1. Creating Learning Outcomes and Assignment Descriptions
As a clarification, I’ve changed the title to better reflect University of Kentucky language. While the word objectives is commonly used in the instructional design and instructional communication literature, it has also often been misused in instructional settings. Therefore the University Senate has requested that we use the term learning outcomes at classes at UK in order to help us better focus on what students are actually learning in the process.

2. Today’s Learning Outcomes
Respond to common misconceptions regarding the design of instruction
Identify and utilize resources for setting measurable and achievable course goals related to communication competency
Distinguish between activities and assignments
Develop appropriate assignments for measuring students’ achievement of learning outcomes
Develop appropriate activities for helping students to master learning outcomes
Communicate learning outcomes, assignments, and activities clearly to students

3. Confronting Misconceptions

4. Common Misconceptions
Teaching is about sharing content
Creating a class is about deciding what content to cover
I only write learning outcomes because they are required by administrators
Most of the time I devote to a class is spent actually in the classroom or grading assignments
There’s an ideal teaching strategy
How do you feel about these statements? Do you agree with any of them?

5. The Reality
Teaching is about helping students to become competent in an area
Both what they know and what they can do
Creating a class involves a process of deciding what skills students need and how best to teach them
3. Learning outcomes are the driving force of the course
4. Designing a great class requires a lot of time up front, but this can reduce the time you spend lecturing and re-teaching later.
5. How you teach depends on what you are trying to accomplish

6. Creating Learning Outcomes

7. Purpose?

8. If learning is a journey for our students, the learning outcomes tell us the destination, so that we’re not aimlessly wandering, but our journey is purposeful.

9. Good, Better, Best Better: Faculty will: define learning outcomes
Move from a focus on what you want students to “know” or “understand” to what you want students to be able to do as evidence
Example: Faculty will understand how a learning outcome is structured
Better: Faculty will:
define learning outcomes
identify action verbs that they can use in creating learning outcomes

10. Avoid Phrases You Can’t Measure
learn how to
develop skills in
discover
appreciate
value
examine
demonstrate understanding/knowledge of
be aware
gain the ability
acquire
You don’t need to include the phrases “will demonstrate,” “will learn how to.” Move straight to the action verb. Also, avoid terms that you can’t really observe or measure, such as “discover”, and “appreciate.”
grow/increase – unless you are really measuring this

11. Good, Better, Best
Make sure you really capture what you want students to do as a result of your class.
Best: Faculty will create measurable learning outcomes appropriate for their courses
Don’t think in terms of what students will do in the class, but what you want them to do after they have left the class.
Your class is not about content. It’s about developing a skill set. Content is sometimes a part of that skill set. You should focus on what you want students to be able to do.

12. Bloom’s Taxonomy Knowledge 2. Comprehension 3. Application 4. Analysis
Recall information
Interpret information in one’s own words
Use knowledge or generalization in a new situation
arrange name
define order
duplicate recall
label relate
list repeat
match reproduce
memorize
classify report
describe restate
discuss review
explain select
express sort
identify tell
indicate translate
locate
apply operate
choose practice
demonstrate prepare
dramatize schedule
employ sketch
illustrate solve
interpret use
4. Analysis
5. Synthesis
6. Evaluation
Break knowledge into parts and show relationships
Bring together parts to form whole and build relationships for new situations
Make judgments based on criteria
analyze differentiate
appraise discriminate
calculate distinguish
categorize examine
compare experiment
contrast inventory
criticize question
diagram test
arrange manage
assemble organize
collect plan
compose prepare
construct propose
create set up
design synthesize
formulate write
appraise evaluate
argue judge
assess predict
attack rate
choose score
compare select
defend support
estimate value
While Bloom’s taxonomy doesn’t cover all kinds of learning outcomes, it can be very useful in helping us to think more carefully what we want students to do beyond just recalling content. This list of verbs can also be a reference in forming our outcomes as action statements.
Morrison, Ross, Kalman, & Kemp (2011)

13. Expanded Performance-Content Matrix
Recall
Application
Facts
Concepts
Principles and Rules
Procedures
Interpersonal
Attitude
Another useful way to think about learning outcomes is to identify the kind of outcome you are trying to achieve. The performance-content matrix was originally proposed by Merrill’s (1983) component display theory and later extended by Morrison, Ross, Kalman, & Kemp. For each kind of outcome, do you simply want students to recall the information or actually apply it. You’ll notice that you can only recall “facts” while you can apply concepts or principles that may use those facts.
(Morrison et al., 2011)

14. Components of Learning Outcome
Behavior
Create a visual aid
Context
for a 3-5 minute speech on treating a health condition
Performance criteria
that shows an awareness of patient needs, is visually appealing and communicates treatment options clearly

15. Norm Referencing National Communication Association Field-specific
What does communication competency involve in your field?
Take a minute to think about your field – where might you find standards to consider?
Think carefully about how successful professionals communicate. Unsuccessful professionals?
Written – are there particular conventions of the discipline
Spoken – are there certain languages or behaviors that indicate competency?
Visual – do students need to construct graphic representations of data? Do they need to design materials in an appealing way? Incorporate pictures or visual evidence?

16. Types of Teaching Knowledge
Content knowledge
General pedagogical knowledge
Curriculum knowledge
Pedagogical content knowledge
Knowledge of learners and their characteristics
Knowledge of educational contexts
Knowledge of educational ends, purposes, and values
(Shulman, 1987)

17. Task Analysis Terminal Learning Outcomes Enabling Learning Outcomes
Employ language that enhances the speaker's credibility, promotes the purpose, and the receiver's understanding.
Enabling Learning Outcomes
Define credibility
Identify language that makes speakers appear more credible within a profession
Identify the language that is understood by the audience
Relate professional terminology to audience expectations

18. Task Analysis Terminal Learning Outcomes Enabling Learning Outcomes
Communicate in a style appropriate to the professional nurse, through writing, speaking, and group participation.
Enabling Learning Outcomes
Choose appropriate technical vocabulary to communicate concepts
Exhibit empathy for patients through nonverbal gestures
Apply standard academic grammar principles to written reports
Determine group members’ perspectives on a topic through active listening and identify points of consensus
Another example:
employ and evaluate interpersonal communication skills.
could be broken into many smaller learning outcomes
What interpersonal skills are relevant? How will you know students have accomplished them?

19. Assignments vs. Activities

20. Instruction Activities Assignments Learning Outcomes Listening Reading
Researching
Writing
Presenting
Discussing
Designing
Building
Drawing
Graphing
Evaluating
Defending
Etc
What’s the difference between assignments and activities?
Assignments demonstrate what students have mastered
Activities help students to develop mastery
Activities may be evaluated during the course, but the focus of evaluation should be on student engagement and process rather than skill acquisition. Feedback can address students’ skill level.

21. Developing Assignments
Focus on learning outcomes
What is proper evidence?
Feasible for you?
Feasible for your students?
Evidence for objectives
Like forensic evidence, a good assignment gives clues as to what really happened in the learner’s mind. Start with the objective and think about what you really want students to be able to do. Choose an assignment that reflects their ability to perform that action. For example, if you’re teaching photography, a test may tell you if students can recall elements of strong visual composition, but it won’t tell if students can take a good picture. Likewise, If you want them to show good interdisciplinary collaboration, then the assignment can’t just be a speech or paper about a topic unfamiliar to them. Maybe they have to conduct an interview, create a video with someone in another discipline, or solve a problem that requires getting information from other people on campus.
What is feasible for you as instructor
What is feasible for students
Other knowledge needed
Resources available (requires knowing your learners)
Next week we’ll talk about rubrics and grading these assignments

22. Developing Activities
No magic formula
Round the learning cycle
Match activity to outcome
I sometimes get asked, “What’s the best way to teach my classes?” That’s a difficult question to answer. What people often want is a set of steps they can follow that will automatically cause all of their students to be engaged and learn the material. But how you teach really depends on a lot of things. It depends on your students needs, what it is your trying to accomplish, and even your own style and comfort level as an instructor. There are many strategies you can use to teach the same concept, so there’s no magic formula that will instantly produce results. Of course, considering the learning cycle that we discussed last week and making sure you round the learning cycle for students is a good place to start because it will help you engage students in multiple ways. It’s also important to match your strategy to what your trying to achieve.

23. Learning Strategies Content Strategies Facts Concepts
Principles and Rules
Procedures
Interpersonal
Attitude
Why don’t you give it a try. At your table, I’m going to give you the 6 types of outcomes proposed in the Expanded Performance-Content Matrix. I’m also going to give you some activities that you might use in the classroom. Match each activity with an appropriate type of outcome. Keep in mind that there could be multiple answers, but just look for one type of content that you might use the activity to address.

24. Learning Strategies Content Strategies Facts
Drills, lecture, mnemonic devices
Concepts
Hear/view examples, sort into categories, compare and contrast, lecture, drills
Principles and Rules
Hear/view examples, complete worked examples, solve a problem, computer simulation, drills, paraphrase
Procedures
View a demonstration, complete worked examples, solve a problem, computer simulation, list steps, paraphrase, practice
Interpersonal
View a demonstration, mental rehearsal, role-playing, computer simulation, practice
Attitude
Defend a position, mental rehearsal

25. In General Don’t just do one thing Carefully sequence activities
This requires:
Clearly defining learning outcomes
Listening to students
Providing feedback

26. Communicating with Students

27. Assignment Description
What will students need to do
What are you expecting
Think about your student’s perspective
Get some feedback from actual students
- Be clear
- Be explicit

28. Giving Feedback Good teaching requires good listening. Pre-assess
Periodically check for understanding
How will students know how they are doing?
Good teaching requires good listening. Feedback is key. Communication and Instruction are processes that change through interaction. Know your students
Pre-assess interest and abilities as a baseline and target instruction accordingly
How will you periodically check for understanding?
How will students know how they are doing? – confirmation, immediacy both linked to positive student outcomes

29. One Final Note

30. Evaluation How will you know your class was successful?
Formative Evaluation – ongoing checkpoints
Midterm evaluation
Summative Evaluation – end of semester
Student products?
Student Feedback?
Self-reflection?

31. References
Morrison, G.R., Ross, S.M., Kalman, H.K., & Kemp, J.E. (2011). Designing effective instruction. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Shulman, L. S. (1987). Knowledge and teaching: Foundations of the new reform. Harvard Educational Review, 5, 1–22.

32. Questions?