Writing Learning Outcomes for Higher Education Dr Anita Walsh Birkbeck, University of London February, 2008

Dr Anita Walsh, Birkbeck February 2008 Writing Learning Outcomes for Higher Education Are going to discuss student-centred approach in higher education Why should we move to student-centred learning outcomes? Biggs: student learns what student does - declarative, procedural, conditional, functioning knowledge

Dr Anita Walsh, Birkbeck February 2008 Writing Learning Outcomes for Higher Education ‘New’ programme elements: Module: self-contained formally structured learning experience with its own learning outcomes and mode of assessment Learning outcomes detail what a learner will know/understand/be able to demonstrate at the end of the learning experience (c.f. what tutor will teach)

Dr Anita Walsh, Birkbeck February 2008 Writing Learning Outcomes for Higher Education Credit framework comprises: credits and levels. It is an attempt to make the academic judgement concerning the learning experience more explicit for the student Credit = tool to ‘measure’ equivalence does NOT determine either content or structure

Dr Anita Walsh, Birkbeck February 2008 Writing Learning Outcomes for Higher Education Learning outcomes are set at a specific level and include both subject based and personal/professional outcomes Credit value attaches to learning outcomes, and achievement of the outcomes ‘triggers’ the award of credit – threshold model with grading as indicator of standard of achievement

Dr Anita Walsh, Birkbeck February 2008 Writing Learning Outcomes for Higher Education Move towards transparency Concept of level has been implicit in higher education, but development of credit framework has stimulated explicit consideration of characteristics of learning at a given level

Dr Anita Walsh, Birkbeck February 2008 Writing Learning Outcomes for Higher Education What does this mean? Content often varies at different levels of a programme, but content could be similar at different levels Expectation then is that students will deal with the content differently

Dr Anita Walsh, Birkbeck February 2008 Writing Learning Outcomes for Higher Education Thinking about what students will learn can encourage staff to consider both teaching and learning issues For example, if the intention is that students acquire teamworking and presentation skills on a particular module, is the lecture and examination an appropriate way to deliver and assess the course?

Dr Anita Walsh, Birkbeck February 2008 Writing Learning Outcomes for Higher Education A range of different assessment methods can help students demonstrate the full range of their achievements, and are often seen as less daunting than unseen examinations Programme teams can discuss appropriate/acceptable forms of assessment Questions or comments?