What’s in a Learning Outcome?
Setting Clear and Manageable Course Expectations
Lane Community College
Facilitated by: Tammy Salman
Workshop Outcomes
By the end of this workshop, participants should be able to:
 Describe outcomes-based course design
 Determine a manageable number of learning outcomes
 Apply action-focused language in the creation or revision of learning outcomes
 Define the role of learning outcomes in developing assessments
Discussion
What would you like to accomplish today?
Terminology
General education / liberal education: General education is described as part of a liberal education and “provides
broad exposure to multiple disciplines and forms the basis for developing essential intellectual, civic, and practical
capacities” (AAC&U). Liberal education “helps students develop a sense of social responsibility; strong intellectual
and practical skills that span all major fields of study, such as communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills;
and the demonstrated ability to apply knowledge and skills in real-world settings” (AAC&U). For more, see
https://www.aacu.org/leap/what-is-a-liberal-education
Backward design (outcomes-based curriculum design for courses): “is the simple process of creating your content
from the end to the beginning. First, you clearly define the learning objectives of your class. Define what you want
your students to be able to accomplish when they complete the course or module. From there, you write out what
steps are necessary for your students to accomplish these goals. Then you design relevant content and activities that
achieve these steps.” (Simmons College, 2017, http://bit.ly/2pssMNH)
[Stanford Teaching Commons, Designing Courses Backwards]
Consider your own rationale for teaching this class or developing a program/certificate: What is important to you
about the material? About the way you plan to teach the material? About how the students interact with the
content?
 Less is more: Use fewer broad outcomes to get to the underlying themes
 Think broadly about these outcomes.
 Work backwards. What skills will
demonstrate achievement of the learning
goals?
Why bother? Some of the best payoffs include:
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The outcome goals will be threaded
throughout the course.
These choices define the skills embedded in
homework, projects, exams, etc. Student
work becomes more obviously relevant.
Learning outcomes: Describe the knowledge,
skills, and attitudes that students are expected
to gain as a result of their learning in a course,
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program/discipline, or at the institutional level. Learning outcomes typically are expressed using active verbs that
align with the level at which students are expected to demonstrate learning. Note: To keep things simple, consider
the concepts of goals and objectives as synonymous with outcomes. There are debates about these terms that
complicate the big picture, which is that, no matter what terminology we use, we need to set clear learning
expectations for students.
Curriculum mapping: Shows alignment among courses, within academic programs, and at the institutional level.
Indicates how learning outcomes at various levels are connected to each other. The “map” is often completed as a
chart or spreadsheet and indicates in which courses learning outcomes are addressed through direct teaching and
which specific activities or assignments are used to evaluate/measure student attainment of learning outcomes. See
https://www.lanecc.edu/assessment/creating-curriculum-map
Assessment of student learning: Often described as a continuous improvement cycle in which we identify learning
expectations (learning outcomes), determine how to measure or observe how students are learning or meeting the
stated learning outcomes (via formative or summative assessments), consider the results through reflection and
collaboration, and make changes (close the loop).
 Formative assessment: Scaffolded learning activities aligned with learning outcomes and designed to 1)
allow instructors to monitor learning and determine gaps in understanding in order to adjust a course or
refine practices, and 2) provide feedback to students that helps them reflect on their learning and ask
questions. Typically low stakes.
 Summative assessment: Evaluates or measures student learning based on learning outcomes and delivered
at the conclusion of instructional unit. Typically high stakes.
Writing Learning Outcomes
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Determine the level of learning you want to describe (i.e., program, course, unit/lesson, activity)
Pick a verb: Determine where in the cognitive hierarchy the learning will fall (knowledge,
comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, evaluation)
Determine how knowledge or skill will be applied using the “in order to” formula (below). I don’t typically
include this information in the outcome itself, but spend time considering what the intention is – why is
this outcome important to the learning experience?
Write in future tense
Write in short clear sentences.
Use language to be understood by students, colleagues and external examiners – therefore avoid jargon and
abbreviations and free of ambiguous words or phrases.
Outcomes should be achievable, demonstrable by students, and measurable – this is made easier if written
with what you would like the students to be able to do.
Identify the most important learning and don’t’ try to put too much into a single learning outcome. You will
define the outcomes through the content, lessons, activities, and assignments in your course.
Get additional guidance using the information and checklist below
EXAMPLE from Windward Community College in Hawai’I, AG 20 Plant Science (The study of plant
morphology, anatomy, physiology, classification, growth, growth regulators, and propagation)
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
 Describe and explain general plant structure and function in relation to plant growth and
development. (knowledge/comprehension)
 Demonstrate knowledge of horticultural principles in the cultivation of plants. (application)
 Examine commercial agricultural enterprises to become familiar with employment
opportunities and the impact of horticulture on our lives. (analysis)
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EXAMPLE outcomes “formula”
By the end of this
students will be able to
in order to
[course/program/lesson/etc]
[VERB + expected knowledge or skill]
[What will they do with this knowledge or skill?]
Adapted from
the University of
Nottingham (UK)
Checklist for Writing Outcomes
□ Does each outcome start with an action verb?
□ Does it describe an outcome, not a process or lesson?
□ Are the learning outcomes vague? Have you used verbs such as know and understand?
□ Do they reflect the level of learning required?
□ Are the learning outcomes observable and measurable?
□ Are they written in terms of what the learner does, not what the instructor does?
□ Are there the appropriate number of outcomes given the length of the class and credit load?
Discussion: What are some takeaways from this workshop? How do your learning outcomes align with each other?
Within a program? To Core Learning Outcomes? What assessments (formative activities, summative assignments)
will you/do you use to evaluate whether students have met the learning outcomes?
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Updating learning outcomes in the student registration system (aka “Banner”): This system is where much of
Lane’s curriculum “lives.” It is where all course outline information (title, credits, prerequisites, description, learning
outcomes, contact hours) is entered and stored. Program (career-technical) learning outcomes live in the Program
Update Portal. All course and program information is reviewed by faculty each year and submitted by the Curriculum
Specialist to the state for approval. This information is printed in a final “report,” which we know as the
catalog. https://siuslaw.lanecc.edu/StudentRegistrationSsb/ssb/registration Work with Tammy Salman and Melanie
Brown to get outcomes updated.
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