Outcomes and Activities and
Styles, Oh My!
Developing Learning Outcomes to
Create Learning Activities that
Address Different Learning Styles
Carla List-Handley
TCLC Workshop
Rosemont College
6 January 2011
The Workshop
A
question
 Learning outcomes
 Another question
 Active learning & learning styles
 The rest of the questions
First: Learning Outcomes
Talking the Talk:
Objectives or Outcomes?

Learning objectives are “specific, observable,
and measurable statement[s] that describe
what a student will be able to do at the end
of the course.”

Learning outcomes are “statements that
specify what learners will know or be able
to do as a result of a learning activity ...
usually expressed as knowledge, skills, or
attitudes.”
What Do Outcomes DO?

For teacher
◦ Provide opportunity to see what you NEED
to teach
 “Please teach ____ database” (something you hear
& do often)
 What are you teaching?
◦ Break classroom approaches down
◦ Help you select methods & materials
What Do Outcomes DO?

For students
◦ Student-focused
◦ Designed to meet identified skill or
comprehension needs
◦ Can provide a means for self-assessment
How Do You Create Outcomes?

Condition(s): What is needed for the
student to demonstrate the performance?
“Given three topics and our list of databases ...”

Verb: What measurable or observable
action will the student perform?
“... the student will identify one database
appropriate to the research topic...”

Accuracy (performance standard): How
often does a good choice indicate
understanding?
“... for two out of three topics.”
Mechanics of the Mechanics
Condition
Include any equipment needed, e.g.,
computer, database(s), citation site(s)
Verb
Use action verbs, i.e., Bloom’s Taxonomy
Accuracy or Degree
Decide what quantity is needed to
indicate success, i.e., comprehension
Bloom’s Taxonomy
 “Goals
of the educational process” Bloom,1948
 Provides a list of verbs and what to
use them for
◦ ACTION VERBS, e.g., arrange, differentiate,
select, label, evaluate
 Makes
outcomes simple to write
www.wisha.org/CE/Writing20%Learning20%Outcomes20%and20%Assessments20%of.pdf
Bloom’s Taxonomy - Examples

Knowledge
Arranges elements of a citation

Comprehension
Identifies subject-appropriate database(s)

Application
Uses MLA Manual to assist w/citation problem

Analysis
Compares bias in two websites

Synthesis
Organizes gathered information into paper

Evaluation
Assesses value of website(s) to research topic
Using Outcomes for Assessment

Because specified actions are
◦ Observable
◦ Measurable

Forms of assessment can include
◦ Completion of a project
◦ Written report, e.g., how will student use
what s/he learned?
Using Outcomes in the Classroom

Use outcomes to help you decide on
your teaching method

TELL students what your goal is at the
beginning of the session

Let students know how they can measure
their success
Your Assignment
(should you choose to accept it)
Write an outcome
And ONLY one!
You will (and should) come up
with more than one.
Reporter should report the best one,
but also indicate others (no more than 2)
that might be worth addressing.
Your Outcomes
HED311: Given a country to track, the student will identify
and locate one authoritative general international source
and one authoritative country-specific source from all
available sources.
Given specific websites, students working in groups will
analyze these for currency, authority, and objectivity.
ANT380: Given three librarian-recommended databases,
students will identify one scholarly article relevant to the
topic.
Given an APA citation, students will recognize the
elements of a citation in order to identify other resources
of value.
Example of Outcomes
http://www.plattsburgh.edu/files/15/files/LIB105Objectives.pdf