Competences and learning
outcomes
Raimonda Markeviciene
What are learning outcomes?
Learning
outcomes are an
explicit description
of what a learner
should know,
understand and be
able to do as a
result of learning.
(Learning and
Teaching Institute,
Sheffield Hallam
Learning Outcomes
are specific
statements of what
students should
know and be able
to do as a result of
learning (Morss
and Murray, 2005)
University)
Learning outcomes are
explicit statements of
what we want our
students to know,
understand or to be able
to do as a result of
completing our courses.
(Univ. New South Wales,
Australia)
Learning outcomes are
statements of what is
expected that a student
will be able to DO as a
result of a learning
activity….(Jenkins and
Unwin).
“Learning outcomes are
statements that specify what
learners will know or be able to
do as a result of a learning
activity. Outcomes are usually
expressed as knowledge, skills
or attitudes”. (American
Association of Law Libraries).
Learning outcomes are statements of what a student should
know, understand and/or be able to demonstrate after
completion of a process of learning
Simply
and clearly
described
Common lge for
education
Across
various
systems and
different
countries
Assessabl
e
LO
Facilitate
comparabil
ity
Not a
“wish” list
Facilitate
diversity
Formal , informal
experiential and
lifelong learning
Competence - what does it mean?
It is difficult to find a precise definition.
“There is such confusion and debate
concerning the concept of ‘competence’
that it is impossible to identify or impute a
coherent theory or to arrive at a definition
capable of accommodating and reconciling
all the different ways that the term is used.
(Winterton et al., 2005)
ECTS Users’ Guide (2009)
• “A competency is more than just
knowledge and skills. It involves the ability
to meet complex demands, by drawing on
and mobilising psychosocial resources
(including skills and attitudes) in a
particular context.”
• “For example, the ability to communicate
effectively is a competency that may draw
on an individual’s knowledge of language,
practical IT skills and attitudes towards
those with whom he or she is
communicating.”
(OECD)
6
“The relationship between learning
outcomes and competences is a
complex area – the subject of some
debate and no little confusion”.
(Adam, 2004)
Competences in Nursing – types of competences
(Miller et al)
Narrow view:
equate competence
with performance, i.e.
the ability to perform
nursing tasks.
Broader view:
competence in terms
the ability of the nurse
to integrate cognitive,
affective and
psychomotor skills
when delivering
nursing care.
Tuning Project
• Tuning Educational Structures
in Europe was initiated in 2000.
In this project, the term
competence is defined as
follows:
“Competences represent a
dynamic combination of
knowledge, understanding,
skills and abilities. Fostering
competences is the object of
educational programmes.
Competences are formed in
various course units and
assessed at different stages”.
9
From Project to Process
Academic area vs. professional area and competences
Competence Circle
Employment profile
Academic field
Academic field
Academic field
Examples of Generic Competences
SAARD (Self-Assessment of All-Round Development Questionnaire
Research project identified 14 generic competencies:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Communication
Creative thinking
Critical thinking
Cultural Appreciation
Emotional Intelligence
and Psychological
wellness.
Entrepreneurship
Global outlook
• Healthy lifestyle
• Interpersonal
Effectiveness
• Leadership
• Life-Long Learning
• Problem Solving
• Social and National
Responsibility
• Teamwork
What are Generic Competences?
Generic competencies are transferable
multifunctional knowledge, skills and
attitudes that people could learn and
develop in different ways and learning
environments and apply across a variety
of job and life contexts.
(Fung et al)
Tuning Project - generic and subject
specific competences
Tree types of generic competences:
• Instrumental competences: cognitive abilities,
methodological abilities, technological abilities and
linguistic abilities.
• Interpersonal competences: individual abilities like
social skills (social interaction and co-operation).
• Systemic competences: abilities and skills concerning
whole systems (combination of understanding, sensibility
and knowledge; prior acquisition of instrumental and
interpersonal competences required)
Results
Comparing Graduates and Employers
6
5
4
4
3
3
2
1
1
1
Capacity for organisation
and planning
Teamwork
Ability to work autonomously
Information management skills
Concern for quality
Capacity to adapt to new situations
Capacity for applying knowledge in practice
Problem solving
Capacity to learn
Capacity for analysis and synthesis
Instrumental
Interpersonal
Systemic
Results
Comparing Graduates and Employers
18
17
16
Understanding of cultures and
customs of other countries
Appreciation of diversity
and multiculturality
Ability to work in
an international
context
Instrumental
Interpersonal
Systemic
Document analysis (Lithuanian case)
Research
expert
group
List of
documents to
be analysed
Researchers
of the
professional
field
Preparation of
primary list of
competences
Representatives
of subject area
Review and
finalisation of
the list of the
competences
Representatives
of subject area
Public Health:
primary list of competences: 98 competences (items)
finalised list of competences: 18 competences
Lists of subject specific competences
(Lithuanian case)
Subject area
Chemistry
28
English Philology
23
Fine Arts
26
Informatics
24
Medicine (family doctors)
23
Music
30
Public Health
18
Social work
38
Differences in evaluation of the importance of generic and subject specific
competences among different subject areas? (Lithuanian case)
Generic competences
Subject specific
competences
mean (s)
mean (s)
English philology
3,45 (0,32)
3,07 (0,47)
Informatics
3,31 (0,33)
3,02 (0,51)
Chemistry
3,46 (0,28)
3,37 (0,40)
Fine art
3,37 (0,25)
3,25 (0,50)
Music
3,36 (0,31)
3,38 (0,36)
Public health
3,46 (0,32)
3,13 (0,47)
Medicine (general practitioners)
3,38 (0,30)
3,54 (0,27)
Social work
3,48 (0,29)
3,33 (0,37)
The most important generic
competences by subject areas (Lith.)
Social responsibility (Lith)
Work in international and
multicultural environment (Lith)
Research results: Public Health
(Lithuanian case)
• Graduates (professional bachelors, bachelors and
masters):
– Most of respondents have been employed during their
studies;
– Positive assessment of the study programme – a
profound basis for further professional development;
– Employers of expect “experienced“ employees, able to
adapt immediately to the specific requirements, with
high level of practical skills that is identified as main
disadvantage of the studies);
– Employers expect Master’s degree;
– At the workplace specialisation, specific skills are
obtained (depends on the institution, laboratory).
Suggestions for the Public Health
programmes’ improvement (Lithuanian case)
GRADUATES:
Professional bachelors
• To prolong studies
• To make changes in the curriculum (e.g. time of
selection of study area)
• To ensure opportunities for further studies
• Focus on psychological, social skills, foreign
language
Bachelors, Masters
• To distinguish bachelor’s and
master’s programmes
• Equal focus on biomedical and
social sciences (e.g. law,
management)
EMPOYERS:
 To distinguish the development of Bachelors’ and Masters’ level competences;
 To deepen knowledge of professional foreign language (professional terminology);
 To improve quality of studies regarding different subjects (the quality of work of the
professors, departments’ staff).
Relationship between
competences and LO
(by Jeremy Cox, Polifonia
Competences and Learning Outcomes
Competences – A dynamic
combination of cognitive and
metacognitive skills, knowledge
and understanding, interpersonal,
intellectual and practical skills,
ethical values and attitudes
Learning outcomes Statements of what the learner is
expected to know, understand
and be able to do after
completion of a process of
learning .
confused
Bachelor of
History Generic
competence
Dictated by job market and
societal needs. Property of a
student which (s)he “takes
away” after the process of
learning.
Expressed through
competences. Show the
level of the developed
competence. Show the
requirements to obtain
credits. Formulated by
academics. Have to be
tested.
E.g: Awareness of the
connections between
present -day issues and
the past
E.g.: is able to describe
historiographical tendencies of the
last 20 years and to identify the
major actors in the debate about
modernity , post-modernity and
globalization and the related
understanding of the relationships
between world’s peoples.
LO
Learning outcomes and competences
in study programmes (Tuning)
Course
unit LO
Competences
A
Unit 1
Unit 2
C
D
X
F
X
X
X
E
G
H
I
J
X
X
Unit 3
Unit 4
B
X
X
X
X
X
Relation between Competences and LO in study cycles (subject
area of social work) (Lithuanian case)
Generic competence
LO
Subject specific
competence
LO
Ability to plan and organize
Professional bachelor
Bachelor
Master
Estimates time needed to
reach goals and meets
deadlines.
Differentiates between primary
ands secondary aims of the
activity.
Plans stages of the activity
according to the available
guidelines
Distributes roles to the team
members in order to reach
goals.
Adjusts activities according to
the analysis of the results and
recommendations of the
experts.
Plans activity after having
critically evaluated
controversial information from
different sources
Plans complex activity
composed of interrelated tasks.
Depending on the changing
situations adjusts plans in the
process of activity
implementation.
Plans stages of activity
evaluating risks of unknown
situations
To influence social policy through analysis and evaluation of social processes
based on research and practice in social work and other subject areas
Professional bachelor
Bachelor
Master
Discuss questions related to
social help processes and
proposes ideas/solutions for
the increase of their
effectiveness
Evaluate processes of social
help and propose solutions
based on theory and
interdisciplinary practice that
would lead to the increase of
effectiveness. Critically
evaluate various social care
systems and offer solutions to
enhance Lithuanian social
care system.
Explain movements and
initiatives aimed at decreasing
social exclusions and ensuring
social justice.
Critically evaluate various social
care systems through the
analysis of the effectiveness of
available services.
Finally…in the programme
Competence:
• The student should be able to use the mass and energy balances
for a given food process.
Objectives:
• Understand scope of mass balances in food processing systems.
• Understand appropriate use of mole fractions and mass fractions in
mass balances
Learning outcomes:
• Describe the general principles of mass balances in steady state
systems.
• Draw and use process flow diagrams with labels on flow streams for
mass balance problems.
• Solve mass balance problems associated with food processing
operations.
• Design and solve mass balances for complex process flow systems,
including batch mixing problems, multiple stage flow problems,
problems with multiple inflows and outflows, recycle streams and
multiple components, and processes where chemical reactions take
place.
Hartel and Foegeding (2004)
Recommendations
Starting points
• Term competence has
shared meaning in some
professions
• Therefore, the term
should be clearly defined
for each context
Therefore
• State the definition of
competence that is being
used in the particular context
• To ensure clarity of meaning,
write competences using the
vocabulary of learning
outcomes
Issues for staff – find your way!
Bloom’s
taxonomy
Competences
• Should be seen as a toolkit
• Any other taxonomy or tool
might be used
• Competences should be seen
as an important element for the
dialogue with the employers
• LO are more programme
specific and indicate the level