Understanding Audiences
Skills development and mentoring programme for museums
Factsheet 1 – Writing intended learning outcomes
Identifying the learning outcomes you intend visitors to achieve increases the likelihood of them being
achieved and also enables you to evaluate more effectively. The clearer and more specific they are the
easier it is to collect evidence to support them, to analyse it and to present the findings.
Intended learning outcomes are what you intend people to ‘learn’ as a result of an experience,
programme or event (ideally agreed with them first).
The definition of learning the museums sector currently adheres to is as follows:
‘Learning is a process of active engagement with experience.
It is what people do when they want to make sense of the world.
It may involve an increase in skills, knowledge, understanding, values
and the capacity to reflect. Effective learning leads to change, development,
and the desire to learn more. It is about personal development which leads to change. That
change can be cognitive, cultural, emotional, social, sensory or physical’
This definition was first developed by the Campaign for Learning and has since been adopted by the
Museums, Libraries and Archives Council in connection with the Inspiring Learning for All framework
www.inspiringlearning.gov.uk
Learning is a combination of:



Prior knowledge and experience – what the learner brings with them
Social interaction and the involvement with the physical environment – what happens during the
experience
Consolidation – what happens after the experience
Generic learning outcomes (GLOs) are outlined in the Inspiring Learning for All framework and fall into
the following categories (and accompanying GLO chart). An example of a learning outcome is given
under each and an example of an appropriate evaluation tool:
Knowledge & Understanding
To understand details about the medieval period, such as dates, chronology, key events, etc.
- collect evidence through a before and after exercise such as personal meaning mapping.
Skills
To improve skills such as listening and team working
- collect evidence through interviewing project participants.
Attitudes & Values
To develop a sense of what it was like to be an ordinary person in the past living in this area
- collect evidence through focus group discussion.
Enjoyment, Inspiration, Creativity
To have used imagination and enjoyed creating a piece of art inspired by the collection
- collect evidence through observation of workshop and its products.
Activity, Behaviour, Progression
To have an intention to visit the museum again independently
- collect evidence through sticky dot rating chart with sad/smiley faces at each end asking ‘How
likely are you visit the museum again? Put your sticky dot on the chart in the right place’, then
discuss.
Evidence of learning outcomes can be presented quantitatively if required, eg. 7 out of 10 participants
significantly changed their attitude towards the museum as a result of the project.
 Alison James & Nicky Boyd 2007