GauchoSpace now has a block to display course Learning Outcome(s) on course pages. For all General Education (GE) courses, a link to "Learning Outcomes for GEs" are automatically added. This block can be located in the top right of a course site.
Significance of Setting the Course Learning Outcomes
When developing a course, it is crucial for instructors/TAs to think about what they want to achieve by the end of the course. Specifically, knowing what to teach and identifying what students should know/be able to do lay the foundation of any course design. Separate from course objectives, establishing student learning outcomes can be useful to check whether all course assessment items (e.g., quizzes, exams) are truly evaluating what is expected of the students (expressed through learning outcomes). Aligning course materials, assessment, and course learning outcomes ensures instructors that their teaching is pedagogically sound and provides students a clearer understanding of their learning.
1. In the "About this course" block in the top right of your course page, click on the pencil icon to edit the course Learning Outcomes. This will take you to the course settings page where the Learning Outcomes field is located.
2. Scroll to the bottom of the course settings page, there you'll see a section called, "Learning Outcomes." This is where you would list the outcomes and what students will see. For more information on how to develop course learning outcomes, click on the link at the bottom of the page, where it says "Keep Teaching" site. Once You've entered your Learning Outcomes click on "Save and display".
An example of a course learning outcome:
Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:
(1) Write academic papers with consistent and correct use of MLA formatting guidelines and conventions.
The recommended formula for a learning outcome is: Students will + thinking verb + content + application.
3. On the main course page when you or students click on the "Learning Outcomes for this course" link, a new webpage pop-up will appear that displays the learning outcomes for the course.
Below is a sample pop up page, displaying the learning outcomes when clicking the link:
Learning Outcomes for General Education (GE) Courses
For courses that meet a General Education (GE) requirement, the associated GE Subject Area/s will automatically be populated in the block as well as a link labeled "Learning Outcomes for GEs" can be clicked on to view the learning outcomes for the different GE Subject Areas.
On the "About this course" block, when you click on the "Learning Outcomes for GEs," it would lead to a webpage that lists all the subject area learning outcomes. This page provides an overview of how programs are assessed and where each course fits, ensuring the successful learning of students. This is also a great resource when instructors develop the course learning outcomes.
Keep Teaching: A Useful Resource for Instructors & TAs
For more tips on how to develop course learning outcomes, visit the Keep Teaching website. This site provides valuable knowledge and resources for instructors and TAs on how to create and teach a course, as well as how to develop materials (including assessment) that are all pedagogically aligned and sound. The Instructional Development, CITRAL, and Collaborate teams update this resource site for the purposes of enhancing teaching and learning, instructional pedagogies, and online course management.
(a screenshot taken from the Keep Teaching site)