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What & Why
What & Why
Learning Outcomes is a Brightspace tool that allows instructors to align program (and/or course) learning outcomes with specific assignments, rubrics, quiz questions, and discussions.
Programmatic outcomes are created at the organization level (ask the CTLA for help) so faculty can copy them into courses. Achievement Scales (e.g., Mastered, Proficient, Needs Improvement) can also be created at the org level, allowing faculty to separate competency from grades in competency-based programs.
How To
How To
Click the Content tab on the navbar to access the following content options.
Learning Outcomes supports outcomes-based and competency-based education by allowing faculty to attach outcomes to Rubrics, Assignments, Discussions, and Quizzes. At a high level, the solution uses the following workflow:
Create an Outcome Set (org level for program level outcomes).
"Import from Outcome Set" to populate a course with outcomes.
Define an achievement scale (org level).
Align outcomes to course activities and content.
Assess student work against outcomes.
Track learner progress against outcomes as the course progresses.
Add Learning Outcomes
Add Learning Outcomes
Learning Outcomes can be added to individual courses by faculty or at the organization level for a program by CTLA.
Go to Course Admin > Learning Outcomes.
Add Course-level Outcomes (not program outcomes)
Click Add Outcome.
Enter the outcome text. Note: Outcomes will be listed alphabetically.
Enter a Short Code, if desired.
Save.
To add lower-level outcomes, click on the three dots to the right of the Outcomes and select Add Lower-Level Outcomes. Follow the same process as above.
Add Program-level outcomes
Click Import from Outcome Set.
Select the outcome set from the menu (e.g., APA Grade 12 standards (2011)). (If you do not see what you are looking for, contact CTLA for assistance.)
Select which Available Outcomes from the list you want to use in your course.
Click Import Selected Outcomes to save it.
Select Achieve Scale
Select Settings (top-right corner).
Select the appropriate scale. NOTE: Scales intended to measure program-level outcomes MUST be used by every instructor in that program. If the group does not see what they need, contact the CTLA for help.
Go to Course Admin > Learning Outcomes.
You can add outcomes and sub-outcomes one at a time, or you can import an Outcome Set (e.g., program outcomes), from Achievement Standards Network (ASN), or from a File. If you select File, a page will appear with a sample file you can download.
Add a sub-outcome by selecting the 3 dots.
Align Learning Outcomes with Activities
Align Learning Outcomes with Activities
Assignments & Discussions
Create the activity as usual.
Below the Title, click on Outcomes.
Mark the Outcomes that align with the activity and Save.
The selected Outcomes will show below the Title.
Quizzes
Outcomes cannot be added to a quiz, but must be added to one or more quiz questions.
Once the questions are created, select the questions (or question sets/groups) to align to an Outcome
Select More Actions > Align to Outcomes that align and Save.
The selected Outcomes will show below the quiz question or question set.
Rubrics
Create a rubric as usual.
Below the Criterion, click on Outcomes.
Mark the Outcomes that align with the assignment and Save.
The selected Outcomes will show on the main Rubric page.
Achievement scales are mapped to rubric levels in the following scenarios:
The achievement scale is NOT a percent scale and the rubric is text-only.
The achievement scale is NOT a percent scale and the rubric is points or custom points.
The achievement scale is a percent scale and the rubric is text-only. In this case, the Manually map achievement levels to rubric levels is automatically selected under the Learning Outcomes options, but the option cannot be changed.
After one student's submission is graded using the scale, you CANNOT change the scale.
Outcomes can be added to assignments and discussions after they are added to the course from Course Admin > Learning Outcomes.They will appear here after being added, like shown below.
Outcomes cannot be added to a quiz, but must be added to one or more quiz questions.
Assessing Learning Outcomes
Assessing Learning Outcomes
Learning Outcomes are assessed when you grade the activity (assignment, discussion, quiz). Outcomes appear BELOW Overall Feedback on the right. You will see this here no matter whether the outcome is associated with the activity OR a rubric criterion.
Select the appropriate Achievement Level on the scale.
If this is not the scale you want, go to Learning Outcomes > Achieve Scale to select the correct scale.
You CANNOT change the scale after grading one student's outcomes.
Mastery View
Within the Gradebook, a new view will be available: Mastery View. This view allows you to see each student's progress on each Learning Outcome based on the chosen Achievement Scale.
Students can see their assessed outcomes from the Feedback pages for Assignments, Discussions, or Quizzes. Students can also see their progress in Class Progress.
Additional Resources
Additional Resources
Sample Learning Outcomes Reports (from Brightspace)
Add or import learning outcomes (Brightspace)
Align learning outcomes to course content and activities (Brightspace)
Learning Outcomes Tool (CTLAv resource)
Brightspace Tutorials. (2025, Nov 14). An Introduction to the Learning Outcomes Tool [Video]. YouTube. (44:51 with Q&A).
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