Learning Outcomes

What is a learning outcome?

A learning outcome is a clear and specific statement that articulates what students should be able to do at the successful completion of their study at course and program levels.  Learning outcomes must be measurable and assessed within a course of study. 

Learning outcomes are made up of three components: an action verb; a content/topic phrase; and a context and/or condition phrase.

Writing learning outcomes

Requirements

• Learning outcomes at UNSW must comply with the HES Framework 2021.
• Learning outcomes for each program should encompass discipline-related and generic outcomes, including:
     a.  specific knowledge and skills and their application that characterise the fields of education or disciplines involved
     b.  generic skills and their application in the context of the fields of education or disciplines involved
     c.  knowledge and skills required for employment and further study related to the program, including those required to be eligible to seek registration to practise where applicable
     d.  skills in independent and critical thinking suitable for life-long learning.
• The Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) recommends that learning outcomes are developed under the headings of knowledge, skills and the application of knowledge and skills. UNSW learning outcomes should align with the AQF recommendations.
• Learning outcomes must be achievable, relevant, timely, consistent, succinct and clearly understandable by students and graduate employers.

How many learning outcomes?

• There are no hard rules regarding the number of learning outcomes, although normally four to 10 is about right per program and course.  AQF coursework learning outcome descriptors are between four and 10 per level. Coursework programs, specialisations and courses within these programs can apply to ABPC for the inclusion of more than 10, up to a maximum of 12, learning outcomes.

Hints and tips

• Identify what students are expected to demonstrate on completion of their program or course, using action verbs such as identify, compare, apply, analyse, evaluate or create.
• Keep learning outcomes to one short statement. If a learning outcome has more than one statement, separate it into two outcomes.
• Choosing the appropriate words for learning outcomes is vital to ensure that they are clear, objective and measurable. Avoid passive verbs and phrases such as "be familiar with". Instead, use more active verbs such as identify, create, etc. Terms to avoid include:

• Statements such as “conduct an investigation” or “write an essay”, are tasks, rather than learning outcomes.
• Common types of learning outcomes identify cognitive differences between lower- and higher-level thinking, as well as identifying affective outcomes related to attitudes, values and collaboration.

• Writing good learning outcomes is challenging, as so many factors need to be taken into account. It is therefore advisable to develop learning outcomes as a group rather than as an individual activity.
• There are a number of online generators that may help guide the production of learning outcome statements; two examples are the Learning Outcomes Generator and Easy Generator.