Course Alignment

Course Outcomes

Course Learning outcomes are statements that describe the knowledge or skills students should acquire by the end of the course. They are also referred to as “outcomes” or “course outcomes”.

Course learning outcomes are often incorrectly referred to as course objectives. There is a difference. Objectives generally describe what an instructor, program, or institution aims to do. A learning outcome describes in observable and measurable terms what a student is able to do as a result of completing a learning experience (e.g., course, project, or unit).

Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs)

Learning outcomes describe what students will be able to demonstrate by the end of the course — observable, measurable, and typically written using action verbs (Bloom’s Taxonomy). They answer: “What can the student DO?”

Introductory Psychology

Analyze the influence of biological, psychological, and social factors on human behavior.
Apply psychological theories to real-world scenarios using case-based evidence.

Business Communication

Compose professional written communications appropriate for diverse workplace audiences.
Evaluate the effectiveness of a communication strategy using established criteria.

Introduction to Computers

Demonstrate proficiency in common productivity software including word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations.
Distinguish between hardware components and explain their functions within a computing system.

Online Teaching & Learning (Graduate)

Design an online learning module that incorporates evidence-based instructional strategies.
Assess the quality of an online course using a standardized rubric framework.

Good learning outcomes emphasize the application and integration of knowledge. Instead of focusing on coverage of material, learning outcomes articulate how students will be able to employ the material, both in the context of the class and more broadly.

Course Objectives

Objectives are broader and describe what the course is intended to accomplish — often from the instructor’s or institution’s perspective. They answer: “What will this course cover or do?” They tend to be less measurable on their own and often serve as the umbrella under which outcomes fall.
Introductory PsychologyIntroduce students to the major theories, concepts, and research methods in psychology.
Provide an overview of key subfields including cognitive, developmental, and social psychology.

Business Communication

Expose students to the principles of professional communication in organizational settings.
Survey a range of communication formats including reports, emails, and presentations.

Introduction to Computers

Familiarize students with the foundational concepts of computing and digital literacy.
Survey current and emerging technologies relevant to everyday and professional use.

Online Teaching & Learning (Graduate)

Present evidence-based frameworks for designing and evaluating online learning environments.
Explore the role of technology in supporting learner engagement and accessibility.

Quick Comparison
ObjectivesLearning OutcomesFocusCourse content/intentStudent performancePerspectiveInstructor/institutionStudentMeasurabilityLowerHigherTypical verbsIntroduce, explore, survey, presentAnalyze, design, evaluate, demonstrateUsed forCurriculum planningAssessment & accreditation

A well-designed course typically has 3–5 objectives and 4–8 learning outcomes, with the outcomes directly supporting and making the objectives measurable. Would you like me to draft these for a specific course you’re working on?

WHY DEVELOP LEARNING OUTCOMES?

First of all, Course Learning Outcomes are not flexible or adjustable by the instructor. They are part of a larger picture involving program alignment and accreditation. The outcomes are what the university states the student will be able to prove mastery of at the end of the course. If only one course in an Accounting program covers tax auditing and the instructor chooses to ignore teaching the auditing-related outcome in that course, students would suffer. Each outcome must have an assessment aligned with it so students can demonstrate mastery.Learning outcomes are valuable to learners, instructors, and administrators. Mark Battersby (1999) of the Learning Outcomes Network explains that learning outcomes are more than simply several sentences appended to a syllabus; instead, the development of learning outcomes and their use within a course shape learning and assessment activities and can enhance student engagement and learning.

Because of their ability to benefit many groups in postsecondary education, the development of learning outcomes has become an increasing priority for instructors and institutions. As government and public attention on the products of higher education increases, learning outcomes help define the goals and essential aspects of higher education within the institution, for students, and for the general public.

FOR STUDENTS

By focusing on the application of knowledge and skills learned in a course and on the integration of knowledge and skills with other areas of their lives, students are more connected to their learning and to the material of the course.
The emphasis on integration and generalizable skills helps students draw connections between courses and between coursework and other kinds of knowledge, enhancing student engagement.
Students understand the conditions and goals of their assessment.

FOR INSTRUCTORS

The process of developing learning outcomes itself offers an opportunity for reflection on the content of the course in the context of its potential applications. Developing learning outcomes means that the context of the learning will always be emphasized, and courses focus on the knowledge and skills that will be most valuable to the student now and in the future.
Learning outcomes point to useful methods of assessment.
Learning outcomes allow instructors to set the standards by which the success of the course will be evaluated.

FOR INSTITUTIONS & ADMINISTRATORS

In order to determine what is essential for students to know, an instructor must consider the particular course or unit in the context of future coursework and the curriculum as a whole. This contributes to the development of a coherent curriculum within a decentralized institution while maintaining instructor autonomy, and helps to ensure that students are prepared for future work and learning.
The application and integration of learning emphasized by learning outcomes reflect and support the contemporary nature and priorities of the university, enhancing student engagement, uncovering opportunities for interdisciplinary, and providing guidance and support for students with many different kinds of previous academic preparation.
Learning outcomes provide structures from which courses and programs can be evaluated and can assist in program and curricular design, identify gaps or overlap in program offerings, and clarify instructional, programmatic, and institutional priorities.

Blooms Taxonomy

A Brief History Of Bloom’s Taxonomy Revisions

Bloom’s Taxonomy was created by Benjamin Bloom in 1956, published as a kind of classification of learning outcomes and objectives that have, in the more than a half-century since, been used for everything from framing digital tasks and evaluating apps to writing questions and assessments.

The original sequence of cognitive skills was Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation. The framework was revised in 2001 by Lorin Anderson and David Krathwohl, yielding the revised Bloom’s Taxonomy. The most significant change to the Cognitive Domain was the removal of ‘Synthesis’ and the addition of ‘Creation’ as the highest-level of Bloom’s Taxonomy. And being at the highest level, the implication is that it’s the most complex or demanding cognitive skill–or at least represents a kind of pinnacle for cognitive tasks.

How Bloom’s Taxonomy Is Useful For Teachers

Many educators love Bloom’s because, among other virtues, it gives them a way to think about their teaching—and the subsequent learning of their students.

As mentioned above, the framework can be used to create assessments, evaluate the complexity of assignments, increase the rigor of a lesson, simplify an activity to help personalize learning, design a summative assessment, plan project-based learning, frame a group discussion, and more. Because it simply provides an order for cognitive behaviors, it can be applied to almost anything. (You can see one example here–one of our teaching materials that combined Bloom’s Taxonomy with common digital tasks.)

The 6 Levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy

1. The first level of Bloom’s Taxonomy is to Remember.

Example activities at the Remembering level: memorize a poem, recall state capitals, remember math formulas

2. The second level of Bloom’s Taxonomy is to Understand.

Example activities at the Understanding level: organize the animal kingdom based on a given framework, illustrate the difference between a rectangle and square, summarize the plot of a simple story

3. The third level of Bloom’s Taxonomy is to Apply.

Example activities at the Application level: use a formula to solve a problem, select a design to meet a purpose, reconstruct the passage of a new law through a given government/system

4. The fourth level of Bloom’s Taxonomy is to Analyze.

Example activities at the Analysis level: identify the ‘parts of’ democracy, explain how the steps of the scientific process work together, identify why a machine isn’t working

5. The fifth level of Bloom’s Taxonomy is to Evaluate.

Example activities at the Evaluation level: make a judgment regarding an ethical dilemma, interpret the significance of a given law of physics, illustrate the relative value of a technological innovation in a specific setting—a tool that helps recover topsoil farming, for example.

6. The sixth and highest level of Bloom’s taxonomy is to Create.

Example activities at the Creation level: design a new solution to an ‘old’ problem that honors/acknowledges the previous failures, delete the least useful arguments in a persuasive essay, write a poem based on a given theme and tone

Module Learning Objectives

What is a Module Objective?

A module objective specifies a specific, observable behavior, skill, or action in small, discrete pieces. Module objectives can be viewed as the building blocks or tasks that lead students to mastery of a course objective.

What do Good Module Objectives Look Like?

Module Objectives are required for online courses. They need to be specific, measurable, and written from the learner’s perspective.