how to create course objective and outcomes

by Prof. Elvis Beer 5 min read

Start with your overarching course objective, and brainstorm the skills, and education you are trying to impart in your course. Planning each lesson to incorporate a component or skill that is measurable and easy to develop one after another. Then describe the outcomes or behavior that a student can expect, so they can relate to the words you use.

How do I write Effective Learning Objectives? 1,3
  1. Reflect on the course. ...
  2. Brainstorm specific things what you want students to know and do by the end of the course. ...
  3. Refer to resources that can help you identify action verbs that will be observable and measurable. ...
  4. Draft your learning outcomes and prioritize them.
Jan 26, 2022

Full Answer

What is the purpose of course outcomes?

What should outcomes be?

How are Learning Outcomes Different from Learning Goals or Learning Objectives?

Why Write Learning Outcomes?

What about Hard-to-Measure Outcomes?

How do learning outcomes help instructors?

What is outcome in education?

See 4 more

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How do you write an objective for a course?

What do good course objectives look like?Choose an action verb that corresponds to the specific action you wish students to demonstrate.Explain the knowledge students are expected to acquire or construct.[Optional]: explain the criterion or level students are expected to reach to show mastery of knowledge.

How do you create a course learning outcome?

Helpful HintsFocus on the student--what the student will be able to do by the end of the course or program.Describe outcomes, not processes or activities.Start each outcome with an action verb.Use only one action verb per learning outcome.Avoid vague verbs such as know and understand.More items...

What is an example of a course objective?

Objective – A course objective describes what a faculty member will cover in a course. They are generally less broad that goals and more broad than student learning outcomes. Examples of objectives include: Students will gain an understanding of the historical origins of art history.

What are the 3 course objectives?

Cognitive objectives emphasize THINKING, Affective objectives emphasize FEELING and. Psychomotor objectives emphasize ACTING.

What are the 7 learning outcomes?

CAS Learning Outcomes.Strength & growth.Challenge & skills.Initiative & planning.Working collaboratively with others.Showing perseverance and commitment.Global engagement.Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions.More items...

What are the 4 learning outcomes?

The following examples of academic program student learning outcomes come from a variety of academic programs across campus, and are organized in four broad areas: 1) contextualization of knowledge; 2) praxis and technique; 3) critical thinking; and, 4) research and communication.

What is the difference between an outcome and an objective?

What are the differences between Objectives and Outcomes? Objectives are intended results or consequences of instruction, curricula, programs, or activities. Outcomes are achieved results or consequences of what was learned; i.e., evidence that learning took place.

How do you write outcomes?

As a reminder, make the outcome specific, with action verbs and observable end products. We recommend avoiding the word, “demonstrate” and selecting an action verb that illustrates how students may demonstrate (e.g., define, predict, explain, compute, critique). Some learning outcomes may utilize multiple actions.

What is the difference between learning outcomes and objectives?

A learning outcome describes the overall purpose or goal from participation in an educational activity. Courses should be planned with a measurable learning outcome in mind. Objectives are used to organize specific topics or individual learning activities to achieve the overall learning outcome.

What are the 4 components of learning objectives?

Learning objectives are known to be made up of a number of components. The most known components are those identified by an educational theorist Robert Marger. The major components are audience, condition, standards and behavior.

What are 5 learning objectives?

To give students a clear understanding of where they are headed, well-written learning objectives should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Result-oriented, and Time-bound (SMART).

How do you create an objective?

Each objective should begin with a verb that describes an observable behavior, such as "describe, summarize, demonstrate, compare, plan, score", etc. You can observe the participant and measure how well the objective was met.

What is a learning outcome examples?

Learning outcome: Describes a wider range of behavior, knowledge and skill that makes up the basis of learning. Example: Learners can reliably demonstrate how to use de-escalation techniques to neutralize conflicts.

What is a course learning outcome?

Learning outcomes are measurable statements that concretely formally state what students are expected to learn in a course. While goals or objectives can be written more broadly, learning outcomes describe specifically how learners will achieve the goals.

What is an example of a student learning outcome?

Learning outcomes should address program goals and not specific course goals since assessment at the University is program-focused. For example, the learning outcome “Students completing Chemistry 101 should be able to…” is focused at the course level.

How do you write a program outcome?

They should be observable (and when appropriate measurable). They should be clearly written and easily understood by faculty, students, staff, administrators, and external constituencies. Each set of outcomes should be comprehensive, coherent, and contextualized for a specific discipline.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES VS LEARNING OUTCOMES - LinkedIn

Learning Objectives & Outcomes Course objectives are clear and concise statements that describe what you intend your students to learn by the end of the course. The difference between course ...

Course Learning Outcomes | Center for Advancing Teaching and Learning ...

Adapted from Anderson, L. W., & Krathwohl, D. R. (2001). A taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assessing, Abridged Edition.Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon. Good ...

Learning Goals & Objectives in Course Design: How To Prepare a Great ...

What is the Difference Between Goals and Objectives? Many people confuse the definitions of goals and objectives and often confuse the terms.. Learning goals are long-term, broad, and achievable, but not necessarily measurable.. On the other hand, learning objectives are also referred to as learning outcomes because they are immediately linked to the expected outcomes; what we can expect ...

Learning Outcomes: Types, Examples, Verbs | Outcomes vs ... - Valamis

What are learning outcomes? Learning outcomes are descriptions of the specific knowledge, skills, or expertise that the learner will get from a learning activity, such as a training session, seminar, course, or program.. Learning outcomes are measurable achievements that the learner will be able to understand after the learning is complete, which helps learners understand the importance of the ...

What about courses for adults?

This is how it works when you’re creating online courses for adults, too. Let’s look at one of those examples.

Your Turn

hink about a course that you want to create, you are currently creating, or one that you need to revamp. Write down your overall goal for the course. What transformation is your learner going to experience?

Community Conversation

When you’ve completed this, post a comment on the companion video to this blog post on YouTube. Let me know if you struggled with any part of this activity or if you still have questions. I’ll try to answer all the questions I can, but if you have experience and can answer questions, please jump in!

Looking for More Help on Creating your Online Course?

Download my free ebook Online Course Creation Made Easy: 25 Activities to Engage Your Online Learners.

Course Goals and Student Learning Outcomes

In the last section about backward design, we talked about identifying outcomes, but we didn’t pause to provide any definitions or descriptions. In this section, to make sure we’re speaking the same language moving forward, it’s time to provide more details about setting course goals and identifying desired student learning outcomes.

Course Goals (Objectives)

A course goal sketches a broad plan regarding what students will have acquired or achieved by the end of the course. Course goals need to be realistic and achievable, but they don’t necessarily have to be measurable.

Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

To know if course goals are being achieved, we need observable and measurable student learning outcomes (SLOs), with specific verbs that tell us exactly what to look for. One of the best ways to ensure that your SLOs are measurable and observable is to use action verbs from Bloom’s Taxonomy.

Program-level Outcomes

Here, we’ve been discussing course-level goals and SLOs, but these concepts also apply to program assessment. If you’re interested in reading more on writing program-level outcomes, check out these useful resources from our Office of Institutional Effectiveness.

What is learning outcome?

Learning outcomes are measurable statements that concretely formally state what students are expected to learn in a course. While goals or objectives can be written more broadly, learning outcomes describe specifically how learners will achieve the goals. Rather than listing all of the detailed categories of learning that is expected, ...

How can learning outcomes be strengthened?

Learning outcomes can be strengthened by more explicitly articulating what it looks like when learners understand . A more explicit outcome statement using action verbs might be: Learners should be able to compare and contrast US political ideologies regarding social and environmental issues.

Why are Learning Outcomes Important?

Learning outcomes identify the specific knowledge and skills that one should be able to do at the end of the course. Articulating outcomes – and communicating them clearly and understandably to learners – has benefits to both learners and educators.

How to support you in teaching?

To support you and your teaching, consider giving learners the chance to provide you with feedback on whether and how the outcomes have been achieved. Doing so can inform how you teach the rest of the course or future iterations of the course.

Why is it important to familiarize yourself with the possible sequences?

For example, familiarizing yourself with the possible program sequences helps you understand the knowledge and skills learners are bringing into your course and the level and type of mastery they may need for future courses and experiences. Another example can be to ensure that a course with NUPath attributes addresses the associated outcomes . Doing so ensures that learners are achieving the breadth of learning expected for the bachelor’s degree at NU.

What should learners be able to apply?

Applying: Learners should be able to apply safety principles related to food, consumers and personnel in quality management situations.

Why is it important to provide feedback to students regarding their learning outcomes?

Providing feedback to students regarding their achievement of the learning outcome is important for both the learner (to understand and apply the feedback in the future) and to the educator (to see how learners are progressing in the course).

How to create effective objectives for training and development?

One of the most important aspects of creating effective objectives for training and development is to understand what it is you want trainees to be able to do once they complete the training. The outcomes you want to achieve will ultimately be the guide for writing the actual objectives. This first step answers the question, "what do you expect trainees to learn during the course or the program?"

What are the objectives of training?

The objectives you write will need to be relatable and consist of measurable criteria that allow you to assess trainees' understanding of the procedures and expectations. For instance, in the case of learning new software, the training objectives should include methods for you to monitor trainees' progress in using the program's functions, navigating tools and other evidence that they are learning and gaining proficiency.

What is the purpose of training objectives?

Creating meaningful, relatable and effective training objectives is important for the overall success of the employees who participate. Several reasons to give added attention to your training objectives include the following:

What can you do once you have determined what you expect trainees to be able to do as a result of?

Once you have determined what you expect trainees to be able to do as a result if the training program, you can start developing the processes you'll use to support learning and help trainees progress towards the outcomes you outlined in step one.

Why is it important to identify obstacles to trainees' learning?

As you outline activities and procedures that align with the desired outcomes , it's important to identify any obstacles that might present themselves as impediments to trainees' learning throughout the program. For example, with a diverse team of staff members, it may be difficult to create activities and learning procedures that account for everyone's unique style of learning. In this case, you might overcome this challenge by taking a survey to see what kinds of methods your team members learn best with. This way, you can set achievable objectives for all trainees.

Why are training objectives important?

Training objectives help keep the focus of training programs and help employees understand their value. In this article, we'll explore what training objectives are and how to create effective objectives with examples to guide you the next time you're responsible for managing your workplace's training development.

Why is asking questions important in training?

Asking questions like these can help you relate your training objectives to the overall achievement of your team's, department's and company's business goals. This can also help you ensure that the outcomes you develop will be realistic and attainable for trainees who participate.

What is the purpose of course outcomes?

Outcomes inform both the way students are evaluated in a course and the way a course will be organized. Effective learning outcomes are student-centered, measurable, concise, meaningful, achievable and outcome-based (rather than task-based).

What should outcomes be?

Outcomes should specify the skills and knowledge students must demonstrate to prove mastery instead of focusing on the assignment format, such as a quiz or essay. Well-worded outcomes should remain flexible enough to accommodate a variety of formats for a corresponding assessment.

How are Learning Outcomes Different from Learning Goals or Learning Objectives?

However, the difference between goals or objectives and outcomes lies in the emphasis on who will be performing the activities.Learning goals and objectives generally describe what an instructor, program, or institution aims to do, whereas, a learning outcome describes in observable and measurable terms what a student is able to do as a result of completing a learning experience (e.g., course, project, or unit).

Why Write Learning Outcomes?

Identifying the desired results of a learning experience is the first step of backward design.Learning outcomes are used for this purpose. Learning outcomes are also valuable in these ways:

What about Hard-to-Measure Outcomes?

Some faculty find it stifling to only include measurable outcomes in their course-planning process. You might have learning goals in mind that are valuable but more difficult to measure in a quarter, such as

How do learning outcomes help instructors?

describe to students what is expected of them. plan appropriate teaching strategies, materials and assessments. learn from and make changes to curriculum to improve student learning. assess how the outcomes of a single course align with larger outcomes for an entire program.

What is outcome in education?

Outcomes emphasize higher-order thinking and are consistent with university, college, department, and program learning outcomes or objectives.

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Course Goals and Student Learning Outcomes

Course Goals

  • A course goal sketches a broad plan regarding what students will have acquired or achieved by the end of the course. Course goals need to be realistic and achievable, but they don’t necessarily have to be measurable. Here are some examples of course goals: 1. The students will work effectively as a team leader. 2. The students will learn effective ...
See more on oer.gsu.edu

Student Learning Outcomes

  • To know if course goals are being achieved, we need observable and measurable student learning outcomes (SLOs), with specific verbs that tell us exactly what to look for. One of the best ways to ensure that your SLOs are measurable and observable is to use action verbs from Bloom’s Taxonomy. Here is a PDF that contains many possible learning action verbsas well as the type o…
See more on oer.gsu.edu

Program-Level Outcomes

  • Here, we’ve been discussing course-level goals and SLOs, but these concepts also apply to program assessment. If you’re interested in reading more on writing program-level outcomes, check out these useful resources from our Office of Institutional Effectiveness.
See more on oer.gsu.edu