An Outcome-Based Education

Post date: Jun 1, 2015 5:16:43 AM

By:

Gerry A. Deocareza

Master Teacher I

Bataan National High School

Outcome-based education (OBE) is an educational theory that bases each part of an educational system around goals (outcomes). It has been adopted in educational systems around the world at all levels. By the end of the educational experience each student should have achieved the goal. There is no specified style of teaching or assessment in OBE; instead classes, opportunities, and assessments should all help students achieve the specified outcomes. In the Philippines, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) during the 2008 CHED Curriculum Revision highlights the transformation from Content-based Curriculum to Competency-based Curriculum or Outcome-Based Curriculum. This is a paradigm shift from a traditional method of teaching to an outcome-based education. In the traditional methods of teaching teachers used to plan their teaching by asking such question as: What topic or content do I teach? What teaching methods do I use? How do I assess to see to it that the students learned the lesson I taught them? In a traditional education system, students are given grades and rankings compared to each other. Content and performance expectations are based primarily on what was taught in the past to students of a given age. The goal of traditional education was to present the knowledge and skills of an older generation to the new generation of students, and to provide students with an environment in which to learn. The process paid little attention (beyond the classroom teacher) to whether or not students learn any of the material.

In Outcome-based education teachers would ask: What do I want my students to do after my teaching that they could not do before, and to what standard? How do I supply learning activities that will help them achieve those outcomes? How do I assess them to see how well they have achieved those outcomes? Here are the benefits of Outcome-Based Education:

1. Clarity - The focus on outcomes creates a clear expectation of what needs to be accomplished by the end of the course. Students will understand what is expected of them and teachers will know what they need to teach during the course.

2. Flexibility - With a clear sense of what needs to be accomplished, teachers will be able to structure their lessons around the student’s needs. OBE does not specify a specific method of instruction, leaving teachers free to teach their students using any method. Teachers will also be able to recognize diversity among students by using various teaching and assessment techniques during their class. OBE is meant to be a student-centered learning model. Teachers are meant to guide and help the students understand the material in any way necessary, study guides, and group work are some of the methods instructors can use to facilitate students learning.

3. Comparison - OBE provides an opportunity for comparison across institutions. On an individual level, institutions can look at what outcomes a student has achieved to decide what level the student would be at within a new institution. On an institutional level, institutions can compare themselves, by checking to see what outcomes they have in common, and find places where they may need improvement, based on the achievement of outcomes at other institutions.

4. Involvement - Student involvement in the classroom is a key part of OBE, students are expected to do their own learning, so that they gain a full understanding of the material. Increased student involvement allows students to feel responsible for their own learning, and they should learn more through this individual learning.

As a secondary school teacher an outcome-based education should also be adopted in the secondary level to enhance the learning outcomes of the students. A shift from the traditional way of teaching to an outcome-based learning will definitely give our students a better way of achieving its goals.