Maarten van de Ven
Many university teachers still have trouble writing learning goals for their courses that enables student learning. A recent published study articulates this phenomenon. This study presents an analysis of learning outcomes of an Electrical Engineering curriculum offered at a University of Technology in South Africa. The learning outcomes of their Engineering curriculum was reviewed with regard to three key requirements: being clear, observable and measurable. These three requirements must be met as it will benefit both students (clearly know what is expected of them) and academics (clearly know what and how to assess). Results indicate that 42% of the 600 learning outcomes are poorly structured, where 9% are unclear, 10% are unobservable and 23% are unmeasurable.
If learning outcomes are not clear, observable and measurable, teaching and learning activities and assessment are likely to be off and that results in contrasting the constructive alignment which promotes quality teaching and learning. In order to ensure constructive alignment, it is recommended to make use of the illustrative verbs of Bloom’s Taxonomy. Using these verbs as a starting point provides a fundamental base upon which educators can design, develop and review their learning outcomes.
University teachers may not be experts in the assessment of learning outcomes and should seek assistance where necessary. Assistance must be made available to academics (especially new academics or junior lecturers and lectures) by means of regular workshops or consultations with educational experts. The focus of this assistance should be on formulating learning outcomes that are clear, observable and measurable.