Course Outcomes
& Unit Objectives

Relationship between aims, outcomes and objectives.

Simon Paul Atkinson (2024). Stage four of the 8-SLDF: Intended Learning Outcomes.

What & Why

Course goals or outcomes state what students are expected to know or be able to do upon completing a course. Learning Objectives for each unit align with a course goal and reflect what you want your students to be able to do at that point in the course. Course goals and learning objectives help students understand expectations and help you design assessments and learning activities.

Course Goals or Outcomes

reflect the big ideas students should know and demonstrate course-end.
align with program goals and/or professional standards
can be broad and vague

Learning Objectives (for each unit)

align with a course goal
reflect what you want your students to be able to do
are measurable
are observable
target one specific aspect of student performance

Example

Course Goal: Upon successful completion of this course, students will demonstrate appropriate use of the scientific method.

Objective 1: Analyze the use of the scientific method in a research article.

Objective 2: Apply the scientific method to a real-world question or problem.

Objective 3: Describe their use of the scientific method to a nonscientist.

Adapted from Writing Course Goals and Learning Objectives in The Blended Course Design Workbook: A Practical Guide, by Kathryn E. Linder (2017)

Bloom's categories for lower-order thinking to higher-order thinking skills, starting with "knowing" (recall facts and basic concepts) at the low end, followed by "understanding" (explain ideas or concepts), "applying" (use information in new situations), "analyzing" (draw connections among ideas), "synthesizing" (justify a stance or position), and "creating" (produce new or original work) at the high end. Integrated into each category are corresponding action verbs that can be used to facilitate measurable outcomes. From https://sph.emory.edu/rollins-tlc/images/Learning-objectives-key-words-combined-with-Blooms.png

How To

Outcomes should be clear, observable, and measurable. A syllabus typically has 5-9 outcomes. Here are some best practices (from UW–Madison):

Identify a measurable action verb from Bloom's taxonomy that denotes the level of learning expected. See A Model of Learning Objectives from UW-Madison for details.
Follow the verb with a statement describing the knowledge and abilities to be demonstrated. For example:

- Identify and summarize key features of significant periods in the history of Western culture
- Synthesize chemical concepts to derive meaningful conclusions about chemical reactions
- Articulate the significance of recent psychological studies

Note: Some textbooks and associated publisher resources come with learning outcomes or objectives. Review all outcomes and objectives carefully to ensure alignment and appropriateness for your course.

Keep your outcomes flexible

So what does it mean to have an outcome that increases flexibility? The outcome shouldn't prescribe how the outcome will be achieved, where it will occur, when it will occur, or who will be involved. Such as:

Before: “Demonstrate the four steps to administer CPR on a mannequin.”
After: “Demonstrate the four steps used to administer CPR.”
Before: "Communicate research findings effectively using a 3MT format."
After: "Communicate research findings effectively through oral presentations."
Before: "Collaborate with 2-3 peers to develop, implement, and evaluate a QI intervention that improves patient outcomes."
After: "Develop, implement, and evaluate a QI intervention to improve patient outcomes."

In this model, each of the colored blocks shows an example of a learning objective that generally corresponds with each of the various combinations of the cognitive process and knowledge dimensions. From https://iastate.app.box.com/s/z0otio95lflaii1l2ro3h42kp8q6fdmm

From the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching at Iowa State University (link).

Checklist

The learning outcomes and objectives begin with an active verb and describe what students will do to demonstrate their learning.
The course learning outcomes are stated in measurable (assessable) terms.
The learning outcomes are broad enough to be major course outcomes while still giving students a general idea of what they will learn and do.
The module learning objectives are stated in measurable (assessable) terms consistent with the course-level outcomes.
All learning outcomes are stated clearly and written from the student’s perspective.
The learning outcomes are appropriately designed for the level of the course.
None of the outcomes is an assignment description.

Additional Resources

Writing Course Goals/Learning Outcomes and Learning Objectives, Iowa State University
Revised Bloom's Taxonomy, Iowa State University
Writing and Assessing Student Learning Outcomes - Indiana University
Writing Course Goals and Learning Objectives in The Blended Course Design Workbook: A Practical Guide, by Kathryn E. Linder (2017). It is available through our library.

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Course Outcomes & Unit Objectives