An introduction to writing effective learning outcomes
How to plan your teaching and prioritise what students need to learn
Learning outcomes describe what students should be able to do by the end of a teaching session or course. They are related to, but different from, teaching aims, which instead describe broadly what the session or course is about and its overall purpose.
Writing learning outcomes can help you to plan your teaching, for example, by prioritising key learning points for the session or course and enabling you to plan your teaching across a session or course. You may also want to share learning outcomes with your students to help them to understand what they are meant to be learning.
Core principles of learning outcomes
Learning outcomes should:
- Avoid jargon.
- Use action verbs to describe what it is that students should be able to do during and/or at the end of a session or course. One way to ensure this is by completing the sentence: ‘By the end of the session students will be able to …’ (see the ‘Learning outcome verbs’ table later in this guide).
- Not be too numerous. This helps to avoid writing a list of ‘content to be covered’ and will also help you prioritise what students need to do.
- Be specific.
Examples of learning outcomes
All learning outcomes should include an action verb to describe what students should be able to do at the end of the session or course to demonstrate their learning. Two examples are provided below:
‘Describe qualitatively the relationships between risk factors and acute respiratory infections using data from published sources.’
‘Analyse the use of language and symbolism in Middle English poetry by close reading extracts of verse.’
Learning outcome verbs
This table lists some examples of action verbs which you may find helpful when writing learning outcomes for your session or course:
|
To enable students to |
Examples of associated learning outcome verbs | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Knowledge and understanding |
state record identify clarify describe recognise make distinctions |
list recount discuss recognise respond to disclose define |
name indicate explain account outline refer to illustrate |
|
Application |
apply compute calculate demonstrate discover |
manipulate modify perform predict prepare |
produce relate show solve use |
|
Analysis |
analyse compare criticise |
examine appraise debate |
contrast question distinguish |
|
Synthesis/creativity |
arrange plan formulate redefine initiate |
assemble prepare construct propose start |
organise design develop produce create |
|
Evaluation |
evaluate estimate measure recommend |
assess criticise compare advocate |
judge appraise discriminate defend |
When writing learning outcomes, avoid using words that are vague and which are more difficult to assess. This includes words and phrases such as:
- know
- understand
- believe
- learn the basics of
- be aware of
- appreciate
- have a good grasp of
- be interested in
- be familiar with
- realise the significance
- become acquainted with
- obtain a working knowledge of
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