Learning Outcomes

All new and existing programs and courses are required to have a set of core intended learning outcomes. Learning outcomes are not meant to provide an exhaustive list of tasks and skills learners need to achieve, but rather provide clear goals and guidelines about the main knowledge, skills, and values a course or program intends to develop. In other words, what are the core things a learner should be able to do by the time they complete a course or a program?

There are a variety of resources and frameworks that exist to help make the development of learning outcomes easier (see additional resources listed below).

Learning Outcomes should have 3 main components:

An action verb to identify the depth and type of learning expected (e.g. identify, apply, compare)
A Statement specifying the learning to be demonstrated (e.g. the ‘what’)
Statement(s) to give context/identify the standard for acceptable and expected performance (e.g. the ‘why/how’

Bloom’s taxonomy is a useful tool to help set the depth and type of learning expected of students. Ultimately, courses and programs should have learning outcomes at all levels of Bloom’s taxonomy, in order to create a robust and scaffolded learning experience that supports student development.

Bloom's Revised Taxonomy

Creating

Use the information to create something new.

Design, build, construct, plan, produce, devise, invent

Evaluating

Critically examine info and make judgements

Judge, test, critique, defend, criticize

Analyzing

Take info apart and explore relationships

Categorize, examine, compare/contrast, organize

Applying

Use information in a new (but similar) situation

Use, diagram, make a chart, draw, apply, solve, calculate

Understanding

Understanding and making sense out of information

Interpret, summarize explain, infer, paraphrase, discuss

Remembering

Find or remember information

List, find, name, identify, locate, describe, memorize, define

If you have any questions about the development of learning outcomes for a new program or course, or if you are planning on re-developing the learning outcomes for a program or course offered by Lang, please connect with Jackie Hamilton, Senior Manager, Learning, Assessment, Accreditation

Course-specific Learning Outcomes Resources

General Learning Outcomes Resources

On December 5, 2012, the University of Guelph Senate approved five University-wide Learning Outcomes as the basis from which to guide the development of undergraduate and graduate degree programs, specializations and courses:

Critical and Creative Thinking
Literacy
Global Understanding
Communicating
Professional and Ethical Behaviour

These learning outcomes are also intended to serve as a framework through which our educational expectations are clear to students and the broader public, and to inform the process of outcomes assessment through the quality assurance process (regular reviews) of programs and departments.

Learning Outcomes - Resources