The OUTCOME Primer: Envisioning Learning Outcomes
By: Ruth Stiehl and Lori Sours
| PREFACE: The OUTCOME Primers Series 2.0 | |||
| Once a Fad—Now a Fact! | xiii | ||
| Distinguishing Our Work | xiv | ||
| PART ONE: BACKGROUND—Removing Any Confusion around Learning Outcomes | |||
| Content, Competencies and Outcomes—need it all be so confusing? | |||
| Learning Outcomes: A New Framework | 3 | ||
| Distinguishing an Outcome-Based Framework from Content- and Competency-Based Frameworks | 4 | ||
| PART TWO: Envisioning Learning with a Crayon | |||
| Never invest in any idea you can’t illustrate with a crayon. —Peter Lynch in Beating the Street | |||
| Envisioning Learning—Painting a Picture in the Mind’s Eye | 21 | ||
| Envisioning Outcomes—Outside the Classroom | 25 | ||
| Envisioning outcomes requires seeing outside the classroom box. | |||
| The Importance of Starting with Life Roles | 27 | ||
| Designing Backwards—Outside In | 31 | ||
| PART THREE: Creating Learning Outcomes | |||
| Outcome statements describe a vision of what learners will be able to DO as a result of their learning. | |||
| Distinguishing Outcomes from Competencies | 35 | ||
| Outcome Statements for AEP 212: Alternative Energy Systems | |||
| Creating Robust Outcome Statements | 37 | ||
| “Communicates effectively” is not very useful. | |||
| Improving Your Outcome Statements | 40 | ||
| Aligning Learning Outcomes Up and Down the Organization | 53 | ||
| The lines that we draw on our neat organizational diagrams have turned into walls that no one can scale, penetrate or even peer over. —Frank Deprez and Rene Tissen in Zero Space | |||
| Developing Significant Outcomes: A Facilitator’s Guide | 57 | ||
| PART FOUR: POGs, COGs, WOGs (Even SOGs If You Like) | |||
| It’s as simple as asking four questions. It’s answering them that’s hard. | |||
| The Outcome Guide | 73 | ||
| What the Outcome Guide Does and Does Not Do | 74 | ||
| The POG | 77 | ||
| POG/COG/WOG Template | 77 | ||
| PART FIVE: Continuing Your Learning | |||
| In Conclusion | 83 | ||
| Next Steps | 83 | ||
| Appendix A: Sample Learning Outcome Statements | |||
| Examples of Institutional Learning Outcomes | 85 | ||
| Examples of Program Learning Outcomes | 86 | ||
| Examples of Course Learning Outcomes | 92 | ||
| Examples of Workshop Learning Outcomes | 93 | ||
| Appendix B: Our Preferred Terms for Learning Outcomes Planning |
95 | ||
| Related Readings | 101 | ||
| Acknowledgements | 105 | ||
| About the Authors | 106 | ||