Writing Learning Outcomes

The following are extracts from A Guide To Learning Outcomes by Rosie Bingham, Sheffield Hallam University.  See the complete guide for a more comprehensive description of this process.

Key points from the Guide

(numbers are those used in the original document)

Education is a complex process of bringing about change in individuals and enabling their development. Learning outcomes reflect those changes which have taken place in the individual as a result of going through a learning process.

1. Learning outcomes are an explicit description of what a learner should know, understand and be able to do as a result of learning. They may also include attitudes, behaviours, values and ethics.

Clear definition offers greater transparency of the learning process to all involved. Learning outcomes must be easily understood by all stakeholders  eg tutors, students, employers, Professional Bodies.

3. Learning outcomes are part of the whole process of planning of:

• identifying learning outcomes
• developing assessment criteria
• determining the assessment and feedback strategies
• developing the learning and teaching strategy which will enable the learners to achieve the learning outcomes

Each aspect feeds into the others and should be developed as part of the whole, to give coherence and unity to the learning process. You may need to re-visit and modify each aspect during the development process.

Format

Learning outcomes always start with a phrase such as ‘the learner should/will be able to……….’, followed by:

• An active verb or phrase
• An ‘object’ of the verb
• A clause or phrase which provides the context or condition

For example: The learner should be able to………….