A learning outcome has three components:
- A phrase or sentence beginning 鈥渟tudents can鈥 or 鈥渟tudents will be able to.鈥
- A verb that captures the action the student will be able to take that demonstrates the knowledge or competency in question.
- A concluding phrase that elaborates on the verb (e.g., explain how socialization works in everyday life, analyze DNA using electrophoresis, etc.)
Here is template version of the three components above:
鈥淪tudents will be able to <<verb>> <<something>>鈥
Strong versus Weak Learning Outcomes
Weak Learning Outcomes |
Strong Learning Outcomes |
Outcome verbs are vague (e.g., understand, |
Outcome verbs are clear, specific, and demonstrable (e.g., create, calculate, |
Multiple verbs per learning outcome |
One verb per learning outcome |
Wordy, packing in multiple ideas and perhaps |
Brief and to the point 鈥 bullet-point length is fine |
Not easy to observe/measure |
Readily observable/measureable |