Outcomesbased approaches to teaching, learning

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Outcomes-based approaches to teaching, learning
curriculum

• David Baume PhD FSEDA
• For Hong Kong Polytechnic University
• 15th December 2005

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The importance of learning outcomes

• If you dont know
• where youre going,
• any bus will do.

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Overview of keynote

• 1 The historical development of outcomes-based
  education (OBE), mainly in UK
• 2 General and subject-specific outcomes
• 3 Writing good outcomes
• 4 Using outcomes for curriculum design, learning
  and teaching
• 5 Towards the future of OBE

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1 The development of OBE, mainly in UK

• Spady (US)
• Baume and Jones
• Quality Assurance Agency guidelines
• Quality Assurance Agency subject benchmarks
• Outcomes are not enough!

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1 Spady (1982, 1994)

• Outcomes are clear, observable demonstrations of
  student learning that occur at or after the end
  of a significant set of learning experiences.
• e.g. If the verbs in an outcome are design and
  produce, then those are precisely the two
  processes
• that students must demonstrate,
• that teachers must help them learn, and
• that must be assessed and reported.
• That is, outcomes, teaching, learning and
  assessment must be consistent with each other
  in constructive alignment (Biggs)

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1 Baume and Jones (1974)
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1 Dearing (1997)

• We recommend that institutions of higher
  education begin immediately to develop, for each
  programme they offer, a programme specification
  which gives the intended outcomes of the
  programme in terms of
• the knowledge and understanding that a student
  will be expected to have upon completion
• key skills communication, numeracy, the use of
  information technology and learning how to learn
  
• cognitive skills, such as an understanding of
  methodologies or ability in critical analysis
• subject specific skills, such as laboratory
  skills.
• (Note General Subject Specific)

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1,2 QAA guidelines

• An Honours graduate will have developed an
  understanding of a complex body of knowledge,
  some of it at the current boundaries of an
  academic discipline.
• Through this, the graduate will have developed
  analytical techniques and problem-solving skills
  that can be applied in many types of employment.
  The graduate will be able to evaluate evidence,
  arguments and assumptions, to reach sound
  judgements, and to communicate effectively.
• An Honours graduate should have the qualities
  needed for employment in situations requiring the
  exercise of personal responsibility, and
  decision-making in complex and unpredictable
  circumstances.
• (Note General Subject Specific)

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1,2 QAA subject benchmarksOutcomes for Masters
programmes in Business and Management

• Graduates are expected to be able to demonstrate
  a range of cognitive and intellectual skills
  together with techniques specific to business and
  management. They should also demonstrate relevant
  personal and interpersonal skills. These include
  
• a Critical thinking and creativity managing
  creative processes in self and others organising
  thoughts, analysis, synthesis, critical
  appraisal. This includes the capability to
  identify assumptions, evaluate statements in
  terms of evidence, detect false logic or
  reasoning, identify implicit values, define terms
  adequately and generalise appropriately.
• b Problem solving and decision making
  establishing criteria, using appropriate decision
  techniques including identifying, formulating and
  solving business problems the ability to create,
  identify and evaluate options the ability to
  implement and review decisions.
• c Information and knowledge scanning and
  organising data, abstracting meaning from
  information and sharing knowledge.
• d Numeracy and quantitative skills including the
  use of models of business situations qualitative
  research skills.
• e Effective use of Communication and Information
  Technology (CIT).
• f Two-way communication listening, negotiating
  and persuading or influencing others oral and
  written communication, using a range of media,
  including the preparation of business reports.
• g Personal effectiveness self-awareness and
  self-management time management sensitivity to
  diversity in people and different situations the
  ability to continue learning.
• h Effective performance within a team environment
  and the ability to recognise and utilise
  individuals' contributions in group processes
  team selection, delegation, development and
  management.
• i Leadership and performance management
  selecting appropriate leadership style for
  situations setting targets, motivating,
  monitoring performance, coaching and mentoring,
  continuous improvement.
• j Ethics and value management recognising
  ethical situations, applying ethical and
  organisational values to situations and choices.
• k Ability to conduct research into business and
  management issues.
• l Learning through reflection on practice and
  experience.

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1,2 Outcomes for Masters in Business Management

• Critical thinking and creativity
• Managing creative processes in self and others
• Organising thoughts, analysis, synthesis,
  critical appraisal
• Problem solving and decision making
• Establishing criteria, using appropriate decision
  techniques including identifying, formulating and
  solving business problems
• The ability to create, identify evaluate
  options
• The ability to implement review decisions

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1,2 Outcomes for Masters in Business Management

• Leadership and performance management
• Selecting appropriate leadership style for
  situations
• Setting targets
• Motivating
• Monitoring performance
• Coaching and mentoring
• Continuous improvement

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2 Outcomes for Underwater Engineering

• Students will be able to produce and justify
  conceptual designs for a range of underwater
  intervention devices, manned and unmanned
• Identify user needs
• Identify environmental and operational conditions
• Identify relevant available technologies
• Generate and compare alternative approaches

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2 Outcomes for Teaching in Higher Education

• Identify their own professional development goals
• Plan for their initial and/or continuing
  professional development
• Undertake appropriate development activities
• Review their development and their practice
• And
• Use a variety of methods to evaluate their
  teaching
• Inform their professional role with relevant
  strategy, policy and quality considerations
• Extend their use of learning, teaching and
  assessment approaches
• Contribute to the processes of module/programme
  design, implementation and evaluation
• Provide support to students on academic/pastoral
  issues

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2 Outcomes in Instrumentation for Mechanical
Engineers

• Select appropriate instrumentation techniques and
  devices for the measurements they need to make in
  their work (examples)
• Use these in practical settings
• Interpret the readings taken, with due allowance
  for major possible sources of error

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Learning Outcomes are not enough

• Learning Outcomes describe what people can do.
  But how can we be sure they will do them?
• We need different kinds of outcomes E.g.
  Professionals are accountable for the quality of
  their work, and take responsibility for
  maintaining and improving their knowledge and
  skills.
• Its not what you can do its what you do do!

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3 I hope that, by the end of this keynote, you
will have

• Reviewed a learning outcome of a course that you
  teach
• Explored any possible ways you might improve that
  learning outcome
• Reviewed your course against two models of
  curriculum
• Started to re-plan your curriculum to make
  maximum use of learning outcomes

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3 Writing good outcomes

• A good outcome is, among other things
• Attractive students want to achieve it
• Comprehensible they know its meaning
• Attainable they can learn to achieve it
• Coherent it clearly fits into their programme
• Take one of your own learning outcomes, and
  discuss with your neighbour
• How well does it show each of these qualities?
• How could you improve the outcome?
• What are other qualities of a good outcome?

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4 Two models of curriculum

• Model A Curriculum is content. Teaching is the
  delivery of content. (Assessment is seeing if the
  content has been learned.)
• Model B Curriculum is outcomes. Teaching is
  supporting students to achieve learning outcomes.
  (Assessment is seeing if these outcomes have been
  achieved.)
• Note Both of these models are ideal types.
• They represent two ends of a spectrum.

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4 Curriculum planning with Model A

• A1 Plan the curriculum to be taught
• A2 Teach the course
• A3 Give feedback to students on their work
• A4 Assess what students have learned

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4 Curriculum planning with Model B

• B1 Plan the course aims and learning outcomes
• B2 Ensure these learning outcomes are assessable
• B3 Determine what student activities will help
  students to attain these outcomes
• B4 Provide resources, support and feedback to the
  students as they do these learning activities
• B5 Assess students - have they attained the
  course outcomes?
• B6 Review student results
• B7 Change teaching assessment as appropriate

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4 Two approaches to curriculum planning compared
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4 Beliefs underpinning practice Model A

• The curriculum is mainly about content
• Teaching is substantially about delivering
  curriculum content
• Feedback aids student learning
• Assessment measures if students have learned the
  content

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4 Beliefs underpinning practice Model B

• Education is about helping, supporting and
  challenging students to achieve outcomes
• Learning requires appropriate learning
  activities by students, supported by appropriate
  resources
• Learning needs detailed feedback to each student
  about their progress towards the outcomes
• Assessment provides feedback to the course and
  to the teachers as well as to the students
• Courses should use feedback to improve
  themselves

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4 Your course

• How far does your course adopt model A and how
  far model B?
• What would the ideal shape of your course? How
  much of model A and how much of model B? Why?

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4 OBE and curriculum design, learning and
teaching the whole story in 1 slide!

• What are the aims?
• What are the intended learning outcomes?
• How will you assess attainment of these outcomes?
• What student learning activities will help
  students attain these outcomes?
• How will you support students to do, and receive
  feedback on, these activities?
• The answers to these five questions are your
  course!

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4 Learning outcome from UK OU MBA course
(Fundamentals of Senior Management)

• Original version
• To increase your understanding of your own role
  as a manager, and of the context in which you
  perform
• (This is one of 12 learning outcomes for 600
  study hours)

• Modified version
• You will be able to give an analytical account of
  your own roles as a manager and of the context in
  which you work
• You will be able to relate your role to your
  context

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4 Learning outcome from UK OU MBA block
(Understanding Stakeholders)

• Original version
• You will be able to
• Recognise the range of stakeholders in your
  other organisations
• Be aware of their main interests
• (This represents about 10 study hours)

• Modified version
• You will be able to
• Identify the stakeholders in your other
  organisations
• Identify their main interests

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4 Outcome activity from UK OU MBA block
(Understanding Stakeholders)

• Learning outcome
• You will be able to
• Identify the stakeholders in your other
  organisations
• Identify their main interests

• Learning activity
• Identify the stakeholders in your
  organisation and in one other organisation of
  your choice
• Identify their main interests

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4 Possible assessment tasks for the MBA block
(Understanding Stakeholders)

• Who are the main stakeholders in your
  organisation?
• What are their main interests?
• How did you do these two tasks?
• How would you identify the main stakeholders of
  an organisation for which you do not work?
• Your answers must show how you have used relevant
  theoretical ideas in your analysis
• (Question 3 gets students to describe and analyse
  what they did.
• Question 4 gets them to say how they would apply
  their general method.
• And they have to make appropriate use of theory.)

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4 Outcomes-based education on the UK OU MBA

• Learning outcomes specified for each
• module (600 hours total study),
• block (60 hours study) and
• (sometimes) section (6 hours study)
• Learning activities - 350 out of 600 hours
• the rest is reading
• Learning activities 1 or 2 ( each 5-10 minutes)
  in every hour of studying / reading

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4 Teaching and supporting learning in OBE

• Choose a small learning outcome for your course
  maybe the one you worked on earlier
• How would you assess it? Write an assessment
  task!
• What learning activities will your students
  undertake to learn how to successfully undertake
  this assessment task that is, to achieve the
  outcome?
• How will you support them?

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5 Towards the future of OBE

• Courses will help students to want, passionately,
  to do things, rather than just be able to do
  things
• Assessment will assess whether students actually
  and spontaneously achieve the outcomes, rather
  than just being able to
• Outcomes will include values and principles and
  purposes as well as abilities education
  graduates will help every single student to
  achieve their full positive potential, for
  example.