the college classroom (wi15) session 3: learning outcomes

Learning Outcomes - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu 1 Flight Deck by Wayan Volta on flickr CC

Do you understand how to fly an airplane?

Yes

Okay, but let’s look at this checklist. [trust and verify]

The College Classroom Session 3

Learning Outcomes / Goals / Objectives

January 20 and 22, 2015

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Non Commercial 3.0 License.

What is the Value of Course-Specific

Learning Goals?

Learning Outcomes - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu 3

What did you find interesting in Simon & Taylor? [1]

Unambiguously positive effect

Positive experience for instructors as well as students

Helps focus the instructor and helps the students know

what to expect

Instructors were positive at the start – could have had a

more diverse sample

Teachers said they were writing tests based off of

learning outcomes


Learning Goals?



most students found them helpful

win-win: professors found them helpful, too

set expectations, know what you’re supposed to do

share goals with students and other instructors

we’re assuming we can find out what “valuable” means

(did it actually help them learn?)

apply to specific course but how much “transfer”


Learning Goals?



Methodology – collected comments and did content

analysis

Instructors said learning outcomes were helpful

Clarity was extremely important

Reiterating learning goals helped students think more

expertly and feel a sense of structure


Learning Outcomes

6 Learning Outcomes - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu

How People Learn:

Key Finding 2 (Expertise)


How People Learn:

Key Finding 3 (Metacognition)


A “metacognitive” approach to instruction can help students learn to take control of their own learning by defining learning goals and monitoring their progress in achieving them.

(How People Learn, p.18)

(Image: NASA) Learning Outcomes - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu 9

Introductory “Astro 101”

Traditional Course Syllabus Course with

Learning Outcomes


This course covers Chapters

1. Mercury

2. Venus

…

8. Neptune

9. other objects

10. Formation of the

Solar System

deduce from patterns in the

properties of the planets,

moons, asteroids and other

bodies that the Solar System

had single formation event.

provide notable examples of

how comets influenced

history, art and science

Learning outcomes


completes the sentence, “By this end of this

lesson/unit/course, you will be able to…”

begins with an action verb (“deduce”) (more later)

tells the students what they must do to demonstrate

they “understand” the concept

Learning outcomes are valuable to…


students

reveal what the instructor is looking for (no more guessing what “understand” means)

big picture of the next part of the course

allows student to check that s/he has mastered the concept (important when studying for exams)

instructors

crystallizes what the instructor cares about

helps the instructor choose questions for peer instruction (“clickers”) in class, write the final exam, decide what instructional activities to include

choose questions for peer instruction

Learning Outcomes - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu 13 ClassAction http://astro.unl.edu/classaction/

write the final exam


(10 marks) List 3 patterns of the Solar System as a

whole. Then, outline in some detail the current model for

the formation of the Solar System. In particular, make sure

you explain how the observed patterns and regularities are

related to this theory of formation.

Teaching to

the test? Yes!

A course should have

Course-level LOs Topic-level LOs

Learning Outcomes - collegeclassroom.ucsd.edu

several LOs giving big

picture, attitudes,

behaviors

(likely) can’t be assessed

with a single exam

question

supported by many

topic-level LOs

many LOs defining what

it means to “understand”

at this level (freshman,…)

should be repeatedly

assessed on homework,

exams

support one or more

course-level LOs

15

Topic-level

LO

Topic-level

LO

Topic-

level LO

Course-level LO #4


Course-level LO #2

Course-level LO #3 Course-level

learning outcome (LO) #1

Topic-level

LO Topic-level

LO

Topic-level

LO

Topic-level

LO

Topic-level

LO

Topic-level

LO

Topic-level

LO Topic-level

LO

Topic-

level LO

Topic-

level LO

Topic-

level LO

Topic-

level LO

Topic-

level LO Topic-

level LO

Topic-

level LO

Topic-level

LO Topic-level

learning outcome

sync your LOs see ASTR 310 handout

Writing topic-level LOs


Writing learning outcomes is hard because you have to

recognize

declare

(admit)

what you want your students to be capable of doing.

A good start is picking the verb describing the

action the students will perform to demonstrate their

mastery of the concept.

Bloom’s Taxonomy [2,3]


transform or combine ideas to create something new think critically about and defend a position

break down concepts into parts

apply comprehension to unfamiliar situations demonstrate understanding of ideas and concepts

remember and recall factual information

6 Create

5 Evaluate

4 Analyze

3 Apply

2 Understand

1 Remember

Bloom’s Taxonomy [2,3]


higher order thinking

lower order thinking

6 Create

5 Evaluate

4 Analyze

3 Apply

2 Understand

1 Remember

Bloom’s Taxonomy Verbs


develop, create, propose, formulate, design, invent

judge, appraise, recommend, justify, defend, criticize, evaluate

compare, contrast, categorize, distinguish, identify, infer

apply, demonstrate, use, compute, solve, predict, construct, modify

describe, explain, summarize, interpret, illustrate

define, list, state, label, name, describe

6 Create

5 Evaluate

4 Analyze

3 Apply

2 Understand

1 Remember

Please get out your multiplication quizzes.

Let’s try it…


Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy [5]


Multiplication quiz, Question 1


Each table, reach

consensus and then

use the laser pointer

to locate this

question’s learning

outcome on the grid

1. Writing LOs – The Wrong Way


Astro 101 Learning Outcomes

1. understand how Saturn’s rings formed

Assess your LOs:

“Understand”? That could be a sentence…or a thesis

how does a student demonstrate to you s/he

“understands” at this level?

how does a student check that s/he has mastered the

Saturn part of the course?

1b. Writing LOs – More Effective Way


Astro 101 Learning Outcomes

1. give a detailed description of the size and structure of

Saturn’s rings

2. trace the gravitational feedback cycle that keeps

Saturn’s rings so thin

Assess your LOs:

Is this really what I want them to know?

Are they capable of that?

Do I have a question I can use to assess this LO?

2. Draft LOs from course outline


Work your way through the list of topics. For each topic,

decide

What do I want students to be able to do, to

demonstrate they “get” this topic?

Don’t worry about drafting too many low-level LOs.

When you revise, you’ll start grouping them into

higher-level LOs.

3. “Back-engineer” LOs from exams


Use last year’s (or several years’) final exam. For each good

question, ask yourself

What is this question assessing? What is the learning

outcome I want students to demonstrate to properly

answer this question?

Is that the outcome I want, or is it too low (or high)?

When you have a list of LOs, sync topic- and course-level

Does I cover everything I want for this course?

Have I over- or under-represented any concepts?

Driver’s Ed 101: How to Drive in CA


Task: Write a learning outcome

that your group’s question assesses.

(refer to Wieman handout

for Bloom’s Taxonomy verbs)

Share your LOs with your students


(good) Publish your LOs as part of your syllabus.

(better) Publish them in your syllabus AND include relevant learning goals in your lecture slides at the beginning of each topic, even each class.

Be wary of reading them aloud: your students may not yet have the knowledge (or jargon) to appreciate the LOs. The LOs will be there when they study.

Don’t worry about “spoon-feeding” them – help the students do exactly what you feel demonstrates understanding

Watch the blog for next week’s

readings and assignments


Next time: Session 4

Fixed and Growth Mindsets and

Assessment that Supports Learning

References


1. Simon, B., & Taylor, J. (2009). What is the Value of Course-Specific Learning Goals? Journal of College Science Teaching, 39, 2, 52-57. PDF available at www.cwsei.ubc.ca/SEI_research/files/LifeSci/Simon_Taylor_ValueOfCourseSpecificLG.pdf

2. Bloom B. S. (1956). Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, Handbook I: The Cognitive Domain. New York: David McKay Co Inc.

3. Adapted from edorigami.wikispaces.com/Bloom%27s+Digital+Taxonomy

4. Adapted from Anderson, L. W., & Krathwohl, D. R. (2001). A Taxonomy for Learning. Teaching, and assessing: A revision of bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives.

5. Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy www.celt.iastate.edu/teaching/RevisedBlooms1.html

6. California DMV Sample Class C Written Test 5 www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/interactive/tdrive/clc6written.htm

7. Excerpt from Wieman, C. (2007). Slides from the Wieman Learning Goals Workshop. www.cwsei.ubc.ca/resources/learn_goals.htm

8. Clark, D. Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning Domains. www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/bloom.html

http://www.celt.iastate.edu/teaching/RevisedBlooms1.html

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/interactive/tdrive/clc6written.htm

http://www.cwsei.ubc.ca/resources/learn_goals.htm

http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/bloom.html

http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/bloom.html

6 Create: transform and combine ideas to create something new

develop, create, propose, formulate, design, invent

5 Evaluate: think critically about and defend a position

judge, appraise, recommend, justify, defend, criticize, evaluate

4 Analyze:: break down concepts into parts

compare, contrast, categorize, distinguish, identify, infer

3 Apply: apply comprehension to unfamiliar situations

apply, demonstrate, use, compute, solve, predict, construct, modify

2 Understand: demonstrate understanding of ideas, concepts

describe, explain, summarize, interpret, illustrate

1 Remember: remember and recall factual knowledge

define, list, state, label, name, describe

Bloom’s Taxonomy of the Cognitive Domain

(Levels of Learning)

Learning Outcomes Center for Teaching Development ctd.ucsd.edu

Adapted from Carl Wieman (2007) www.cwsei.ubc.ca/resources/learn_goals.htm

the college classroom (wi15) session 3: learning outcomes

Education

specific learning outcomes

science learning outcomes

expertise learning outcomes

nasa learning outcomes

concept learning outcomes

specific learning goals

specific course

share goals