5 Steps to Writing Learning Outcomes
Writing learning outcomes is the first step in developing a course syllabus. Well written course-level learning outcomes have the following characteristics:
- Are fairly broad in scope since they are course-level, but written in succinct and clear language;
- Refer to specific content, topics, skills, activities, and/or assessments;
- Use "thinking" action verbs that help students focus on how to engage with the content, and help instructors measure the level of learning (see Bloom's taxonomy);
- Tell the student what they will know and do (NOT what the teacher will do);
- Often begin with “Students will” or “You will”;
- Follow the formula: Students will + thinking verb + content + application = learning outcome.
5 Tips to Writing Course Learning Outcomes
Follow the formula:
Students will + thinking verb + content + application = learning outcome
Examples of Well-Written Learning Outcomes
- Students/You will apply the notion of diaspora and critical concepts intrinsic to it, to their own lives, and current social issues through an ethnographic research project.
- Students/You will use the Python programming language to complete a data mining analysis.
- Students/You will apply social psychology theories to real-world scenarios in 3 short papers.
- Students/You will phrase and describe statistical concepts in their own words (weekly homework and 2 short written peer reviews).
Align Course Assessments with Learning Outcomes
Aligning the outcomes and assessments help you and your students envision course expectations on the syllabus. Note that in the examples of well-written learning outcomes above the assessments are written into each sentence.
Often multiple assessments will measure one outcome, and conversely, multiple outcomes will be measured in one summative assessment. This is exemplified in the table below that shows a visual alignment of outcomes and assessments.
Common assessments are papers, projects, exams, presentations, and performances. See the Assessments section for resources about creating meaningful assessments for your course.
Examples of Alignment
Alignment example: Global Studies Alignment example: English
| Learning Outcome | Assessments |
|---|---|
| Define and critically discuss literary genre, form, style and content |
|
| Interpret how literature and theory arise out of and respond to specific historical, geographic and cultural contexts. |
|
| Apply literary and cultural theory to your own lives, contemporary problems, and literary and cultural texts. |
|
Work Backwards (if you already have assessments)
- Start with the summative assessments (e.g. exam, paper, performance, project, quizzes). Ask yourself: What general content do students need to know to do well on each assessment?
- Then decide what type(s) of thinking about the content (e.g. apply, predict, compare) is required for students to do well on each assessment. Refer to Bloom’s Taxonomy.
- Write a sentence that brings these together as a draft outcome. It can be fairly broad in scope. (See examples below.)
- Review it to see if your activity and your thinking verb are equally rigorous (i.e. is the activity too easy/hard for the type of thinking that students should be doing?).
Carnegie Mellon University - Eberly Center - Learning Objectives Samples
Carnegie Mellon University - Eberly Center - Aligning Objectives, Assessments and Instructional Strategies
University of Arkansas - Teaching Innovation and Pedagogical Support (TIPS) - Learning Objectives: Examples and Before & After
University of Florida, Center for Instructional Technology and Training - Learning Objectives and Bloom’s Taxonomy