Worksheet to write Learning Outcomes
for course purposes
Start from the existent syllabus and follow the steps below:
1. List all the assessment methods you use in the course (quiz, test, project, team work,
homework assignments, etc.)
2. Think about the goals and reasons you choose that particular assessment method in what
concerns the measurement of student learning
3. Derive from the above and write sentences describing what type of student learning will
the assessment measure. In the sentence the subject will be the student, and the verb will
be the descriptor of the knowledge, ability, skill, behavior, etc. that the student will
demonstrate through the respective assessment. (e.g., Students will be able to compare
and contrast in writing the theory of X with theory Y; Students will understand and be
able to write about important questions in XYZ; Students will be able to think critically
and create solutions to problems based on learned content. Students will recall the content
and make inferences on key important points. Students will be able to select correct
interpretations and solutions to conceptual problems.)
4. These sentences are the learning outcomes which should be listed in the syllabus under
the heading “Learning Outcomes.” The learning outcomes and the assessments used in
each course should always match.
Some guidelines for writing Learning Outcomes are below:
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When writing the learning outcomes:

A good start is to use Bloom’s Taxonomy to guide you in planning the teaching and
assessment so that is at all levels of thinking and knowledge

Use action verbs that show measureable performance

4 to 8 sentences are reasonable for a course or program, since the Learning Outcomes
must be listed in the syllabus

Write the sentences in a language that students (and those outside the field) are able to
understand

Usually Learning Outcomes are not content specific (that means they do not describe the
topics/content the students will learn in the course)

The outcomes should focus on the overarching concepts, skills, abilities, behaviors, or
attitudes that students will present at the end of the course

Most important the Learning Outcomes must be measurable, assessable and should imply
an assessment (they must match the assessment used in that course to measure student
learning), however it should not be too specific to give flexibility in case different
instructors teach sections of the same course (the learning outcomes should be the same
but the teaching methods and assessment possibly differs from one instructor to the other;
in the end students must have the same skills once they complete the course not matter
who is the instructor)

A good rule of thumb is to NOT use in the sentence verbs such as “remember”,
“understand”, “learn”, “know”, “have an idea about…” etc. because these verbs indicate
internal mental processes --- unless the assessment measures only that --- and on Bloom’s
Taxonomy they are represented as lower levels of thinking. Instead use verbs that
describe what students will be able to do, produce, or demonstrate. Be sure that you can
measure what outcomes you set.
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This template can be used in the process of writing Learning Outcomes if you start backwards
from a already planned course. Having all types of assessment you use in the course, work
backwards to derive the Learning Outcome sentences for the course.
List of assessment measures
that are used in the course
Think about and list the
reasons why you use the
respective assessment (the
purpose why the assessment
was chosen, what do you
measure with it?)
Learning Outcomes
statements
(sentence with the student as
subject and the verb is an
action demonstrating
knowledge, ability, skill, etc.)
Example:
1. Weekly quiz
To see if the students learn the
content
Students will recall the content
and be able to respond content
related questions
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Examples of Learning Outcomes:

Understands integral and differential calculus and uses them in problem solving
"Understand" is not an action word and does not describe what students will be able to do
differently as a result of the course. A better outcome might be: “Applies concepts of integral
and differential calculus to solve industrial and management engineering problems”

Express numbers in scientific notation using the correct number of significant digits.
This statement describes a discrete skill, but not an overarching goal of a class. A better outcome
might be: “Express and manipulate numbers effectively using the concepts of scientific
notation, significant digits, and SI unit measurements.”

Is able to apply learned information to projects.
Even though the statement talks about ability of applying information does not show exactly how
that ability will be measured. A better outcome would be: “Formulates an experimental plan of
data gathering to attain a stated objective (develop correlation, test a model, ascertain
performance of equipment, etc.).”

Develops a design strategy, including a plan of attack, decomposition of work into
subtasks, development of a timetable. Suggests new approaches and improves on what
has been done before. Develops several potential solutions and finds optimum.
This statement meets all the criteria.

Is able to ientify unknown bacteria using gram stain, biochemical, and other
microbiological methods for identification.
This statement meets all the criteria.

Appreciate the difference between various forms of graphical representation.
This statement is vague and is not measurable. A better outcome might be: “Given a set of data,
construct a time series, scatterplot, or histogram to show relationships between quantities.”

The student has good writing skills.
This statement is too vague to be measurable. A better outcome might be: “Articulates ideas
clearly and concisely. Organizes written materials in a logical sequence to enhance the
reader's comprehension (paragraphs, subheading, etc.).”
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Comparison of a syllabus in two formats: Content based and Learning Outcomes based.
Content based Syllabus
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course teaches the fundamentals of Educational Psychology. The course covers diverse learning
theories, classroom management, and classroom assessment techniques.
We will cover the aspect of human learning as imbedded in contextual factors such as SES, gender,
culture, etc. (A typical content-focused course description lists the topics covered in the course, but does
not include what the students will do or what is expected of them they will be able to demonstrate by the
end of the course.)
COURSE GOAL
The purpose of this course is to provide the fundamentals of human learning and methods that teachers
can use to measure the learning process in the classroom setting. (The goal focuses on the instructor since
the instructor will provide the information. In fact shows what the instructor will do)
COURSE OBJECTIVES
1. To explain how the human mind learns.
2. To understand the different learning theories.
3. To illustrate the relationships between learning and assessment.
4. To learn different methods of classroom assessment.
5. To understand the different classroom management techniques by applying diverse learning theories
(These course objectives are again content oriented and list in fact the major topics that will be studied in
the course. They show what the student will learn, and what the instructor will explain.)
Learning Outcomes based syllabus
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course will enable students to gather information about several human learning theories. The
students will be able to plan classroom management and assessment methods for a hypothetical classroom
they were to teach. (This course description does not list the course content and topics to be studied, but
describes what the student will be able to do upon successful completion of the course)
COURSE THEMES
Learning theories, classroom management and assessment techniques. (These are the themes addressed in
the course.)
LEARNING OUTCOMES
When the students have successfully completed this course they will be able to:
- compare, contrast, and describe the similarities and differences of the learning theories presented in this
course.
- critique the strengths and weaknesses of each learning theory as applied to diverse classroom
management techniques.
- design and plan for different classroom management techniques according to the cognitive
characteristics of learners they would teach and the specific learning theory used.
- use and craft appropriate assessment methods according to the learning theory used in teaching and the
cognitive level that was planned to be assessed. (all learning outcomes show what the student will be able
to do with the knowledge upon successful completion of the course)
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