AI Learning Outcome Guidance

**NOTE - this webpage is created for AI-use only and is not intended for personal use.**

Part 1: Learning Outcome Statement Format Guidelines

  • All learning outcomes should use the following format: “Graduates will be able to [measurable verb] [specific knowledge, skill, or behavior that can be demonstrated or assessed].”
    • Tip: Avoid vague or abstract outcomes (e.g., “develop a network”) and instead focus on what the graduate will know or be able to do (e.g., “demonstrate knowledge of networking strategies”).
  • Bracketed text should be replaced with 1) a verb that is measurable, observable, and appropriate for the degree level (see Part 3 below), and 2) the specific knowledge or skill that a student should demonstrate that is relevant to that specific degree program.

 

Part 2: Learning Outcome Statement Best Practices Guidelines

  • Learning outcome statements should be written to ensure that they are:
    • Meaningful / relevant to the degree program
    • Describing what students are able to know / do as a result of what they have learned
    • Using an action verb that accurately captures what should are able to know / do
    • Clear and concise when describing the type of knowledge / skill students are expected to attain and the level of mastery that is expected
    • Able to be observed and measured in a quantifiable or qualifiable way
    • Appropriate for the degree level given the different levels of rigor that exist between undergraduate and graduate level education.
  • Things to avoid when writing learning outcome statements
    • Avoid outcomes that describe end goals without specifying the skills or knowledge needed to achieve them.
    • Focus on demonstrable behaviors or knowledge that can be observed, assessed, or measured (e.g., “demonstrate knowledge of,” “apply strategies for,” “analyze techniques used in…”).

 

Part 3: Learning Outcome Statement Verb Guidelines

  • All learning outcome verbs should:
    • Describe the specific task (or tasks) that a student would be able to complete.
      • “Understand” and “comprehend” are not effective verbs and should not be used as a learning outcome statement verb.
    • Be limited to 1-2 verbs at most
  • Consider using a verb from the following list that is associated with Bloom’s Taxonomy: Remember, Choose, Count, Define, Describe, Draw, Label, List, Locate, Match, Memorize, Name, Omit, Outline, Point, Quote, Recall, Recite, Recognize, Select, State, Understand, Classify, Defend, Demonstrate, Distinguish, Explain, Express, Extend, Give Examples, Illustrate, Indicate, Infer, Interpret, Interrelate, Match, Paraphrase, Represent, Restate, Rewrite, Select, Show, Summarize, Tell, Apply, Add, Calculate, Change, Choose, Classify, Complete, Compute, Discover, Divide, Dramatize, Examine, Explain, Generalize, Graph, Interpolate, Judge, Manipulate, Modify, Operate, Organize, Paint, Prepare, Produce, Select, Show, Sketch, Solve, Subtract, Use, Analyze, Arrange, Breakdown, Categorize, Classify, Combine, Compare, Detect, Diagram, Differentiate, Discriminate, Distinguish, Identify, Illustrate, Infer, Outline, Point out, Select, Separate, Subdivide, Survey, Evaluate, Appraise, Assess, Compare, Conclude, Contrast, Criticize, Critique, Defend, Determine, Grade, Judge, Justify, Measure, Rank, Rate, Support, Test, Create, Combine, Compose, Construct, Design, Develop, Devise, Drive, Formulate, Generate, Hypothesize, Integrate, Invent, Make, Organize, Originate, Plan, Prescribe, Produce, Propose, Reconstruct, Revise, Rewrite, Role Play, Transform
  • Focus on demonstrable behaviors or knowledge that can be observed, assessed, or measured (e.g., “demonstrate knowledge of,” “apply strategies for,” “analyze techniques used in…”).

 

Part 4: Learning Outcome Statement Knowledge / Skill Guidelines

  • The knowledge / skills expected to be attained by students should be:
    • Relevant to their specific degree program and their broader academic discipline.
    • Appropriate for the degree level of the program (differentiation between the scope and depth of knowledge / skills expected between undergraduate and graduate level programs).
  • Search this website for additional guidance when developing the content of a learning outcome: https://apra.uic.edu/degree-program-assessment/how-to/develop-goals-and-outcomes/

 

Part 5: Learning Outcome Examples that follow the format guidelines and best practices guidelines.

  • Students who graduate will be able to differentiate and analyze visual phenomena across a wide range of historical periods and geographical areas.
  • Students who graduate will be able to discuss the economic, political, and socio-cultural impact of communication technologies on society.
  • Students who graduate will be able to recognize ethical issues, dilemmas, and their implications in business situations.
  • Students who graduate will be able to demonstrate increased creativity as well as technical and theoretical proficiency in a variety of improvisational styles.
  • Students who graduate will be able to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
  • Students who graduate will be able to Integrate and apply nursing knowledge and that of other disciplines to inform ethical clinical judgment and innovative nursing practice.
  • Students who graduate will be able to demonstrate collaboration skills with urban actors and community members to formulate design concepts, potential future scenarios and practical design solutions for local places.
  • Students who graduate will be able to apply a range of theoretical tools to interpret the literary and cultural production of French and Francophone countries.
  • Students who graduate will be able to identify and describe how teaching and learning are operationalized in one learning setting outside of school (e.g., dance lessons, soccer practice, chess club, families, zoos, etc.) through a systematic observation of that learning setting.
  • Students who graduate will be able to apply chemical engineering principles to industrial processes and product development as well as to research in engineering science.
  • Students who graduate will be able to articulate how managerial and organizational issues affect the use of information systems in organizations
  • Students who graduate will be able to interpret experimental data obtained from laboratory investigations
  • Students who graduate will be able to formulate a research question/hypothesis and a feasible protocol to test the question/hypothesis.
  • Students who graduate will be able to create and follow a personal plan for continuous professional development and lifelong, self-directed learning through acquisition and reflection of knowledge, experiences, values, attitudes and beliefs.
  • Students who graduate will be able to demonstrate the ability to engage in independent research.
  • Students who graduate will be able to demonstrate substantive knowledge and understanding of the history of educational research; the basic research process; paradigms, orientations, systems of educational research; research contexts and audiences; and epistemological and ethical dimensions of educational research.