Develop Goals and Outcomes
Program Educational Goals Heading link
Program Educational Goals
Program Educational Goals are broad and general statements that provide a framework for more specific learning outcomes. They specify the broad educational goals of the program, such as graduating students who are prepared for the workplace or producing competent researchers capable of contributing to the field. The following are examples of the type of broad statements that are appropriate for Program Educational Goals:
- Our goal is to foster students’ development of competence as scientists, researchers, and scholars, including their knowledge of the ways in which practice influences science.
- Our goal is to provide students with a background that allows and encourages those who are qualified to pursue advanced technical and professional degrees.
- Our goal is to develop in our majors the abilities to think and express themselves effectively in formulating and exploring positions on topics within and beyond the discipline.
Program Learning Outcomes
Generally, programs have three to seven outcomes that they assess on a cyclical basis. Program Learning Outcomes illustrate what the unit hopes to accomplish in offering their degree to students and describe the specific knowledge, skills, abilities, and values that graduates should possess upon completion of the degree. The statements should be concise descriptions of the impact the program will have on its students.
The resources below will help you develop learning outcomes for your programs that are appropriate for the level of education and that use measurable language.
Writing Good Outcomes Heading link
-
Writing Outcomes by Category
There are many different ways to conceptualize the type of learning students are expected to demonstrate. The Degree Qualifications Profile, developed by the Lumina Foundation, provides five categories of learning expected of graduates. These categories include:
- Specialized Knowledge. This category addresses what students in any specialization or major field of study should demonstrate with respect to that specialization
- Broad and Integrative Knowledge. This category addresses how students consolidate learning from different broad fields of study (e.g., the humanities, arts, sciences and social sciences) and to discover and explore concepts and questions that bridge these essential areas of learning.
- Intellectual Skills. This category includes both traditional and nontraditional cognitive skills: analytic inquiry, use of information resources, engaging diverse perspectives, ethical reasoning, quantitative fluency and communicative fluency.
- Applied and Collaborative Learning. This category emphasizes what students can do with what they know by addressing unscripted problems in scholarly inquiry, at work and in other settings outside the classroom. This category includes research and creative activities involving both individual and group effort and may include practical skills crucial to the application of expertise.
- Civic and Global Learning. This category recognizes higher education’s responsibilities both to democracy and the global community. Students must demonstrate integration of their knowledge and skills by engaging with and responding to civic, social, environmental and economic challenges at local, national and global levels.
-
Writing Outcomes by Level of Education
Even if they are in the same department, degree programs at the BA/BS, MA/MS, and doctoral levels should have unique outcomes that reflect the increasingly complex nature of the knowledge, skills, and abilities expected of graduates.
This table, adapted from the Australian Qualifications Framework, offers guidance on determining the appropriate outcome level for your students.
Outcomes by Level of Education
Level Bachelor Masters Doctoral Knowledge Graduates have broad and coherent theoretical and technical knowledge with depth in one or more disciplines. Graduates have advanced and integrated understanding of a complex body of knowledge in one or more disciplines. Graduates possess systemic and critical understanding of a complex body of knowledge. Skills Graduates have well-developed technical and cognitive skills that can be used to analyze, generate, and transmit solutions to unpredictable and sometimes complex problems. Graduates can synthesize complex information, problems, concepts and theories, as well as research and apply established theories to a body of knowledge Graduates have expert-level technical and research skills that can be used to engage in critical reflection, generate original knowledge, and disseminate new insights. Abilities Graduates can apply knowledge and skills to demonstrate autonomy in contexts that require self-directed work and learning. Graduates can apply knowledge and skills to demonstrate autonomy, expert judgement, and adaptability as a practitioner. Graduates can apply knowledge and skills to demonstrate autonomy and authoritative judgement, as an expert and leading practitioner or scholar. Since graduate programs have more complex and rigorous expectations for learning, program outcomes at that level should describe the knowledge and skills required to conduct independent research and/or engage in professional practice.
Since graduate programs have more complex and rigorous expectations for learning, program outcomes at that level should describe the knowledge and skills required to conduct independent research and/or engage in professional practice.
-
Writing Measurable Outcomes
In addition to being appropriate for the level of education, program outcomes should focus on demonstrable behaviors rather than what students know, think, understand, or appreciate. When developing learning outcomes for your program, use language that lends itself to measurement and allows a student to demonstrate that learning has occurred.
Commonly used language that does not produce measurable outcomes includes:
- Know
- Understand
- Appreciate
- Acquire knowledge of
- Demonstrate knowledge of
- Gain awareness of
As the following examples illustrate, basic editing can transform a statement that is difficult to measure into one that describes measurable student behavior in a more straightforward manner.
Outcomes Difficult to Measure vs Straightforward to measure
Outcomes Difficult to Measure Outcomes Straightforward to Measure Students will be able to appreciate exercise as a stress reduction tool. Students will be able to explain how the science of exercise affects stress. Students will know about the effects of intergroup bias. Students will be able to describe methodological techniques to mitigate the effects of intergroup bias. Students will be able to demonstrate knowledge of critical thinking skills as they relate to social issues. Students will be able to analyze arguments about racial discrimination. Students will understand the role of the scientific method in problem solving. Students will be able to design a grounded research study using the scientific method. Combining multiple outcomes
When writing program-level outcomes, there is often a temptation to combine multiple outcomes into a single statement that captures the learning experience holistically. While this tendency may reflect how we conceive of learning in our programs, it can be very difficult to assess single statements with multiple outcomes, as illustrated in the examples below:
Students will be able to apply their fundamental knowledge in designing a supervised research project, and interpret and critically evaluate research findings in relation to established theory, research, and their own research objectives.
This alternative separates the two skills being measured, research design and interpretation, in two outcome statements.
Students will be able to apply their fundamental knowledge in designing a supervised research project.
Students will be able to interpret and critically evaluate research findings in relation to established theory, research, and their own research objectives.
Having concise, simple statements that incorporate fewer action verbs can facilitate the process of mapping outcomes to the curriculum.
-
Writing Outcomes Using Bloom's Taxonomy
Bloom’s Taxonomy provides a useful framework to help guide the development of learning outcome statements. The taxonomy identifies hierarchical levels of learning and offers a list of measurable action verbs that correspond to learning at each respective level.
Program learning outcomes should address multiple levels of the hierarchy, with more emphasis on higher levels for Masters and doctoral programs. The table below provides many more examples of action verbs associated with each level of Bloom’s Taxonomy.
Several verbs in the table appear in multiple levels of learning (e.g. describe is in the knowledge, understand, and evaluate columns). In those cases, the context in which the verb is used moderates its meaning.
Describe
- Describe the properties of noble gases. (Knowledge)
- Describe the effects of reinforcement and punishment. (Understand)
- Describe the economic consequences of the Brexit vote. (Evaluate)
Arrange
- Arrange a list of authors from A to Z. (Knowledge)
- Arrange evidnce for an argument. (Evaluate)
- Arrange the locations of people in a potrait painting. (Create)
Using Bloom's Taxonomy
Bloom's Taxonomy Verbs Remember Understand Apply Analyze Evaluate Create Choose Classify Add Arrange Appraise Combine Count Defend Calculate Breakdown Assess Compose Define Demonstrate Change Categorize Compare Construct Describe Distinguish Choose Classify Conclude Design Draw Explain Classify Combine Contrast Develop Label Express Complete Compare Criticize Devise List Extend Compute Detect Critique Drive Locate Give Examples Discover Diagram Defend Formulate Match Illustrate Divide Differentiate Determine Generate Memorize Indicate Dramatize Discriminate Grade Hypothesize Name Infer Examine Distinguish Judge Integrate Omit Interpret Explain Idewntify Justify Invent Outline Interrelate Generalize Illustrate Measure Make Point Match Graph Infer Rank Organize Quote Paraphrase Interpolate Outline Rate Originate Recall Represent Judge Point out Support Plan Recite Restate Manipulate Select Test Prescribe Recognize Rewrite Modify Separate Produce Select Select Operate Subdivide Propose State Show Organize Survey Reconstruct Summarize Paint Revise Tell Prepare Rewrite Produce Role Play Select Transform Show Sketch Solve Subtract Use Source: Center for University Teaching, Learning, and Assessment at the University of West Florida
Source: Center for University Teaching, Learning, and Assessment at the University of West Florida