Creating Learning Outcomes
and Assignment Descriptions
Today’s Learning Outcomes
 Respond to common misconceptions regarding the design of
instruction
 Identify and utilize resources for setting measurable and achievable
course goals related to communication competency
 Distinguish between activities and assignments
 Develop appropriate assignments for measuring students’
achievement of learning outcomes
 Develop appropriate activities for helping students to master learning
outcomes
 Communicate learning outcomes, assignments, and activities clearly
to students
Confronting
Misconceptions
Common Misconceptions
1. Teaching is about sharing
content
2. Creating a class is about
deciding what content to cover
3. I only write learning outcomes
because they are required by
administrators
4. Most of the time I devote to a
class is spent actually in the
classroom or grading
assignments
5. There’s an ideal teaching
strategy
The Reality
1. Teaching is about helping students to
become competent in an area
• Both what they know and what they
can do
2. Creating a class involves a process of
deciding what skills students need and
how best to teach them
3. Learning outcomes are the driving force of the course
4. Designing a great class requires a lot of time up front,
but this can reduce the time you spend lecturing and reteaching later.
5. How you teach depends on what you are trying to
accomplish
Creating Learning Outcomes
Purpose?
Good, Better, Best
Move from a focus on what you want students to “know” or “understand” to
what you want students to be able to do as evidence
Avoid Phrases You Can’t Measure
• learn how to
• develop skills in
• discover
• appreciate
• value
• demonstrate
understanding/knowledge of
• be aware
• gain the ability
• acquire
• examine
• grow/increase – unless you are really measuring this
Good, Better, Best
Make sure you really capture what you want students to do as a result of
your class.
1. Knowledge
2. Comprehension
3. Application
Recall information
Interpret information in one’s
own words
Use knowledge or generalization in
a new situation
arrange
name
define
order
duplicate recall
label
relate
list
repeat
match
reproduce
memorize
classify
describe
discuss
explain
express
identify
indicate
locate
apply
choose
demonstrate
dramatize
employ
illustrate
interpret
4. Analysis
5. Synthesis
6. Evaluation
Break knowledge into parts
and show relationships
Bring together parts to form
whole and build relationships for
new situations
Make judgments based on criteria
analyze
appraise
calculate
categorize
compare
contrast
criticize
diagram
arrange
assemble
collect
compose
construct
create
design
formulate
appraise
argue
assess
attack
choose
compare
defend
estimate
differentiate
discriminate
distinguish
examine
experiment
inventory
question
test
report
restate
review
select
sort
tell
translate
manage
organize
plan
prepare
propose
set up
synthesize
write
operate
practice
prepare
schedule
sketch
solve
use
evaluate
judge
predict
rate
score
select
support
value
Morrison, Ross, Kalman, & Kemp (2011)
Bloom’s Taxonomy
Expanded Performance-Content Matrix
Content
Performance
Recall
Application
Facts
Concepts
Principles and Rules
Procedures
Interpersonal
Attitude
(Morrison et al., 2011)
Norm Referencing
•
National Communication
Association
•
Field-specific
•
What does communication
competency involve in your field?
Components of Learning Outcome
Behavior
• Create a visual aid
Context
• for a 3-5 minute speech on
treating a health condition
Performance criteria
• that shows an awareness of
patient needs, is visually appealing
and communicates treatment
options clearly
Instruction
Activities
Assignment
s
Learning
Outcomes
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Listening
Reading
Researching
Writing
Presenting
Discussing
Designing
Building
Drawing
Graphing
Evaluating
Defending
Etc
Developing
Assignments
•
Focus on learning outcomes
•
What is proper evidence?
•
Feasible for you?
•
Feasible for your students?
Assignment Description
• What will students need to
do
- Be clear
• What
are you expecting
- Be explicit
• Think about your student’s
perspective
• Get some feedback from
Giving Feedback
Good teaching requires good listening.
• Pre-assess
• Periodically check for
understanding
• How will students know
how they are doing?
Lesson Planning
Task Analysis
Terminal Learning Outcomes
Employ language that enhances the speaker's
credibility, promotes the purpose, and the
receiver's understanding.
Enabling Learning Outcomes
• Define credibility
• Identify language that makes speakers
appear more credible within a
profession
• Identify the language that is understood
by the audience
• Relate professional terminology to
audience expectations
Task Analysis
Terminal Learning Outcomes
Communicate in a style appropriate to the
professional nurse, through writing, speaking, and
group participation.
Enabling Learning Outcomes
• Choose appropriate technical vocabulary to
communicate concepts
• Exhibit empathy for patients through nonverbal
gestures
• Apply standard academic grammar principles to
written reports
• Determine group members’ perspectives on a topic
through active listening and identify points of
consensus
Developing Activities
No magic formula
Round the learning cycle
Match activity to outcome
Learning Strategies
Content
Facts
Concepts
Principles and Rules
Procedures
Interpersonal
Attitude
Strategies
Learning Strategies
Content
Strategies
Facts
Drills, lecture, mnemonic devices
Concepts
Hear/view examples, sort into categories,
compare and contrast, lecture, drills
Principles and Rules
Hear/view examples, complete worked
examples, solve a problem, computer
simulation, drills, paraphrase
Procedures
View a demonstration, complete worked
examples, solve a problem, computer
simulation, list steps, paraphrase, practice
Interpersonal
View a demonstration, mental rehearsal, roleplaying, computer simulation, practice
Attitude
Defend a position, mental rehearsal
In General
• Don’t just do one thing
• Carefully sequence
activities
• This requires:
• Clearly defining
learning outcomes
• Listening to students
• Providing feedback
One Final Note
Evaluation
How will you know your class was successful?
• Formative Evaluation – ongoing checkpoints
• Midterm evaluation
• Summative Evaluation – end of semester
• Student products?
• Student Feedback?
• Self-reflection?
References
Morrison, G.R., Ross, S.M., Kalman, H.K., & Kemp, J.E. (2011).
Designing effective instruction. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Shulman, L. S. (1987). Knowledge and teaching: Foundations of
the new reform. Harvard Educational Review, 5, 1–22.
Questions?