> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://brown-sps-online.gitbook.io/facultyguide/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://brown-sps-online.gitbook.io/facultyguide/online-classroom-design/developing-learning-outcomes.md).
# Developing Learning Outcomes
### **Course-Level Student Learning Outcomes**
Course learning outcomes answer the question: \
*What will students be able to **do** as a result of this course?*
Learning outcomes communicate expectations, structure learning, and guide instruction and assessment. Students benefit from courses that include a range of cognitive processes, from relatively simple tasks like remembering or understanding information to more complex thinking, such as critically analyzing information, completing a project, or creating new knowledge. Consider how you might incorporate activities involving a variety of [thinking skills](http://brown.edu/academics/professional/onlinelearning/img/ThinkSkills.pdf). The [Sheridan Center](https://www.brown.edu/sheridan/teaching-learning-resources/teaching-resources/course-design/establishing-learning-goals) also provides a guide for establishing learning goals.\
\
Course outcome statements should:
* be *student-centered* rather than instructor- or content-centered,
* articulate what students should be able to do *after* completing the course,
* focus on the learning that *results* from the course rather than describing activities or lessons,
* be *most critical* to success in the course (more detailed objectives can be developed for individual modules),
* focus on overarching or general knowledge and/or skills,
* incorporate various ways for students to *actively show* success (outlining, describing, modeling, depicting, etc.) rather than using a single statement, such as “at the end of the course, students will understand \_\_\_\_\_\_\_ “.
Many faculty have found the following construct helpful: \
**Students should be able to... (+ action) (+ resulting evidence).**
#### **Example**
* *Students will be able to think critically and analytically by (1) evaluating observational and experimental data, (2) evaluating interpretation of data, and (3) empirically assessing hypotheses about animal behavior.*
{% hint style="info" %}
Adapted from [Drexel University Institutional Research, Assessment, and Effectiveness](http://www.drexel.edu/provost/irae/assessment/outcomes/developing-course/) and [Texas Tech University’s Office of Planning and Assessment](http://www.depts.ttu.edu/opa/resources/docs/writing_learning_outcomes_handbook3.pdf)
{% endhint %}
### **Module Learning Outcomes**
Module learning outcomes are stated at the beginning of each module/section and prepare students for what they will do in the module/section by expressing the result that should be achieved at the end. They are more specific than course outcomes and should include criteria for acceptable performance. For example,
* *You will be able to **conduct a study** to show how zoo animals use their exhibit using time point sampling.*
* *You will be able to **design a marketing strategy** using social media for a new prescription drug for a specific population.*
Outcomes focus on what successful learning produces for the student. Traditionally, however, teachers have tended to state objectives that express the process, what students will do as a learning activity. For example,
* *Analyze the alternative pricing strategies and the reasons for their use in multinational healthcare organizations.*
* *Research your organization's' culture and its approach to implementation and change management.*
Both are acceptable but the outcome statements may have more relevance and meaning for students because they address the purpose of the learning.
[Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives](http://www.celt.iastate.edu/teaching-resources/effective-practice/revised-blooms-taxonomy/) provides examples of lower- and higher-order thinking involved in a variety of learning activities.
### **Essential Questions**
In addition to stating what students should be able to do after the module or course, you could also stimulate their thinking at the outset by asking open-ended questions, whose answers flow, in effect, from realizing the stated outcomes.
### **Additional Reading**
[PROFESSOR PROFILE: How to Build Student Confidence and Grit Through Backward Design, Experiential Learning](https://hbsp.harvard.edu/how-to-build-student-confidence-and-grit-through-backward-design-experiential-learning/?cid=Email%7CEloqua%7CA6+Student+Confidence+April+2019%7C241843%7CProduct+specific%7CTeaching-tips%7CArticle%7C201904301443), Harvard Business Publishing, Education.