ACAT Learning Outcomes and
Articulation Conference
Jim Zimmer, Mount Royal University
April 24, 2017
Overview
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Backstory
Principles of Learning
Terminology
Why Learning Outcomes?
How Learning Outcomes?
Constructive Alignment
Assessment of Learnng Outcomes
Resources
Backstory
Principles of Learning
• that learning is facilitated when curriculum consists of a coherent,
integrated learning plan and not merely a collection of classes or
courses
• that learning is developmental and cumulative
• that learning is fundamentally about making and maintaining
connections - mentally and experientially - across courses,
experiences and contexts
• that deep and enduring learning goes beyond knowing to using what
one knows
• that development of higher-order skills (e.g. critical thinking,
communication, information literacy etc.) requires “sustained
intentionality” across a curriculum
Principles of Learning (cont’d)
• that learning is an active search for meaning by the
learner, constructing knowledge rather than passively
receiving it
• that learning is done by individuals tied to each other as
social beings and able to enhance one another’s
learning through cooperation, sharing and collaboration
• that assessment, rigorously practiced and with rich
feedback, is an integral element of the learning process
• that much learning takes place informally and
incidentally, beyond explicit teaching or the classroom
• that, beyond stimulation, learning requires reflection.
Terminology
Broad Themes
Goals / Principles/ Aims
*Outcomes* / Objectives / Competencies
Definition of Learning Outcomes
Learning outcomes are statements that describe
significant and essential learning that learners have
achieved, and can reliably demonstrate, at the end of
a course or program.
In other words, learning outcomes identify what the
learner will know and be able to do by the end of a
course or program.
Levels of Learning Outcomes
Institutional
Program
*Course*
Why Learning Outcomes?
• Provide a design framework for curriculum development
at the course or level
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Topics, depth, learning resources
Guide choice of assessment methods
Guide choice of teaching methods and learning activities
Consistency across multi-section courses
• Can enable students to become active agents in their
learning
• Assist students’ understanding of pedagogical choices
and assessment methods
• Important role in transfer articulation
• CAQC / Quality Assurance expectations
Vocabulary of Learning Outcomes
• Benjamin Bloom
– Taxonomies of Educational Objectives
• Handbook I – Cognitive Domain (1956)
• Handbook II – Affective Domain (1964)
• Handbook III – Psychomotor Domain (1970)
See: Implementing Bologna in your institution…
Bloom’s Taxonomy (1956)
Cognitive Domain
Cognitive Level
Brief Description
Knowledge
Remembering/recall of previously learned material
Comprehension Ability to grasp meaning of previously learned material
Application
Ability to use learned material in new and concrete situations
Analysis
Ability to break material into component parts so that its
organizational structure may be understood
Synthesis
Ability to put parts together to form a new whole
Evaluation
Ability to adjudicate others’ ideas, principles and conclusions
based on criteria
See:
- International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education
- Pearson Education
Bloom’s Taxonomy (1956)
Cognitive Domain
Cognitive Level
Sample Verbs
Knowledge
Define, identify, label, list, name, recite, select, state, etc
Comprehension
Compare, contrast, differentiate, distinguish, explain, etc
Application
Apply, compute, demonstrate, derive, employ, show, etc
Analysis
Analyze, criticize, debate, diagram, examine, inspect, etc
Synthesis
Build, compose, construct, design, integrate, synthesize, etc
Evaluation
Appraise, assess, critique, defend, evaluate, judge, justify, etc
See:
- International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education
- Pearson Education
Bloom’s Taxonomy Revised (2001)
Bloom’s Original Taxonomy
Revised Taxonomy
Knowledge
Remembering
Comprehension
Understanding
Application
Applying
Analysis
Analyzing
Synthesis
Evaluating
Evaluation
Creating
See:
- International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education
Writing Learning Outcome
Statements
• By the end of the course, students will be
able to:
– Observable action (verb) pitched at appropriate level
of Bloom’s taxonomy
– Object of that action
– Optional – context/modifiers that describe standards,
conditions or criteria for acceptable performance
Sample Learning Outcome
Statements
• By the end of this course, students will be able to:
– identify five key provisions of the clean air act
– distinguish between conduction and convection
– apply structured and semi-structured interviewing
techniques in his/her fieldwork
– design an experiment to determine the effect of
temperature on metabolic rate
– formulate a resume in Spanish for a job application
abroad
– evaluate the usefulness of various anthropological
research methods for the study of a specific problem
by selecting one of the options and justifying your
choice
A Learning Outcomes Checklist
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Verb + object +/- context/modifier
One verb per learning outcome
Appropriate to the level of the learner
Observable
Assessable
Realistic for the available timeframe
Align with program-level outcomes
Avoid vague terms such as - appreciate; know;
understand
See: Implementing Bologna in your institution…
Constructive Alignment
(Biggs, 2003)
Intended Learning Outcomes
Teaching Approaches,
Learning Activities and
Learning Resources
Assessment Methods
Alignment and Backward Design
(Wiggins & McTighe)
Intended Learning Outcomes
Assessment Methods
Teaching Approaches,
Learning Activities,
Learning Resources
Alignment
(Banta)
Conversational approach….
A. Broadly
speaking, what
are you hoping
your students
will learn by the
end of the
course?
Outcome 1
Outcome 2
Outcome 3 etc
B. How Would You Know
it if You Saw It?
(what would it look like?
what would the student
know, be able to do, or
demonstrate?)
C. How will you
help your
students learn
it? (in-class and
out-of-class)
D. What
assessments would
enable students to
exhibit the desired
behaviours listed in
Column B?
Aligning Assessment Methods with
Learning Outcomes
Cognitive Level
Sample Verbs
Possible Assessment Methods
Remembering
Define, identify, label, list,
name, recite, select, state, etc
Multiple choice items, fill-in-blank,
labelling diagrams, recitation…
Understanding
Compare, differentiate,
distinguish, explain, etc
Papers, short-answer exam
questions, concept maps…
Applying
Apply, compute, demonstrate,
derive, employ, show, etc
Problem sets, performances, labs,
simulations, prototyping….
Analyzing
Analyze, criticize, debate,
diagram, examine, inspect, etc
Case studies, Critiques, Labs,
Papers, Projects, Debates…
Evaluating
Appraise, assess, critique,
Journals, Diaries, Critiques, Product
defend, evaluate, judge, justify… Reviews, Case Studies…
Creating
Build, compose, construct,
Research projects, musical
design, integrate, synthesize, etc compositions, essays, business
plans, set designs
See: Carnegie Mellon University
Aligning Course Outcomes with
Program Outcomes
Program
Outcome 1
Program
Outcome 2
Program
Outcome 3
Program
Outcome 4
Program
Outcome 5
Core Course 1
I
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I
I
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Core Course 2
R
I
R
R
I
Core Course 3
R, A
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R, A
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Core Course 4
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R
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R
Core Course 5
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R, A
R, A
R, A
R, A
Core Course 6
R, A
M, A
R, A
M, A
R, A
Core Course 7
M, A
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M, A
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M, A
See: University of Hawaii
Curriculum Mapping
I = introduced
R = reinforced / practiced
M = mastery expected
A = assessed with feedback
Resources
Books
• Banta and Palomba (2014). Assessment essentials: Planning, implementing,
and improving assessment in higher education.
• Biggs, J. (2003). Teaching for quality learning at university. (2nd ed.)
• Wiggins & McTighe (2005). Understanding by design, expanded. (2nd ed)
Web Resources
• Carnegie Mellon University. Align assessments with objectives.
• Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario. Learning Outcomes Assessment
Resource Room
• Implementing Bologna in your institution. Writing and using learning outcomes: a
practical guide.
• International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education (2014). Bloom’s
taxonomy…and writing intended learning outcomes statements.
• National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment. Resource Library.
• Pearson Education. Using Bloom’s taxonomy to write learning outcomes.
• University of Hawaii. Curriculum mapping / curriculum matrix.