For departments relying on program portfolios or exams to illustrate educational effectiveness, student learning outcomes should be derived from the program’s core curriculum. Reviewing written descriptions of the program, departmental mission statements and goals, course syllabi, and other related information may be helpful starting points. Many disciplinary associations also now offer guidelines for writing and assessing learning outcomes. The following types of questions may help stimulate productive dialogue among colleagues:
- What are the most important things we want our students to accomplish? What do we want them to remember or be able to do once they have completed our program?
- What do we want all of our students to know and be able to do, regardless of the particular course or track they take through the program?
- What skills and knowledge will our students need after they graduate? What will facilitate their success (in a job, in graduate school, in life, etc.)?
- To what extent do our program’s core courses and other required courses for the major provide opportunities for students to learn and practice these important outcomes?
How are student learning outcomes written?
Statements of intended learning outcomes should focus on desired outcomes with all of their complexities, addressing integrated skills and abilities. At the program level, they are typically written using a stem such as: “Students who complete this program will…” or “Graduates of this program will be able to…” followed by a list of 4-6 specific learning outcomes. Examples drawn from a variety of fields include:
- demonstrate an understanding of culture and society.
- critically analyze a literary text.
- distinguish among a variety of genres or primary and historical texts and use them appropriately and effectively in academic work.
- apply physical principles to real-world problems.
- write persuasively using a variety of rhetorical strategies (e.g., expository, argumentative, descriptive).
- communicate orally in clear, coherent, and persuasive language appropriate to purpose and audience.
- be an effective member of a team.
- value the scientific approach to understanding the natural world.
As you work on establishing your program’s learning outcomes, the following recommendations may also be useful:
- Attend to the most important goals for undergraduates in your major, framing outcomes terms of what students will be able to demonstrate rather than on what faculty teach.
- Focus on what students should know, be able to do, and/or be like after they have successfully completed your program, not on what they do on the way to completing the program.
- Aim for establishing outcomes that are neither too broad nor too specific. Consider general skills such as critical thinking, writing, and research competency, as well as discipline-specific knowledge, concepts, theories, methods, etc.
- Use concrete “action” words that describe desired outcomes in explicit, observable terms (e.g., design, produce, demonstrate, create, etc.).
- Avoid using fuzzy terms. For example, in the context of writing learning outcomes, think critically could be more clearly stated as analyze and evaluate arguments.
- Make sure that each learning outcome is measurable (i.e., that evidence to document student achievement of that outcome can be readily collected).
Once faculty have agreed upon the core learning outcomes for the major, the outcomes should be publicized (e.g., on the department/program website, in program literature, in the UCLA general catalog, etc.). This will enable current and prospective students, as well as others who may be interested in the academic program, to understand what types of learning are expected of those who complete their undergraduate studies with a major in that program.