1. 1 ABOUT WRITING GENERAL LEARNING OUTCOMES (one instructor’s experience) The following 3 slides tell a brief story about learning to write learning outcomes over the course of 2 semesters and they highlight the real usefulness of consulting and discussing learning outcomes with peers. The 3 writing events began before the QA initiative and ended as the QA initiative got underway. The first attempt at writing learning outcomes took place in the Spring semester of 2008. All were written for the same undergraduate course.

2. 2 First draft of Learning Outcomes, Spring 2008 GENERAL LEARNING OUTCOMES The course surveys broad movements of ideas and practices in science. Students will develop perspectives and dispositions toward science education Students will develop perspectives and dispositions toward science The course includes a field component Students will observe a scientist at work in the community Students will determine values and productivity of science in practice Students will chart the evolution of scientific thought and practice in the Near East and in Western Europe. Implicit outcomes include Understanding the relation between science and being an educated person

3. 3 Discussion on the first draft You will see in the first draft that there are 9 learning outcomes written to describe what students are expected to do at the end of this course. The first statement begins “This course,” as such, it is not about students at all. So it requires change. The fourth statement has the same problem so the 4 th and the 1 st statements are not learning outcomes. The 9 th statement like the 1 st and 4 th is not a learning outcome either but might fit as an aim if it were rewritten. There are also 5 other statements in this draft that almost are learning outcomes but need further editing and thinking. Personally, I see a problem with using ‘will,’ since it is a passive construction and does not readily give action. As my peers pointed out the action verbs better express what students do.

4. 4 2nd Draft Learning Outcomes, Sept. 2008 describe the major phases of the scientific design process. compare different scientific frameworks. describe the ways to learn about the science classroom. At the end of the course, the students will explain ideas about the role of value in the science curriculum describe how technology and science can be used to foster student understanding. explain the meaning and the work of a practicing scientist. Compare the work done by scientist in different cultures.

5. 5 Discussion on the 2 nd Draft of Learning outcomes-- Fall 2008 Two statements in the 2 nd draft immediately stand out as problems—the 4 th and the 8 th statements. Neither are learning outcomes but serve as comments about learning outcomes. The other 6 statements are nearly proper learning outcomes. Each starts with an action verb, but all seem repetitive, and again there is a problem with logic. The way that learning outcomes are listed here is illogical as well. Each learning outcome should be distinct. In the last statement of this draft “scientist” should be scientists for purposes of agreement in verb tense.

6. 6 3rd Draft of Learning Outcomes, Jan. 2009 Compare different scientific frameworks within modern and classical Islamic science Explain ideas about the role of value in the science curriculum, specifically how do scientific activities and innovations in Turkish scientific inquiry relate to contemporaneous forms of inquiry Evaluate the work done by scientists in different Islamic cultures Imagine a dialogue across and within cultures of science.

7. 7 Discussion on the 3rd Draft of Learning Outcomes, Jan. 2009 The 3 rd attempt at writing learning outcomes seems closest to success with the exception of the 2 nd outcome. The problem in the 2 nd statement is that the learning outcome is stated in too complex a way. If the second clause that starts, ‘specifically,’ were removed then the 2 nd statement would be consistent with the other 3 statements in this draft. Notice that each statement in this draft begins with a different action verb. You might compare this draft with the 1 st draft from Spring 2008 to understand the progress made.

8. 8 The Final Draft (29 January, 2009) The third draft is in blue for a comparison LEARNING OUTCOMES At the end of the course, the students are able to: Articulate a detailed account of the development of science since 622 CE, (Compare different scientific frameworks within modern and classical Islamic science) Describe & outline the major patterns of scientific discoveries in the Muslim world, (Explain ideas about the role of value in the science curriculum, specifically how do scientific activities and innovations in Turkish scientific inquiry relate to contemporaneous forms of inquiry) Explain ideas about the role of value in the science inquiry, (Evaluate the work done by scientists in different Islamic cultures) Compare the work done by scientists in different cultures, Imagine a dialogue across and within cultures of science. (Imagine a dialogue across and within cultures of science.)