Using Program Learning Outcomes to Improve an Undergraduate Program
Using Program Learning Outcomes to Improve an
Undergraduate Program
Bob Parson
Conseiller en développement des programmes
Curriculum Design Consultant
Centre de pédagogie universitaire / Centre for University Teaching
Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
rparson@uottawa.ca
April 2009
At the University of Ottawa, I am mostly involved in program evaluation and the first
step is helping faculty identify and describe learning outcomes at the undergraduate
program level.
This document describes how I work with programs that are taking part in a prescribed
self-evaluation process. It begins with learning outcomes at the program level. It then
describes how program-level outcomes can be implemented in courses.
Table of contents:
Learning Outcomes:
Definition
Purpose and value
Implementation
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Using Program Learning Outcomes to Improve an Undergraduate Program
Using Program Learning Outcomes to Improve an
Undergraduate Program
Definition:
Program learning outcomes: description of skills, abilities or attitudes that students can
perform or demonstrate upon completion of the program.
Attributes and criteria of learning outcomes
Learning outcomes focus on the knowledge, skills and attitudes expected of students in a
particular field; the outcomes must be…
 measurable
 transferable
 relevant
…to students in the workplace and as citizens of a diversified society.
(Policies and procedures governing the evaluation of undergraduate programs, University of Ottawa Senate,
2007)
They complete the sentence:
By the end of this program the student will be able to…
They answer the questions:
What can the student do, that she couldn’t do before beginning the program?
I am an employer, considering hiring one of your students: what can she do?
I am considering the grad school application of one of your students: what can he
do?
They are measurable:
A student who has NOT YET mastered that goal can determine that they have, in
fact, not yet mastered it.
A student, who has finished the program, can perform the defined outcome.
Ask yourself:
“How do the students demonstrate their outcomes?”
See also : LEARNING OUTCOMES, Shirley Lesch, George Brown College,
http://liad.gbrownc.on.ca/programs/InsAdult/currlo.htm (the document also contains
“Guidelines for Writing Course Learning Outcomes”)
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Using Program Learning Outcomes to Improve an Undergraduate Program
Purpose and value
Research shows that program learning outcomes contribute to enhancing programs on
several levels.
Undergraduate Program Review Audit Committee (UPRAC), 2006
“Those who know where they intend to go have a better chance of getting there,
and of understanding whether they could have done so in a faster, more efficient
or otherwise better way. Undergraduate programs that know what they intend
their students to achieve have a better chance of having their students indeed
achieve what is intended, and of understanding whether those intended outcomes
can be achieved more effectively.”
http://www.cou.on.ca/content/objects/UPRACGuidelineswithDegreeExpectationsFinal.p
df
Marsh (2007) argues…
“One of the reasons learning outcomes are taking ‘center stage’ is because
research on this topic asserts that learning is enhanced when students are made
aware of the mastery expectations for their courses and degree programs”
http://academics.georgiasouthern.edu/ijsotl/v1n2/essays/marsh/Essay_Marsh.pdf
Hubball, and Burt, (2007) explain that…
Program-level learning outcomes:
 inform students what they can expect to achieve from a program of study, so
they can organize their time and efforts
 communicate curriculum/program goals in a meaningful way to a broader
community
 help to determine the extent to which learning has been accomplished
 and guide faculty members and administrators (within resource constraints), in
part, to determine:
o program(s) of study
o course objectives
o appropriate learning experiences
o assessment
 program evaluation strategies
http://www.ajpe.org/aj7105/aj710590/aj710590.pdf
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=2064888
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Using Program Learning Outcomes to Improve an Undergraduate Program
Process
Generally, a curriculum committee works together using the Ontario Council of
Academic Vice Presidents (OCAV), Guidelines for University Undergraduate Degree
Level Expectations
http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/handbook/general/OCAV_Guidelines_2005.pdf
The categories we use are:
1. Depth and Breadth of Knowledge
2. Knowledge of Methodologies
3. Application of Knowledge
4. Communication Skills
5. Awareness of Limits of Knowledge
6. Autonomy and Professional Capacity
The OCAV guidelines template is a good starting point, but does require a good amount
of adaptation by each program in order to create a finished list of outcomes that is true to
the goals of each program and can communicate clearly to all stakeholders.
I also provide the committees with examples of program-level outcomes from other
universities. The faculty then adapts the categories to write outcomes that are apt for their
specific discipline and program.
This is presented to the complete faculty for review.
If we have approval and the willingness to go the next step, we will then do a curriculum
analysis: to identify where these outcomes are being addressed in specific courses.
Faculty are then invited to discuss how their courses can help build towards the programlevel outcomes.
Transition to course learning outcomes
What I have found useful in this process is that the first “stab” at the (program-level)
outcomes is non-threatening to individual faculty. They are not being asked to report on
their specific course, to make changes to their courses. However, it does allow for an
introduction to learning outcomes and an insight into how these can be useful in planning
educational activities. And, not to be overlooked, the process allows faculty to get a
clearer idea of the program’s vision and where they fit in that context.
So, when they begin to consider learning outcomes for their own courses, they have a
certain expertise in writing them and knowledge of how these can be useful in the course
planning process.
For some very good examples from various disciplines, see “From Program Goals and
Objectives to Course Objectives“
http://www.skidmore.edu/administration/assessment/H_program_to_syllabus.htm
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Using Program Learning Outcomes to Improve an Undergraduate Program
I would like to underline that this process is meant to help find direction and to reflect,
not only on goals but on what is the best way to help the students achieve these goals.
Each faculty defines how they use the tools, the process. They determine how specific or
loose their learning outcomes will be, how achievement is evaluated and what learning
activities will be most apt to facilitate student learning. There can be a danger in being
too specific but that’s where our judgment, experience and common sense come into
play.
Additional Resources:
Diamond, Robert. Designing and Assessing Courses and Curricula, Josey Bass
http://www.josseybass.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-047026134X.html
Marsh, Patricia A., What is Known about Student Learning Outcomes and How does it
relate to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning? International Journal for the
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Vol. 1, No. 2 (July 2007)
http://www.georgiasouthern.edu/ijsotl
Simon, Beth and Taylor, Jared: What Value are Course-Specific Learning Goals?
(accepted for publication in the Journal of College Science Teaching).
http://www.cwsei.ubc.ca/Files/Value_of_Learning_Goals_(Draft).pdf
Simon, Beth; Taylor, Jared; Wolfman, Steve, Learning Goals: What, Why, How,
UBC Learning Conference, Oct 2, 2008: Learning Goals Symposium
http://www.cwsei.ubc.ca/Files/LearnWeek_Oct08/LearnWeek_Symposium_combined_O
ct08.pdf
University of Guelph, Handbook for Curriculum Assessment,
http://www.tss.uoguelph.ca/resources/pdfs/HbonCurriculumAssmt.pdf
University of Sydney, Resources for Learning Outcomes Workshops,
http://www.itl.usyd.edu.au/GraduateAttributes/learning_outcomes_workshops.cfm
Wolf, Peter, A Model for Facilitating Curriculum Development in Higher Education,
NEW DIRECTIONS FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING, no. 112, Winter 2007 © Wiley
Periodicals, Inc.
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/117869117/abstract
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