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Learning Outcomes

Characteristics of well-written learning outcomes:

Outcome-Based Assessment
• The specified action by the students must be observable or
Table of specification measurable.

Higher Order Thinking Skill • The specified action must be done by the students.

PGT 202E
A.P. Dr. Lim Hooi Lian
School of Educational Studies
Universiti Sains Malaysia

Formula of writing Learning Outcome

Learning Outcomes

• Use a variety of Bloom’s Taxonomy levels. (Using

appropriate action verbs, state what students will • Time frame: “At the end of the library session…” Student focus:
“…students should be able to…”
be able to do or what they should be able to
• Action verb (Bloom’s taxonomy): “…identify…”
demonstrate as result of completing your course.
• Product/process: “…a relevant database for their term paper
Do not list course content, pedagogies, or class research.”
activities.)

• Use language that is clear and direct. When

possible, use language your students can
understand.

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Learning Outcome What has alignment to do with assessment?

• At the end of the library session the student should be able to • The new learning theory (Constructive Alignment)
identify a relevant database for their term paper research.
begins with the premise that the learner constructs
his or her own meaning through relevant learning
activities (Biggs, 1999).

• That is, meaning is not something transmitted

from teacher to learner, but is something learners
have to create for themselves.

What has alignment to do with assessment?

• The 'alignment' aspect refers to what the teacher

does, which is set up a learning environment where
the learning activities are wholly appropriate to
achieving the desired learning outcomes.

• It is helpful to remember that what the student does is

actually more important in determining what is learned than
what the teacher does.' (Shuell, 1986: 429)

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Alignment of learning, learning outcome and

assessment How do learning outcomes fit into
curicculum goals?

Curriculum
Aims
aims and goals

Assessment Learning
methods Outcomes
Subject goals

Methods
of teaching
&
learning Learning
outcomes

Outcome Based Assessment Outcome Based Assessment

Four main features:
• ‘Outcome’ emphasize on the assessment of student outputs or end
products as opposed to teacher inputs. 1. The assessment process must be aligned with the
• The focus more on the application of knowledge and the
learning outcomes.
demonstration of the required skills and values within specific
contexts- students need to put the knowledge to work, to make it 2. It should support the learners in their learning progress.
function.

3. It should validate the achievement of the intended

learning outcomes at the end of the learning.

4. Integrated assessment - A variety of assessment

methods are used to enable the learner to demonstrate
applied knowledge and competence.

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Table of specification Table of specification

• May also be referred to as the "test blueprint," "master chart," • It consists of a two-way chart or grid relating learning outcome to the
"matrix of content and behaviors," "prescription," "recipe," "road instructional content.
map," "test specifications," or "formal specifications"
• The column of the chart lists the learning outcome at different levels
of cognitive complexity; the rows list the key concepts or content to
be measured.

Table of specification Table of specification

Issues • A Table of Specifications identifies not only the content areas to be

• Teachers often use instructional objectives to guide instruction and covered, it identifies the learning outcomes at each level of the
test item construction. cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains.

• However, this tactic too often results in test items measuring lower
thinking levels such as memorization and comprehension skills.

• In order to measure students' achievement at the higher learning

levels of comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis and
evaluation, teachers should prepare and make use of the table of
specification.

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Examples of Table of Specification Examples of Table of Specification

Learning outcomes (Constructed- Response Number of items • It shows the table of specification using only a list of learning
Test: CRT) outcomes. This type of table is useful when the domain to be
assessed is very small, only consisting a few specific learning
a. Explain the concept and purpose of outcomes.
constructed-response test
b. Differential the functions of short-answer
item and essay item.
c. Explain main guidelines to construct short
answer items
d. Explain main guidelines to construct essay
items
e. Develop essay items for a subject area
f. Develop short-answer items for a subject
area
g. Illustrate the advantages and disadvantages
of using CRT

Examples of Table of Specification Examples of Table of Specification

Content domains (Constructed- Response Number of items
• It shows the table of specification using only a list of content
Test: CRT) domains.
• This type of table is not encouraged as the test developer should
a. Concept and purpose
consider the full range of thinking skills that students expected to
learn
b. Guidelines to construct short answer
items
c. Guidelines to construct essay items
d. Strengths and limitations

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Content domain Number of items (Bloom taxonomy levels)

Comprehension Application Analysis Total
Constructed-
Response Test
(CRT):

Examples of Table of Specification

a. Concept and
Examples of Table of Specification
purpose 3 2 1 6

b. Guidelines to

• It shows the table of specification with content domains and

construct short 3 2 5
answer items

c. Guidelines to Bloom Taxonomy levels. The assignment of items to each cell

construct essay
items
3 2 5
is not strictly a matter of following the certain percentages.
4 2 6
d. Strengths and
limitations
• Some cells may be left blank, because items in those levels
Total 9 8 5 22
are inappropriate. However, some cells may receive a
number of items because they correspond to more
important learning outcomes, may have greater emphasis in
teaching.

Content domain Number of items (learning outcome based on Bloom taxonomy levels)
Examples
Constructed- of Table ofNo.Specification
Comprehension Application No. Analysis No. Examples of Table of Specification
Response Test (CRT) item item item

a. Concept and Explain the concept and Differential the

purpose purpose of CRT functions of short- • According to Nitko (1996), four elements of a complete table
answer item and specification i) content domain, ii) types of thinking skills, iii)
essay item. learning outcomes to be assessed, and iv) the number of
task for each learning outcome.
b. Guidelines to Explain main guidelines to Develop short-answer
construct short construct essay items items for a subject area
answer and essay
items
• Allows the test developer to:
view the assessment as a whole
Explain main guidelines to
construct short answer maintain whatever balance or emphasis of content coverage
items and complexity of performance to match the teaching
 the assessment will not too easy or too hard for the
students

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What Is Higher-Order Thinking? Definition in the transfer category

• Brookhart (2010)
• Fall into three categories: Those that define higher-order thinking in • Students not only to remember the knowledge and skills that have
terms of: learned, but also to make sense of and be able to use it.
(1) transfer
(2) critical thinking
(3) problem solving

Definition in the critical thinking category Definition in the problem solving category

• Critical thinking is reasonable, reflective thinking that is focused on • A student incurs a problem when the student wants to reach a
deciding what to believe or do. specific outcome or goal but does not automatically recognize the
• as "artful thinking", which includes reasoning, questioning and proper path or solution to use to reach it.
investigating, observing and describing, comparing and connecting, • she must use one or more higher-order thinking processes.
finding complexity, and exploring viewpoints.

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Higher-Order Thinking Higher-Order Thinking

• Constructing an assessment always involves these • Assessing higher-order thinking almost always involves three
basic principles: additional principles:
1. Specify clearly and exactly what it is you want to 1. Present something for students to think about, usually in
assess. the form of introductory text, visuals, scenarios, resource
material, or problems of some sort.
2. Design tasks or test items that require students
to demonstrate this knowledge or skill. 2. Use novel material—material that is new to the student,
not covered in class and thus subject to recall.
3. Decide what you will take as evidence of the
degree to which students have shown this 3. Distinguish between level of difficulty (easy versus hard)
knowledge or skill. That is, interpreting their and level of thinking (lower-order thinking or recall versus
work as evidence of the specific learning you higher-order thinking), and control for each separately.
intended.

Strategy for assessing problem solving Strategy for assessing problem solving

Identify irrelevances Sort problem cards

Present interpretive materials (contains relevant and irrelevant Present a collection of two or more examples of each of several
information) and a problem statement. different types of problem statement.
Ask students to identify all the irrelevant information. Ask students to sort the problems into categories. Explain it.
Example: students group all the problems that can be solved using
the same mathematical principle.

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Strategy for assessing problem solving Strategy for assessing problem solving

Describe multiple strategies Model the problem

State a problem and ask students to: • State a problem, ask students to draw diagram or picture to show the
a. solve the problem in two or more ways. solution.
b. show their solutions using pictures, diagrams or graphs. • Assess how the problem has been represented rather than answer.

Strategy for assessing problem solving Strategy for assessing problem solving

Identify obstacles Justify solutions

• Present a difficult problem, one missing a key piece of information. • Present a problem statement along with two or more solutions, ask
• Ask students: students:
• a. why it is difficult to complete
• b. what the obstacles are • a. select one solution they believe is correct
• c. What additional information needed • b. justify why it is correct

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Strategy for assessing problem solving

Strategy for assessing problem
solving
Use analogies
Solve backward
• Present a problem and a correct solution strategy, ask students:
Present a complex (multistep) task to complete, ask students to
a. describe other problem that could be solved by using the develop a plan or a strategy for completing the task.
same strategy
b. eplain it

Strategy for assessing problem solving Strategy for assessing critical thinking

Evaluate the quality of a solution

Teachers state a problem.

Ask student to:
a. Evaluate several different strategies
b. Determine the best strategy, explain the reasons.

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Strategy for assessing critical thinking Strategy for assessing critical thinking

• Judge the credibility of a source

Give students
Texts of arguments
Advertisement
Experiments and interpretations
Ask students
Which parts, if any, of the material are credible, and why?
Which parts of the material are not credible, and why?

Strategy for assessing critical thinking Strategy for assessing critical thinking

• Judge induction Identify rhetorical mechanisms and tactics

Give students Give students

Situation statement Persuasive writing, a speech, an advertisement
Information (data) A video clip
Ask students
Draw the proper conclusion from the data Ask students
Explain why the conclusion is correct. What misleading statements or strategies are used? Explain.

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Thank you

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