what is course outcome

by Hardy Luettgen 8 min read

Course outcomes should:

  • State what students are expected to know or be able to do upon completion of a specific course;
  • State clearly and relate specifically to the topics, assignments, exams, and assessments in the course;
  • Be observable and measurable in some way; and
  • Contribute or map to program‑level learning outcomes.

Course Learning Outcomes are statements clearly describing the meaningful, observable and measurable knowledge, skills and/or dispositions students will learn in this course. •

Full Answer

What is the difference between course objectives and learning outcomes?

Oct 21, 2019 · Course Outcomes are the statements that help the learners to understand the reason for pursuing the course and helps him to identify what he will be able to do at the end of the course. A Course outcome should define the knowledge, skills, the application of the knowledge and the skills the learner has acquired which he is able to demonstrate as the result …

How to write course learning outcomes for your syllabus?

Course learning outcomes are the “big ideas,” skills, or competencies students should be able to articulate, put into action, or utilize (theoretically or pragmatically) after their course experience. As a general institutional practice, at MJC, the OAW has recommended that faculty construct 2-3 CLOs per course.

How to write course objectives?

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. Benefits to learners:

What are some examples of learning outcomes?

Course Learning Outcomes are specific and measurable statements that define the knowledge, skills, and attitudes learners will demonstrate by the completion of a course. Learning Outcomes are written with a verb phrase and declare a demonstrable action within a given time frame, such as by the end of the course.

How do you write a course outcome?

Steps for Writing OutcomesBegin with an Action Verb. Begin with an action verb that denotes the level of learning expected. ... Follow with a Statement. Statement – The statement should describe the knowledge and abilities to be demonstrated.

What is course and learning outcomes?

Course Learning Outcomes are specific and measurable statements that define the knowledge, skills, and attitudes learners will demonstrate by the completion of a course. Learning Outcomes are written with a verb phrase and declare a demonstrable action within a given time frame, such as by the end of the course.

What is a learning outcome example?

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.Dec 7, 2021

What is course objectives and course outcomes?

Writing Course Goals/Learning Outcomes and Learning ObjectivesDescriptionCourse Goal / Learning Outcomedescribes broad aspects of behavior which incorporate a wide range of knowledge and skillLearning Objectivestend to describe specific, discrete units of knowledge and skill can be accomplished within a short timeframe

Why are course outcomes important?

A good learning outcome contributes to the learning management system of an institution. It aims in focusing on applying and integrating the knowledge and skills acquired in a particular unit of course program. Hence it is crucial in any part of any institution, which cannot be dodged when developing a course content.Jan 7, 2019

Why do course learning outcomes?

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.

What are the 7 learning outcomes?

7 Learning Outcomes7 Learning Outcomes1Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth2Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process3Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience4Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences3 more rows

What are the 5 learning outcomes?

The five learning outcomesChildren have a strong sense of identity.Children are connected with and contribute to their world.Children have a strong sense of wellbeing.Children are confident and involved learners.Children are effective communicators.

What is learning outcomes in teaching?

Learning outcomes describe the measurable skills, abilities, knowledge or values that students should be able to demonstrate as a result of a completing a course. They are student-centered rather than teacher-centered, in that they describe what the students will do, not what the instructor will teach.

What is course outcome in NBA?

Program Outcomes (POs): As stated by NBA, represent the knowledge, skills and attitudes the students should have at the end of a four year engineering program in India. The Course Outcomes(COs): They are the resultant knowledge skills the student acquires at the end of a course.

What is objective outcome?

Objective outcomes are assessments of potential benefits or harms of treatments which are not subject to a large degree of individual interpretation, and that are likely to be reliably measured across participants in a study, by different people and over time.

What are learning outcomes of the students?

Student Learning Outcomes are statements that specify what students will know, be able to do or be able to demonstrate when they have completed or participated in a Course or Program. SLO's specify an action by the student that must be observable, measurable and able to be demonstrated.

What are course outcomes?

Course outcomes should: State what students are expected to know or be able to do upon completion of a specific course; State clearly and relate specifically to the topics, assignments, exams, and assessments in the course; Contribute or map to program‑level learning outcomes.

What are the outcomes of academic programs?

Academic program outcomes should: Describe what students are expected to know or be able to do upon completion of a program; Be observable and measurable in some way; Contribute to the Wisconsin Experience whenever possible; and. Be assessed and reviewed by the faculty on a regular basis.

What does "caring" mean in education?

Caring — “Sometimes a learning experience changes the degree to which students care about something.

What is integration in education?

Integration — “When students are able to see and understand the connections between different things, an important kind of learning has occurred. Sometimes they make connections between specific ideas, between various learning experiences…or between different realms of life.”.

What is application learning?

Learning how to engage in various kinds of thinking (critical, creative, practical) is an important form of application learning, but this category of significant learning also includes developing certain skills (such as communicating, playing the piano) or learning how to manage complex projects.”.

What is Fink's philosophy of significant learning?

Fink believes that significant learning requires some lasting change that is important to the learner. The following taxonomy provides types of significant changes that can be helpful in the development of course outcomes. Foundational Knowledge — “At the base of…learning is the need for students to know something.

What is the Wisconsin experience?

The Wisconsin Experience is UW‑Madison’s vision for the total undergraduate student experience , which combines learning in and out of the classroom. Tied to the Wisconsin Idea and steeped in our long‑standing institutional values — the commitment to the truth, shared participation in decision‑making, and service to local and global communities — the Wisconsin Experience describes how students develop and integrate these core values across their educational experience.

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, ...

Why should learning outcomes be shared?

Learning outcomes should be shared with learners for the purposes of transparency and expectation setting (Cuevas & Mativeev, 2010). Doing so makes the benchmarks for learning explicit and helps learners make connections across different elements within the course. Consider including course learning outcomes in your syllabus, so that learners know what is expected of them by the end of a course, and can refer to the outcomes throughout the course. It is also good practice for educators to refer to learning outcomes at particular points during the course; for example, before introducing new concepts or asking learners to complete course activities and assignments.

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.

What does it mean to give learners an informed voice?

Depending on your course and the flexibility of your course structure and/or progression, some educators will spend the first day of the course working with learners to craft or edit learning outcomes together. This practice of giving learners an informed voice often leads to increased motivation and ownership of the learning.

What should learners remember?

Remembering : Learners should be able to recall nutritional guidelines for planning meals. Understanding : Learners should be able to explain the importance and impact of the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), and food service policies and regulations specific to food safety.

Why avoid passive verbs?

Avoid using passive verbs such as demonstrate, learn, comprehend , understand, or For example, because understanding happens entirely in the learners’ minds, it cannot be directly observed and therefore difficult to know when or if learners truly understand.

What is alignment in a program?

While course alignment within a program is usually strategically integrated at the programmatic level, it is good practice when developing your course learning outcomes to think about how the course contributes to your program’s mission/goals.

What is the meaning of outcome in learning?

Effective learning outcomes are student-centered, measurable, concise, meaningful, achievable and outcome-based (rather than task-based).

How to write learning outcomes?

Why Write Learning Outcomes? 1 describe to students what is expected of them 2 plan appropriate teaching strategies, materials and assessments 3 learn from and make changes to curriculum to improve student learning 4 assess how the outcomes of a single course align with larger outcomes for an entire program

What happens to learning outcomes as the level of analysis becomes smaller?

As a general rule, as the level of analysis becomes smaller, from course to module to assignment, the learning outcomes tend to be more specific and easily quantifiable.

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 learning objective?

Learning Objectives. Learning objectives are statements of what you intend to teach or cover in a learning experience. They tend to be. More specific than learning goals. Not necessarily observable nor measurable. Instructor-centered rather than student-centered. Useful in helping you formulate more specific learning outcomes.

What is a learning goal?

Learning goals are broad statements written from an instructor's or institution's perspective that give the general content and direction of a learning experience. They generally describe what an instructor or program aims to do; i.e., “The curriculum will introduce students to the major research methods of the discipline.”

What is the meaning of "as a result of participating in an educational unit"?

As a result of participating in (educational unit), students will be able to (measurable verb) + (learning statement). If the educational unit is implied, based on the context in which the learning outcomes are shared, you might leave off the first portion of the learning outcome statement.

What are the learning outcomes of a course?

Course Learning Outcomes are specific and measurable statements that define the knowledge, skills, and attitudes learners will demonstrate by the completion of a course. Learning Outcomes are written with a verb phrase and declare a demonstrable action within a given time frame, such as by the end of the course. Ideally, they should be observable, measurable, and achievable within a specified time period. For some, this definition describes what they have already understood to be Learning Objectives. Read more about Learning Outcomes vs Learning Objectives.

Why do we need conditional statements?

The conditional statement may be necessary if learners are expected to perform under specific conditions or contexts, if learners are given specific data sets or variables to work with, expected to reach specific target, or if learners will need to draw on prior knowledge and pre-set conditions ahead of time.

What is Bloom's revised taxonomy?

Bloom's revised taxonomy provides a framework for transforming competencies into essential learning outcomes or intended results. The revised taxonomy organizes these verbs or cognitive processes on a scale of lower-order to higher-order thinking skills. These categories define what learners should be able to do at each level of cognitive complexity. For example, having students "explain" or "discuss" a concept will demonstrate their understanding (lower-level), and having students "calculate" or "justify" will demonstrate their ability to analyze and evaluate (higher-level). Read more about Bloom's Revised Taxonomy and download a Bloom's chart.

Is "understand" measurable?

Note that not all actions or processes are measurable. For example, "understand" is a category label for the lower-level thinking skill of comprehension; however the verb understand itself is difficult to observe and cannot be easily measured. Learners can demonstrate understanding by their ability to define, describe, or explain. Use these kinds of observable action words in place of understand. It is often helpful to consider how you will assess the evidence of learning and how you will measure levels of mastery in order to determine the learning outcome you expect at the end of a course.

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Program Outcomes

  • As stated in the campus document Institutional Plan for Assessing Student Learning, course and program outcomes are required for all courses and programs. View program outcomes for each UW‑Madison undergraduate and graduate academic program in The Guide. Academic program outcomes should: 1. Describe what students are expected to know or be able to do upon compl
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The Wisconsin Experience

  • The Wisconsin Experience is UW‑Madison’s vision for the total undergraduate student experience, which combines learning in and out of the classroom. Tied to the Wisconsin Idea and steeped in our long‑standing institutional values — the commitment to the truth, shared participation in decision‑making, and service to local and global communities — the Wisconsin Experience desc…
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Course Outcomes

  • An essential element of a successful course design is how well and how clearly course outcomes have been written. Students should be able to read course outcomes and understand exactly what is expected of them and to what levels of performances they will be held accountable. As you write or review your course outcomes, consider the following guidelines. Course outcomes shou…
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Significant Learning

  • Fink believes that significant learning requires some lasting change that is important to the learner. The following taxonomy provides types of significant changes that can be helpful in the development of course outcomes. 1. Foundational Knowledge— “At the base of…learning is the need for students to know something. Knowing, as used here, refers to students’ ability to under…
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Curriculum

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Learning outcomes describe the learning that will take place across the curriculum through concise statements, made in specific and measurable terms, of what students will know and/or be able to do as the result of having successfully completed a course. 
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Goals

  • These terms are often used interchangeably and they are all related to the teaching and learning that is expected to take place in the classroom. 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 or program aims to do; i.e., This cour…
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Introduction

  • Writing learning outcomes should be a reflective process. Many departments find the following steps to be helpful as they begin the process of creating learning outcomes for their courses.
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Characteristics

  • If your department already has learning goals that it would like to develop into outcomes or is examining its current learning outcomes there are several characteristics to look for:
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Availability

  • The Center for Teaching & Learning is available to consult with departments and individual faculty members on developing learning outcomes.
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Assessment

  • As mentioned, identifying the most important things students should learn within your course is the first step in deciding what should be assessed, but learning outcomes have other uses as well; they:
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