Intended Learning Outcomes
Frequently Asked Questions
Understanding and describing learning outcomes
1. What are 'learning outcomes' and what are they for?
Learning outcomes are statements about what a student is expected to know, understand
and be able to do at the end of a period of learning. A period of learning is a course, or an
award such as a certificate, diploma or a degree.
The intended learning outcomes of a typical programme, therefore, will be described by the
Programme Director/ team who design and produce materials, tuition, assessment and other
learning experiences that support the student in developing and demonstrating the
outcomes.
2. What should students know about learning outcomes?
The intended learning outcomes should inform both the learning experience and guide the
assessment process. They should be written in a way that is readily understandable to
students. The outcomes
• provide learning goals to be achieved;
• provide a focus for all assessment
• guide the tutor in providing feedback on the student’s progress
• help the student keep track of their own progress
• provide a language to help the student explain to others (such as employers) what they
have learned and can do.
Learning outcomes provide only signposts to the main areas of learning that the programme
team, or programme committee intend. They cannot, and should not, hope to cover all that a
student may get out of a course. Students are likely to have many other outcomes from their
learning experience (such as increased confidence, personal satisfaction, new insights,
improved skills, better job prospects and so on) which may not necessarily be on the list of
‘intended’ learning outcomes.
3. What should Lecturers know about learning outcomes?
Marking schemes and guidance notes should clearly link learning outcomes to assessment.
Feedback given by Lecturers should focus on the demonstration of learning outcomes,
identify where further development is needed and offer guidance about how it may be
achieved.
4. How should learning outcomes be written?
Learning outcomes should be described under the following headings:
Knowledge and understanding
Cognitive skills
Key skills
Practical and professional skills
Knowledge and understanding outcomes describe broadly the subject matter of the course.
Cognitive skills, such as analysis, synthesis and critical reasoning, describe the abilities
required to process the subject matter. Key skills relate to more specific skills such as being
able to communicate effectively; handle numerical and graphical work, and IT tools; and use
online sources to find and retrieve information. Learning how to learn is a key developmental
skill for most courses. Practical and professional skills are those skills specific to a particular
subject area, such as lab or field work, or the requirements of a specific professional or
regulatory body.
5. Who should learning outcomes be written for?
They should be written primarily for students, and use appropriate and readily understood
language. Learning outcomes are intended to help make clear to students the expectations,
and the opportunities, provided by the unit/programme or award. If they are written so that
they are clear to students they will also be clear to other staff and programme team
members, other lecturers, programme committees and, ultimately, the Quality Assurance
Agency (QAA)
6. Can you really differentiate between knowledge, understanding and processing
skills?
The simple answer is ‘no’. Knowledge and skills are interdependent particularly in higher
education. The reason for trying to separate the categories is to ensure that outcomes are
not just described in terms of a body of knowledge but that the processing of that knowledge
by the student is explored and explained. Within and between some disciplines there will be
debates and differences about what constitutes knowledge and how the ‘processing’ of that
knowledge can be described.
7. How many learning outcomes should there be?
Deciding on the appropriate number of learning outcomes depends to some extent on the
focus of the programme or award. Too many and relating the assessment to the outcomes
in an integrated way becomes difficult; too few and students may not be clear about what
they have achieved. Award learning outcomes will necessarily be more general than course
learning outcomes.
Assessing learning outcomes
8. Assessment and intended learning outcomes
It should be that all students through assessment of learning outcomes are able to have the
opportunity to ‘develop and demonstrate’ the intended outcomes of a programme or award.
9. Should assignment questions be linked to relevant learning outcomes?
Yes. Learning outcomes should be at the heart of the assessment strategy of a particular
unit/programme. The Programme Director should be able to tell the student which intended
learning outcomes will be assessed and graded, both in the continuous and the end-of-year
assessment.
10. How many times do students need to demonstrate a specified outcome?
That depends on the complexity of the outcome. Some outcomes can be demonstrated and
assessed once; others need to be developed through a series of demonstrations and
assessments. Some students will demonstrate the outcomes very fully at the first
opportunity; others need several attempts and may improve over time. This development will
most likely be reflected in the guidance given by their tutor and in their marks or grades.
11. Do all outcomes have to be summatively assessed?
No – some outcomes cannot be summatively assessed but can be demonstrated through
summative assignments. Students should be given the opportunity to demonstrate all the
listed intended outcomes through the course assignments but some may have been
observed and recorded by their tutors in a non-assessed situation, for example, team
presentations, participation in a conference. The programme team should decide whether
an outcome is essential and therefore needs to be formally assessed, or desirable and
therefore encouraged and possibly recorded by the tutor.
12. Can some outcomes be formatively assessed?
Yes - some outcomes will be developed and demonstrated through a series of assignments
and may not be specifically identified in the marking guide or awarded marks. One outcome
that is fundamental to study at all levels is the capacity for independent learning – ‘learning
how to learn’. This may be encouraged and developed through activities and tutor guidance
throughout a course or an award but not specifically graded at any point.
13. Does a course grade say anything about the achievement of learning outcomes?
No. We cannot claim that a student achieving 80% in a course has achieved 80% of the
learning outcomes. We can claim that the student has had the opportunity to develop and
demonstrate the outcomes assessed on the course but, unless a tick box approach is used,
we cannot make claims about the extent to which they achieve particular learning outcomes.
14. Should we be recording the outcomes achieved by individual students?
No. If courses assess their learning outcomes explicitly in their assignments, and
programme committees use a curriculum map to relate those courses to the intended
outcomes of that award, we do not need to record the outcomes achieved by an individual
student.
15. Should there be thresholds below which a student should fail?
Yes – but only as recorded in current marking criteria /mark schemes.
Linking learning outcomes at unit, programme and award level
16. What's the connection between the outcomes of a 'study session'; a unit; an
element; a module; a programme and an award?
In describing outcomes we need to reverse the order of the learning ‘chunks’ listed above.
All HEIs are required to describe the intended learning outcomes of their awards and to
provide evidence of how these are taught and assessed as a student works towards that
final award. Where students follow multiple pathways to most awards, we need to describe
the intended outcomes of every programme. Indeed, any one unit might contribute to several
awards.
To avoid confusion, the stated outcomes of any component of a programme should relate to
the overall outcomes. This means that a unit, or other discrete part of a programme, should
identify to which of the programme outcomes it contributes. We recommend that there
should be no sub-dividing of outcomes or students may be faced with lists of outcomes that
appear disconnected and unrelated.
17. Should students be told how to use the stated outcomes of their programmes and
awards for other purposes?
Yes. Programme outcomes provide a student with a useful way to revise and record their
achievement on a course. Award outcomes give students a language to describe their
overall achievement.
18. What is the purpose of the credit/ levels framework?
The levels framework describes the stages of study and credits gained a student should be
developing and demonstrating as they work through their levels. The credit framework
summarises the amount and level of credit required to receive a University award.
Thanks to Centre for Outcomes-Based Education (cobe@open.ac.uk)