1. Learning Outcomes Carolynn Rankin YULIS Friday 5th May 2006
How to avoid disaster! Practical tips for successful information literacy teaching
Introduce myself

2. Learning & Learning Styles
Deep and surface learning
Learning styles
Activists/reflectors/theorists/ pragmatists
Consider the needs of
visual learners
auditory learners
tactile learners

3. Benefits of learning outcomes
Student centred approach
A shift from the content we teach to what the student is able to do on the successful completion of the session
“The guide on the side rather than the sage on the stage”
What other benefits can you think of? Discuss this with the person sitting next to you.

4. Benefits of learning outcomes
Guide students in their learning by explaining what is expected of them
Useful in compiling progress files
Help avoid plagiarism
LO – students will be able to demonstrate the origins of their ideas by referencing sources used in their work
Assessment criterion – correct use of the Harvard referencing style within the text for all information sources used

5. Use active verbs – promote positive outcomes
Spell out what the students will be able to do
You may only have one shot at a teaching session with a group of learners

6. Avoid the fuzzy … Really know Become acquainted with
Learn the basics of
Obtain a working knowledge of
Have a good grasp of
Be aware of
Understand
When writing learning outcomes we can all fall into the trap of saying the student will understand ….etc when understand is too difficult to quantify

7. Bloom’s Taxonomy The cognitive domain consists of Knowledge
Comprehension
Application
Analysis
Synthesis
Evaluation
The Taxonomy of Educational Objectives (Bloom, 1956)
To help you write your outcomes I suggest you consider looking at Bloom’s Taxonomy which despite its age is still one of the best aids to writing good learning outcomes. In the Taxonomy of Educational Objectives published in 1956 Bloom identified 6 categories of learning – knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation which you can use at any academic level. The taxonomy aspired to provide a classification of our educational system and has been applied to assess learning outcomes and define the nature of learning ever since.

8. Cognitive areas Activities which give evidence of knowing
Define, describe, identify, label, list, name, outline, reproduce, recall, select, state, present, extract, organise, recount, write, measure, relate, match, record

9. Cognitive areas Activities giving evidence of comprehension
Interpret, translate, estimate, justify, clarify, defend, distinguish, explain, generalise, exemplify, infer, predict, rewrite, summarise, discuss, perform, report, present, indicate, find, represent, formulate, contrast, classify, express, compare, recognise, account

10. Cognitive areas Activities giving evidence of application of knowledge/understanding
Apply, solve, demonstrate, change, compute, manipulate, use, employ, modify, operate, manipulate, use, employ, modify, operate, predict, produce, relate, show, select, choose, assess, operate, illustrate, verify

11. Cognitive areas Activities giving evidence of analysis
Recognise, distinguish between, evaluate, analyse, break down, differentiate, identify, illustrate how, infer, outline, point out, relate, select, separate, divide, compare, contrast, justify, resolve, examine, conclude, criticise, question, diagnose, categorise, elucidate

12. Cognitive areas Activities giving evidence of synthesis
Arrange, assemble, organise, plan, prepare, design, formulate, construct, propose, present, explain, modify, reconstruct, relate, re-organise, revise, write, summarise, account for, report, alter, argue, order, select, manage, generalise, derive, synthesise, enlarge, suggest

13. Cognitive areas Activities giving evidence of creativity
Originate, image, begin, design, invent, initiate, state, create, pattern, elaborate, develop, devise, generate, engender

14. Cognitive areas Activities giving evidence of evaluation
Judge, evaluate, assess, discriminate, appraise, conclude, compare, contrast, criticise, justify, defend, rate, determine, choose, value, question, measure

15. Writing learning outcomes
Specify the minimum acceptable standard
Have a small number of learning outcomes which are central - not a large number of superficial outcomes.

16. Have you been clear
How well were the intended learning outcomes of your session communicated?
Did you make it clear to the students what they should gain from the session, and where the topic fits in to their overall course of studies
Try to use language that will make students want to achieve the outcomes – or at least help students see that achieving the outcomes will be valuable to them.

17. Summary Consider learning strategies and learning styles
Write using clear language
Focus on a few central learning outcomes
Indicate the connections – the context

18. Over to you now – 10 minutes to work on your group teaching task