BOLOGNA PROCESS and LEARNING OUTCOMES THE BIGGER PICTURE

Question What do you associate with Learning Outcomes? The bigger picture

The Bologna Process, launched with the Bologna Declaration of 1999, is one of the main voluntary processes at European level; it is today implemented in 47 states, which define the European Higher Education Area (EHEA).

The bigger picture The three overarching objectives of the Bologna process : introduction of the three cycle system (bachelor/master/doctorate), quality assurance and recognition of qualifications and periods of study.

The bigger picture Detailed priorities for : 1. Ensuring a quality higher education system 2. Adopting a two- or three-cycle system of study (BA, MA, PhD) 3. Promoting the mobility of students and academic and administrative staff 4. Introducing a credit system (ECTS) for the assessment of study performance 5. The Recognition of levels: adopting a system of easily identifiable and comparable levels 6. The Active involvement of higher education institutions, teachers and students in the Bologna Process and student participation in the management of higher education (> teaching and learning experience) 7. Promoting a European dimension in higher education 8. Promoting the attractiveness of the European higher education area 9. Lifelong learning 10. A European higher education area and a European research area – two pillars of a society based on knowledge

The bigger picture Status quo (2009/2010): HE across the EHEA countries looks substantially different from 10 years ago Large difference in the speed of implementation and varying levels of committment Lack of resources and expertise to guide the domestic policy process in some countries Short-term credit mobility > degree mobility (east>west)

The bigger picture Challenges/outlook: LO is a controversial topic Linking allocation of credits to student workload No common understanding of „modularisation“ Integrating the social dimension Recognition of prior learning

Shift in paradigm: from input-oriented to output- oriented

Learning Outcomes The princial question asked of the student/graduate will no longer be „what did you do to obtain the degree?“ but „what can you do now that you have obtained your degree?“ ( Purser, Council of Europe, 2003)

Learning Outcomes... are a statement of what a learner is expected to know, understand, or able to do at the end of a learning process.

Learning Outcomes The alignment between LO, teaching, learning and assessment helps to make the overall learning experience more coherent, transparent and meaningful for learners.

Learning Outcomes Better matching of qualifications with labour market expectations Greater openess of education and training systems to recognise learning achievement Enhanced flexibility and accountability of education and training systems

Where LO can be found Learning Outcomes Occupational standards Assessment criteria Qualifications Qualifications framework Curricula

The bigger picture Learning Outcomes/Competences Teaching methods; learning experience; assessment ECTS; curriculum development

What do you think are the benefits and potential problems of Learning Outcomes?

The benefits of Learning Outcomes  Help to explain more clearly to students what is expected of them and thus help to guide them in their studies – motivation and sense of purpose  Help teachers to focus more clearly on what exactly they want students to achieve in terms of knowledge and skills.  Help teachers to define the assessment criteriamore effectively.  Help to provide guidance to employers about the knowledge and understanding possessed by graduates of programmes.  Help to start discussion on Teaching and Learning in third level institutions.

Potential problems with Learning Outcomes  Could limit learning if learning outcomes written within a very narrow framework – lack of intellectual challenge to learners.  Learning outcomes should not be reductionist but rather expansive and intended to promote the higher order thinking skills.  Danger of assessment-driven curriculum (oбразовательная программа) if learning outcomes too confined.  Could give rise to confusion among students and staff if guidelines not adhered to when drawing up learning outcomes, etc.

Learning Outcomes (summary I) LO complement other/traditional ways of curriculum design, teaching, learning and assessment and do not replace them: Focus on teaching – aims and objectives and use of terms like know, understand, be familiar with. Focus on learning - outcomes: what we want the student to be able to do - use of terms like define, list, name, recall, analyse, calculate, design, etc.

Learning Outcomes (summary II) Discussions at European and national level highlight the need for common ground with respect to LO – this does not imply that their need to be a common approach to defining and using LO.

Literature Using Learning Outcomes. European Qualifications Framework Series. Note 4. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union Declan Kennedy, Áine Hyland, Norma Ryan: “Writing and using learning outcomes: a practical guide”, article C in Eric Froment, Jürgen Kohler, Lewis Purser and Lesley Wilson (eds.): EUA Bologna Handbook – Making Bologna Work (Berlin 2006: Raabe Verlag) (available on line) The Bologna Process Independent Assessment. The first decase of working on the European Higher Education Area. Volume 1 Detailed assessment report. CHEPS, INCHER- Kassel, ECOTEC; - education/doc1290_en.htmhttp://ec.europa.eu/education/higher - education/doc1290_en.htm