Peer Learning Event on Assessment
and Demonstration of Achieved
Learning Outcomes
Andy Gibbs
The Hague
October 2015
Age Old Questions
• What is the appropriate role of learning outcomes in the European Higher
Education Area - do they have a positive contribution?
• What are the implications of learning outcomes for governments,
ministries and national authorities - how do they relate to quality
assurance frameworks and qualifications frameworks?
• How might learning outcomes contribute to the development of quality
assurance at the European level? How can national and internationally
accepted threshold standards (and descriptions of learning) be
developed?
•
What are the implications of learning outcomes for higher education institutions
(at module and programme level)?
• How can good practice and experience associated with the development and
implementation of learning outcomes be shared, and is a top-down or bottom-up
or a mixed approach more effective?
• Do we need to develop common definitions and understandings about learning
outcomes and their expression, and if so, how?
http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2004/09/19908/42708
Issues with Introduction of Learning
Outcomes
• Learning Outcomes are only part of a massive reform package,
e.g. Qualification Frameworks, Lifelong Learning, ECTS,
Mutual Recognition, Quality Assurance.
• How best to introduce Learning Outcomes (“top down” or
“bottom up”? Best left to local and National autonomy.
• How best to deal with sceptical attitude of some staff
members – “dumbing down”, “restricting academic freedom”?
Hence, important to introduce Learning Outcomes in a proper
fashion using sources of good practice and advice.
• Lack of clarity and lack of shared understanding on key
terminology, e.g. learning outcomes and competences.
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Progress………?
• considerable progress has been made in producing
guidelines for good practice in writing programme
specifications in countries such as Ireland and UK. A
programme specification is defined as a concise
description of the intended learning outcomes of a
Higher Education programme and the means by which
the outcomes are achieved and demonstrated (Quality
Assurance Agency, 2006). In the UK, for example, it is
possible to find publicly available examples of
programme specifications which provide the core
details of degree programmes. In addition, there is also
a guide on writing programme specifications, published
by the Quality Assurance Agency in the UK (URL 5).
Useful Sites
http://www.modules.napier.ac.uk/
http://www.essex.ac.uk/programmespecs/
http://info.uwe.ac.uk/programmes/
http://www.reading.ac.uk/progspecs/
http://www.cam.ac.uk/about/natscitripos/ps/
http://www.qaa.ac.uk/AssuringStandardsAndQu
ality/Pages/Programme-specifications.aspx
Learning Outcomes are the building blocks of
Higher Education Reform
Learning outcomes have been described in the Bologna
Process Stocktaking Report 2007 as “critically important
in the development of national qualification
frameworks, systems for credit transfer and
accumulation, the diploma supplement, recognition of
prior learning and quality assurance” (Rauhvargers A et
al., 2007).
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Ask Yourself…….
• Does each outcome start with an active verb?
• Have I used terms like know, understand, learn, be
familiar with, be exposed to, be acquainted with, be
aware of and appreciate?
• Do the learning outcomes range across the levels of
Bloom’s Taxonomy?
• Are they measurable (able to be assessed) ?
• Are they student-focused rather than teacher focused
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Alignment within a Given Course
Course-Level
Learning
Outcomes
Teaching and
Learning Activities
Assessments
of Student
Learning
Learning Outcomes, Degree Profiles, Tuning Project
and Competences
Including a review of “Tuning Educational Structures in Europe. A
Guide to Formulating Degree Programme Profiles – Including
Programme Competences and Programme Learning Outcomes”
Published by the Competences in Education and Recognition Project 2
(CoRe2)
Andy Gibbs
Declan Kennedy
Anthony Vickers
This paper outlines the background to the role of Learning Outcomes in the Bologna Process and
discusses modules learning outcomes, programm
e learning outcomes and programme
specifications used to describe the intended learning outcomes of Higher Education programmes.
The concept of constructive alignment is also discussed and exemplar material is provided to assist
colleagues in higher educat ion to implement constructive alignment in their programmes. A review
is then undertaken of the above Tuning publication and serious concern is expressed regarding its
content. The authors conclude that the confusion generated by this publication could ser
iously
damage the considerable progress made in implementing the Bologna Process in many cou
ntries.
The authors emphasise the fact that the Bologna Process can be fully implemented without
reference to the Tuning Project.
Two Differing Aproaches
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Learning Outcomes
• A learning outcome is a
measurable result of a
learning experience which
allows us to ascertain to
which extent/level/standard
a competence has been
formed or enhanced” (p.
21).
• Learning outcomes are
statements of what a
student is expected to
know, understand and/or be
able to demonstrate after
completion of a process of
learning (ECTS Users’ Guide
2005, 2009).
What are learning outcomes?
• Learning outcomes are statements of what is expected that a
student will be able to DO as a result of a learning
activity….(Jenkins and Unwin).
• Learning outcomes are explicit statements of what we want our
students to know, understand or to be able to do as a result of
completing our courses. (Univ. New South Wales, Australia)
• “Learning outcomes are statements that specify what learners
will know or be able to do as a result of a learning activity.
Outcomes are usually expressed as knowledge, skills or
attitudes”. (American Association of Law Libraries).
• Learning outcomes are an explicit description of what a learner
should know, understand and be able to do as a result of
learning. (Learning and Teaching Institute, Sheffield Hallam
University)
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ECTS User Guide
• Learning outcomes express the level of competence
attained by the student and verified by assessment.
They are ‘statements of what a learner knows,
understands and is able to do on completion of a
learning process’ (Ibid.) (2015)
Writing Learning
Outcomes
• While there are a variety of
different ways of outlining a
learning outcome, each one
normally contains five key
components” (p. 44 - 45)
• learning outcome should contain
an indication of the standard or
the level that is
intended/achieved by the LO(p.
45)
• learning outcomes are expressed
in terms of the level of
competence to be obtained by
the learner (p. 55)
•
•
•
The only requirement for writing a
learning outcome is that the
sentence must begin with an active
verb
it is the information supplied with
the learning outcomes (course
topics, assessment, teaching
methods, etc.) that gives an
indication of the level of the
learning outcome.
it is the assessment of the learning
outcomes that indicates the extent to
which the student has achieved the
learning outcome
Programme
Competences
• “Developing the key
competences is the main
objective of a programme.
These competences are called
Programme Competences
(PCs) because they are the
cornerstones of a programme.
Their achievement is verified
through references to
Programme Learning
Outcomes (PLOs).” p. 22
• It is possible to write
Programme Learning
Outcomes without any
reference to Programme
Competences.
Common Language?
• Learning Outcomes have become the “common language” of
education within the Bologna Process. ECTS may be thought
of as the “common currency” of the Bologna Process.
Students who achieve the learning outcomes of the modules
within the overall programme are rewarded with ECTS credits
• Learning Outcomes represent one of the essential building
blocks for transparent higher education systems and
qualifications… It is important that there should be no
confusions about their role, nature and significance or the
educational foundations of the Bologna process will be
weakened
(Adams S, 2004)
• Thank you for listening
• [email protected]