LEARNING OUTCOMES

Teaching, learning and assessment methods

Maria Sticchi Damiani

Tunis December 8, 2016

What are the foundations of learning outcomes

in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA)?

BASIC PRINCIPLES

and

USEFUL TOOLS

BASIC PRINCIPLES

1. A student-centred approach

Programmes of study are designed on the basis of

defined learning outcomes

“Statements of what the individual knows, understands and is

able to do on completion of a learning process”

estimated learning time (workload)

“The time the individual typically needs to complete all

learning activities, such as lectures, seminars, projects,

practical work, work placements and individual study,

required to achieve the defined learning outcomes in formal

learning environments”. (ECTS Users’ Guide, 2015)

1. A student-centred approach

For many higher education systems this approach to curriculum

design involves a radical shift in paradigm

from teaching inputs to learning outcomes

from teaching time to learning time

from knowledge only to knowledge and skills

that requires a deep change in academic culture.

1. A student-centered approach

Programmes of study are delivered

• giving learners enough choice of content, mode and

pace of learning and helping them to build on their

individual learning styles and experiences,

• using effective teaching/learning methods,

• providing learners with adequate educational

guidance and facilities

2. Competences vs Learning outcomes

The two concepts are different, but closely related:

Competence means ‘the proven ability to use knowledge, skills and

personal, social and/or methodological abilities, in work or study

situations and in professional and personal development’. Competences

can be generic or subject-specific. Fostering competences is the

object of a process of learning and of an educational programme.

Learning outcomes express the level of competence attained by the

student: ‘statements of what the learner knows, understands and is able

to do on completion of a learning process’. They are formulated by

academic staff and verified by assessment.

Examples of Competences (from Tuning):

Generic/transversal

• Ability to apply knowledge in practical situations

• Ability for analysis and synthesis

• Ability to communicate in a second language

• Computer skills

• Ability to identify, pose and resolve problems

• Ability to work in a team

• Ability to work autonomously

Subject-specific

• Ability to use and evaluate tools for analyzing a company in its

environment (Business)

• Skills in the safe handling of chemical materials (Chemistry)

• Competence in a number of teaching/learning and assessment

strategies (Education)

2. Competences

1. General cycle descriptors (The Dublin Descriptors) • they describe the general learning outcomes expected for achieving a qualification in each of the three cycles and • become more specific when applied to specific study programmes in each cycle

USEFUL TOOLS

The Dublin Descriptors

are based on five main elements:

• Knowledge and understanding

• Applying knowledge and understanding

• Making judgements

• Communication skills

• Learning skills

Example I: First cycle descriptors Qualifications that signify completion of the first cycle are awarded to students who •have demonstrated knowledge and understanding in a field of study….at a level supported by advanced textbooks…with some aspects informed by knowledge at the forefront of the field of study; •can apply their knowledge and understanding ….and have competences for devising and sustaining arguments and solving problems within their field of study;

•have the ability to gather and interpret relevant data (usually within their field of study) to inform judgements….;

•can communicate information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialist and non-specialist audiences;

•have developed those learning skills that are necessary for them to continue to undertake further study with a high degree of autonomy.

Example II: A single descriptor in the three cycles

Making judgements - progression of the competences

First cycle: have the ability to gather and interpret relevant data

(usually within their field of study) to inform judgements…

Second cycle: have the ability to integrate knowledge and handle

complexity, and formulate judgements with incomplete or limited

information…

Third cycle: are capable of critical analysis, evaluation and synthesis of

new and complex ideas

2. The ECTS credit system

ECTS credits express the volume of learning based on:

• definition of the expected learning outcomes (rather

than teaching inputs)

• estimation of their associated student workload (rather

than teaching hours)

The ECTS credit structure

is based on

• 60 ECTS credits, corresponding to the learning

outcomes and associated workload of a full time

academic year (whatever it means in single countries),

but may also take into account

• national provisions concerning the number of working

hours per academic year: in the EHEA countries the

workload of a full time academic year ranges in most cases

from 1500 to 1800 hours.

So, in absolute terms, in the EHEA one credit generally

corresponds to 25/30 hours of work.

The objectives of the ECTS system are

to facilitate:

the design and transparency of study programmes,

the delivery and enhancement of study programmes,

the recognition of the learning achievements of

mobile students.

Design and transparency of study programmes

Design and transparency of a study programme Steps that are considered helpful in designing study programmes:

1. Programme context

2. Programme profile

3. Programme learning outcomes

4. Programme structure and credit allocation

5. Single educational components

The outcomes of these steps should be described in a standard format

in the Course Catalogue

Design and transparency of a study programme Responsibility for each step

Collective responsibility (academics in consultation with

relevant stakeholders):

• Setting the programme in the context of the relevant national

legislation and existing qualifications frameworks.

• Defining the programme profile, with the field(s) of study, the

level of the programme, the key learning outcomes expected, the

learning environment and the main learning, teaching and

assessment activities.

• Defining the programme structure, with the type, number and

size (credits allocated) of educational components.

Responsibility of single teachers

• Defining the learning outcomes of single educational

components, consistently with the the general learning outcomes

of the programme and the number of credits allocated to each of

them (workload).

• Defining the learning activities of the component, consistently

with the the learning outcomes defined for it and the credits

allocated (workload)

• Defining assessment methods and criteria, consistently with the

learning outcomes defined and the learning activities carried out.

Design and transparency of a study programme

1. Programme context

Decisions on the programme’s cycle/level

and related number of credits

are based on national legislation

and the National Qualifications Framework, if available

Design and transparency of a study programme

1. Programme context

Example from the Course Catalogue:

qualification awarded: Laurea in Storia

length of programme: 3 years

number of credits: 180

level of qualification: First cycle

Design and transparency of a study programme

2. Programme profile

It includes:

•the distinctive features of the programme

•the main focus of the programme

•the learning environment

•the field(s) of study

•the key learning outcomes

•the main learning teaching and assessment activities

Design and transparency of a study programme

2. Programme profile Example from the Course Catalogue:

The Degree programme in History has the objective of preparing students for the

practice of historical research, thanks to a solid knowledge of the great

historiographical themes and debates, the acquisition of methodologies of the

treatment and interpretation of the sources, and the use of a clear and rigorous

language as appropriate to historiographical discourse. The learning experience is

organised through cycles of lectures, seminars, workshops and laboratories.

Alongside these activities, the students are able to attend conferences and

meetings in order to have contact with scientific debate at national and international

level. The Degree programme has four tracks: Ancient History, Medieval History,

Modern History and Contemporary History.

Design and transparency of a study programme

3. Programme learning outcomes

Based on the programme profile, the learning outcomes

express the level of the general or subjec-specific

competences to be attained by the student. They should be:

succinct and not too detailed;

mutually consistent

developed by the components of the programme

easily verifiable

achievable within the workload

Design and transparency of a study programme

3. Programme learning outcomes Example from the Course Catalogue (in a traditional format):

Graduates of the First Cycle Degree programme in History will be able to

demonstrate a solid knowledge of the general lines of human history; specialised

knowledge of one broad period of history (Ancient, Medieval, Modern/Contemporary);

knowledge of and an ability to use the basic techniques of historical research; a

knowledge of and ability to use the main tools of other social and humanistic

sciences, besides history; the ability to identify the relevant scientific literature,

bibliography and sources to address a historiographical problem; critical

understanding of the relationship between the present and the past; the ability to

communicate research results in various ways according to the target audience; the

ability to communicate in at least one language of the EU, in addition to their native

one, as well as basic ICT competences for communicating, retrieving and elaborating

on historiographical texts and data.

Example from the Course Catalogue (presented as a list):

Graduates of the First Cycle Degree programme in History

will be able to demonstrate:

a solid knowledge of the general lines of human history and a specialised

knowledge of one broad period of history (Ancient, Medieval, Modern/Contemporary);

the ability to use the basic techniques of historical research and the main tools of

other social and humanistic sciences;

the ability to identify the relevant scientific literature, bibliography and sources to

address a historiographical problem;

a critical understanding of the relationship between the present and the past;

the ability to communicate research results in various ways according to the target

audience;

the ability to communicate in at least one language of the European Union, in addition

to their native one;

basic ICT competences for communicating, retrieving and elaborating on

historiographical texts and data.

Design and transparency of a study programme

4. Programme structure and credit allocation

• Identify the constituent parts, or educational components, of

the programme (e.g.,course units, work placement, laboratory

work, dissertation, etc.).

• Break down the overall structure of the programme into

components (modules?) and define the learning outcomes of

each component.

• Allocate the credits available (60 credits for a full-time-

equivalent academic year) to the single components.

according to the estimated workload required to achieve the

learning outcomes defined for each of them.

Design and transparency of a study programme

4. Programme structure with credits Example from the course catalogue:

SECOND CYCLE DEGREE IN GLOBAL CULTURES

First Year WORLD HISTORY 12

OCEANIC STUDIES 12

HISTORICAL ANTHROPOLOGY AND EARLY MODERN GLOBALIZATION 6

GLOBALIZATION AND ITS MALCONTENTS 12

GEOGRAPHIES OF GLOBAL CHALLENGES 6

SENIOR SEMINAR IN GLOBAL HUMANITIES 6

DIGITAL HUMANITIES: SOURCES AND METHODS 6

Total 60

Second Year 3 courses (6 ECTS each) from the following list: ETHNICITY AND IDENTITY IN THE GREEK WORLD 6

ROME AND THE UNIVERSAL 6

CROSS-CULTURAL ENCOUNTERS IN THE MEDIEVAL WORLD 6

HISTORY OF CULTURAL EXCHANGES IN THE MODERN AGE 6

GLOBAL HISTORY OF THE LONG NINETEENTH CENTURY 6 18

One course (6 ECTS) from the following list: INTELLECTUAL HISTORY OF SOUTH ASIA 6 6

NARRATIVES ON OTHERS AND SELF IN ARAB CULTURE 6

LOCAL CULTURES IN AFRICA 6

POLITICS OF CONTEMPORARY ASIA 6

One course (6 ECTS) from the following list: 6 RELIGIONS IN A GLOBAL CONTEXT 6

CRITICAL THEORIES OF CONTEMPORARY CAPITALISM6

FEMINIST CRITIQUES OF POLITICAL AND SOCIAL THOUGHT 6

GEOGRAPHY OF THE DIFFERENT REGIONS OF THE WORLD 6

ELECTIVES 6

FINAL DISSERTATION 24

TOTAL 60

Design and transparency of a study programme

5. Single educational components – General information code

title

type (compulsory/optional)

cycle (short/first/second/third)

year of study when the component is delivered (if applicable)

semester/trimester when the component is delivered

number of ECTS credits allocated

name of lecturer(s)

learning outcomes

mode of delivery (face-to-face/distance learning etc.)

prerequisites and co-requisites (if applicable)

course content

recommended or required reading and other learning resources/tools

planned learning activities and teaching methods

assessment methods and criteria

language of instruction

Design and transparency of a study programme

5. Single educational components

Define:

Learning outcomes

Learning activities and teaching methods

Assessment methods and criteria

Design and transparency of a study programme

5. Single educational components

Ensure that:

the defined learning outcomes of the single educational

components are fully consistent with the programme

learning outcomes. Many institutions use a matrix to

correlate them.

the learning activities, as well as assessment

methods/criteria, of the component are consistent with its

defined learning outcomes

Design and transparency of a study programme

5. Single educational components

Example from the course catalogue

(from a first cycle programme in Computer Engineering)

Physics I (10 credits)

Learning outcomes

The student who successfully completes the course will have the

ability to master the basic concepts of Physics both in Newtonian

mechanics and in classical elecromagnetism. He/she will be able

to demonstrate a solid knowledge of the conservation laws and of

the Maxwell equations whose application will allow him/her to

solve basic problems of dynamics in mechanical systems and of

fields configuration in elecromagnetism.

Physics I (10 credits)

Learning activities

Course requirements will include attendance of lectures, laboratory

work and individual study for a total student workload of 250

hours, that will be allocated as follows:

• 60 hours for lectures

• 40 hours for laboratory work

• 145 hours for individual study

• 5 hours for exams

Physics I (10 credits)

Assessment methods:

• Final written exam

• Final oral exam

The written exam is considered a threshold to access the final oral exam. A score of 15

points/30 is required to pass the written exam. Once the threshold is passed, the weight

of the oral exam on the final score is about 70%.

Assessment criteria:

The student will be assessed on his/her demonstrated ability to understand the main

contents of the course and to adapt them to specific cases to solve problems. In the

written exams (3 hours, two problems), the student must demonstrate his/her capability

to deploy the basic concepts to find correct answers to a typical series of three

questions per problem. During the oral exam (half an hour) the student must demonstrate

the ability to put into practice with critical awareness the most important physics law

discussed in the course.

Delivery and enhancement

of study programmes

When delivering the programme, ensure that

in each educational component there is a constructive alignment

between:

the learning outcomes defined,

the teaching/learning activities provided to achieve them,

the assessment methods/criteria adopted to verify they

have been achieved

students’ different needs and learning styles are accommodated

through flexible learning paths

Delivery and enhancement of study programmes

Delivery and enhancement of study programmes

After delivering the programme

monitor whether the defined learning outcomes have in fact been

achieved with the estimated workload, which means that credit

allocation is realistic

How? Feedback from students, staff and stakeholders through

questionnaires, focus groups, interviews and results achieved

if monitoring results show that credit allocation is unrealistic,

revise the student workload or the learning outcomes

Recognition

of the learning achievements of mobile students

Credit recognition

is the process through which

a qualification-awarding institution certifies

that certain learning outcomes achieved

and assessed in another institution

satisfy certain requirements

of the programme they offer.

Recognition of the learning achievements of mobile students

Basic concepts:

Decisions on credit recognition

require reliable information

on the learning outcomes achieved

and the number of credits gained

in the other institution,

as well as on the means of assessment

and their validation.

The approach to credit recognition

should be flexible,

as different programmes

in different higher education institutions

in different countries

very seldom offer educational components

with the same learning outcomes

and the same number of credits

Recognition of the learning achievements of mobile students

in bilateral agreements (Erasmus+)

1. the period of study abroad is planned by the home institution

with the mobile student

and a Learning Agreement is signed before departure, aiming at:

- the achievement of a set of learning outcomes, which are

compatible with those of the home programme;

- the acquisition of an adequate number of credits,

2. All credits included in the LA,

gained abroad and

certified by the host institution through an official Transcript,

are

recognized by the home institution upon return of the student,

transferred into the student’s records,

used to satisfy specific requirements of the home qualification.

Recommendations for sending institutions:

1. Develop a programme of study abroad for a semester or a year (about

30 or 60 ECTS credits), including units at the appropriate level, with

similar, complementary or coherent learning outcomes in relation

to the curriculum of the home institution.

2. Do not look for one-to-one recognition of single units, but recognize

the whole set of credits gained abroad for the approved programme

and transfer it into the home curriculum, as a substitute for an

equivalent number of credits, in order to satisfy the qualification’s

requirements.

Employability

Main goals of higher education:

Self-realization

Active citizenship

Employability

Employability

empowers the individual to make a living

by seizing the opportunities available on the labour market.

As labour markets are rapidly changing,

higher education should equip students

with the advanced knowledge, skills and competences

they need throughout their professional lives.

Some suggestions

for higher education institutions

Define programmes’ learning outcomes also in consultation

with stakeholders like employers and graduates,

in order to identify the general and specific competences that might be

relevant to the demands of national and/or international labour markets.

Develop stable relationships with the world of work,

in order to bring in teachers with practical experiences,

whenever the programme requires them,

or to create work placement opportunities for the students.

Follow up graduates’ careers,

in order to to monitor the impact of single degrees on the labour market.

Adopt teaching/learning aproaches that may encourage students to

become independent learners

Provide lifelong learning opportunities that might enable students

to: obtain qualifications through flexible learning paths, part-time studies

and work-based routes,

extend their knowledge and understanding in the specific areas that interest them,

gain new skills and competences, as required by the labour market.

2. Fostering the employability of graduates throughout

their working lives

“We need to ensure that, at the end of each study cycle,

graduates possess competences suitable for entry into the

labour market which also enable them to develop the new

competences they may need for their employability later

on throughout their working lives.”

Priorities of the EHEA Ministers for 2018 The Yerevan Communiqué 2015

A transparency tool for employability:

the Diploma Supplement

The Diploma Supplement model was developed by the European

Commission, Council of Europe and by UNESCO before the start of

the Bologna Process.

It was designed to provide a description of the nature, level, context,

content and status of the studies that were pursued and successfully

completed by the individual named on the original qualification to

which it is appended.

It is free from any value-judgements, equivalence statements or

suggestions about recognition.

It was adopted by the EHEA with the purpose to provide sufficient

independent data to improve the international transparency and fair

academic and professional recognition of qualifications (diplomas,

degrees, certificates etc.).

THANK YOU

FOR YOUR ATTENTION!