Learning Outcomes
Welcome to the website for Learning Outcomes at the University of Guelph. On these pages you will find information and resources intended to support programs, departments and instructors as they continue to develop and assess learning outcomes such that curricula become increasingly coherent, aligned and evidenced.
The University's 1987 Learning Objectives established Guelph as a leader in outcomes-based pedagogy, and our academic community continues to engage in initiatives designed to enhance students' learning experiences. With the 2008 articulation of the province's University Undergraduate and Graduate Degree-Level Expectations, postsecondary institutions across Ontario have become increasingly engaged in articulating and assessing learning outcomes to account for and ensure quality in their educational programs.
The Ontario Council of Academic Vice-Presidents' Quality Assurance Framework (2010), requires that all institutions implement an Institutional Quality Assurance Process (IQAP) that is consistent with their institutional mission statements and degree level expectations. The Quality Assurance Framework also requires that each individual academic unit clearly articulate learning outcomes that are appropriate to the discipline and are consistent with the institution's mission, degree level expectations and academic plans. The University of Guelph's IQAP places strong emphasis on the importance of learning outcomes and we hope these pages will be a robust resource in their development and assessment.
Why use an Outcomes-based approach?
An outcomes-based approach to education clearly specifies what students are expected to learn and arranges the curriculum such that these intended outcomes are achieved (Harden, 2007a). Learning outcomes provide the base for an effectively aligned and integrated curriculum, where instructional activities and assessment strategies are explicitly linked to course-specific and degree-level learning outcomes, which are tied to institutional and provincially-defined graduate degree level expectations.
Learning outcomes provide a powerful framework upon which to structure curricula. According to Harden et al. learning outcomes:
- help to provide clarity, integration and alignment within and between a sequence of courses;
- promote a learner-centred approach to curriculum planning;
- encourage a self-directed and autonomous approach to learning, as students can take responsibility for their studies, and are able to actively gauge their progress;
- promote a collegial approach to curriculum planning, as instructors collaborate to identify gaps and redundancies;
- ensure that decisions related to the curriculum and learning environment are streamlined;
- foster a philosophy of continual monitoring, evaluation and improvement; and,
- help to ensure accountability and assure quality of our education programs.
References
Harden, R.M., Crosby, J.R., and Davis, M.H. 1999. AMEE Guide No. 14: Outcome-based education: Part 1 – An introduction to outcome-based education. Medical Teacher 21(1): 7-15
Harden, R.M. 2002. Learning outcomes and instructional objectives: is there a difference? Medical Teacher 24(2):151-155.
Harden, R.M. 2007a. Outcomes-based education: the future is today. Medical Teacher 29:625-629.
Harden, R.M. 2007b. Outcome-based education – the ostrich, the peacock and the beaver. Medical Teacher 29: 666-671.