is the fourth phase of our assessment cycle. We refine our instructional strategies and techniques to help all students achieve mastery of the course outcomes.

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Learning objectives/Learning outcomes - Differences

To summarise the differences:

OUTCOMES :

• Have a broader focus
• Student led
• Learning is both Process and Product orientated

OBJECTIVES :

• Have a narrower focus
• Teacher – led, provider - led
• Learning is Product orientate

➖ Why do learning product oriented?

Learning objectives emerged from the ‘behaviourist’ movement.

Behaviourists support the view that the learning must be overt, visible and hence potentially quantifiable changes in student ‘thinking’, 'feeling’ and acting behaviour, therefore learning is perceived as a product.

Hence, learning objectives should always be highly measurable.

# The outcomes approach does not prescribe learning.

i.e. it is geared to the individual, unlike the objectives approach which is aimed at 'controlling' and modifying behaviour”.

Whereas: “the precise dimensions of the outcomes cannot be specified to the level of clarity or specificity that instructional objectives ought to have”.

# Objectives are the road map.
Outcomes are the destination.

# Objectives-Giving direction-Director,
Outcomes-Acting-Actor. It is not necessary an actor should Act according to the director's expectations. He can Act beyond director's expectations also. Sometimes below. If it is below, the director has to reteach again. Acting varies from one actor to another, sometimes beyond and sometimes below, for one objective.

Since our classroom of hetrogenious and with individual differences, so we should have learning outcomes.

One teacher with one objective teaches to many individuals of different mindset and IQ. So each one of them reflect on their learning levels. It is the teacher, who can identify their levels from their outcomes. And it cannot be done by learning objectives.

# Learning outcomes describe what students will be able to do by the end of the course, which a teacher can assure, whereas your objectives are broadly speaking how you go about it.

Outcomes are core to anything you do - you must be very clear what the desired end point is when you design your course / session.

# A good teaching is measured through outcomes. A good teacher is not because of his teaching skills, if the teaching objectives are not met, then No use of teaching.

# It is similar to know difference between STUDY and LEARN

“Study” has to do with applying myself, something I do in order to gain knowledge. I can do this through reading, investigating, researching, observing (Learning objectives)

“Learn” has to do with grasping a knowledge or a skill ( LOC)

I study to learn, but can also learn other ways, such as through experience.

{To avoid confusion between Learning objectives and Learning outcomes, we can use the terms instructional objectives (teacher) and learning outcomes (taught)}