Learning Outcomes
Student Learning Outcomes should:
- Include active-verb description of specific point or task that students will accomplish or reach
- Be specific and measurable
- Be part of a degree program assessment plan that includes no less than three (3) specific statements of student learning (best practices are typically 4 to 6 "SLOs" and discipline-specific requirements may expect more)
- Relate to college and university level learning outcomes
Developing Outcomes:
Use the following sentence templates when constructing a learning outcome:
- Graduates of this program will be able to (specific skill or competency).
- [Target population] will [cognitive/affective/psychomotor action verb] [context specific action]
Target Population Examples:
- Programs: Graduates of _(degree)_in _(program)_ will…
- Courses: Students who complete _(course)_ will…
Observable and Measurable Action Verbs: References to Bloom’s taxonomy verbs
Context Specific Action:
- Keep specific to the program or course – a topic/concept students would not be able to learn, value or gain skill without this specific educational experience
For more information, download this Program Learning Outcomes Quick Guide (PDF)