Learning Outcomes as Blueprints for Course Design

Most simply defined, learning outcomes describe what learners are supposed to know, be able to do, or value at the end of a course or module. In the same way that we tell students that their papers should have an argument or thesis statement that guides what they write, effective learning outcomes should guide what you include in your course.

Learning outcomes should direct your course, but they also guide students – they are written from the students’ perspective and include action verbs. They tell students what the course priorities are and that they are responsible for actively pursuing these priorities.

The goal of this workshop is to provide you with the tools for developing clear and measurable learning outcomes. At the end of this session, you will be able to:

• Explain the relationship between learning outcomes and course design
• Choose questions/criteria to consider when determining learning outcomes
• Apply Bloom’s Taxonomy of educational objectives to write learning outcomes
• Evaluate learning outcomes for clarity, demonstrability and appropriateness