Course Planning
Successful course planning includes clearly articulated learning outcomes and alignment of all course components (outcomes, content, assessments, activities, and resources). The workload is appropriate for the assigned credit hours and clearly communicated to students. Instruction is flexible, with faculty providing accommodations to support student success, and ongoing student feedback is actively collected and used to enhance the learning experience.
Recommendation 1.1: Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs)
Clearly state course learning outcomes, explaining what students will know or be able to do at the end of the course; highlight these outcomes throughout.
Background Information
What is this?
Course learning outcomes communicate what learners should be able to do at the end of a course.
Why is this important?
Students are more motivated and intentional in their learning when they know the purpose of what you are asking them to do. Bringing this clarity of purpose to the course as a whole and threading it through individual elements helps channel students’ intellectual efforts toward what is most critical.
How to implement
Course learning outcomes must be prominent in the syllabus and in the introduction module of Canvas (START HERE). The UWSP syllabus template includes a place to list course learning outcomes. They can also be reiterated in modules/units and assessments.
Synopsis from Self-Review
Craft and communicate clear learning outcomes that make transparent what students will be able to do at the end of your course. These moves lay the foundation for students’ learning in the course.
How to Put into Practice
Students benefit from the sense of purpose that comes from regular, explicit reference to course learning outcomes and how the elements of the course fit together as a whole. Reflecting on the clarity and substance of your course learning outcomes is, therefore, an important first step.
Crafting and Reflecting on Course Learning Outcomes
Reflecting on course learning outcomes is often an iterative process—meaning you might find opportunities to change or tweak the language of outcomes to better align with what the goals of the course are or change what you ask students to do to align with the stated course outcomes. Consider manageable changes you could make to align course outcomes and course elements (e.g., materials, assignments, assessments, grading criteria, discussions). Use best practices for writing learning outcomes to convey what type of learning is most crucial.
- Begin with one action verb. (That is, avoid general terms like “know, understand, learn, appreciate.” Use other verbs which are observable and/or measurable: e.g., if a student can explain a concept, that demonstrates understanding.)
- Avoid using two or more verbs in your learning outcomes. Using more than one verb can make it difficult for students to understand what exactly it is that they should be aiming for. It can also make it difficult to assess whether students have achieved an outcome.
- Follow with a statement of the behavior or knowledge desired.
- Keep it short (one substantive sentence per outcome).
Note that a smaller number of well-written outcomes communicates the purpose of a course better than a larger number. The number of outcomes really depends on what students need to learn for the entire course. While there are many things it would be nice to know, always ask yourself:
- What do they need to know or do?
- Why is what they need to know worth learning?
- What are the things that you really want students to learn and be able to apply?
- How does this objective align with the course design as a whole? Clear outcomes for learning interactions allow you to select materials, design activities, and offer assessments that align with their outcomes for the section, unit, or entire course.
Communicating Course Learning Outcomes
- Include your Course Learning Outcomes in your Syllabus and in the introductory module of Canvas.
- Establish a rhythm for communicating key learning outcomes on a regular basis (e.g., a weekly Canvas Announcement; an introduction/roadmap page for each Canvas Module; a Module/Unit Introduction Video). Outline how course materials, activities, and assessments will guide students to achieve these outcomes.
- Don’t be afraid to repeat yourself. Repetition helps students take in key messages, even if they may feel redundant to you.
Additional Resources
- Bloom’s Taxonomy differentiates six levels of learning, ranging from remembering factual knowledge, through application and synthesis, to creation.
- Traditional and Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy. This resource from UMBC provides action verbs for different dimensions of Bloom’s taxonomy, organized in multiple ways.
- Use an online tool to practice writing clear, measurable Learning Objectives based on Bloom’s Taxonomy. Learning Objectives Builder (Arizona State University).
- Use Generative AI to help you draft course learning outcomes (Michigan State University).
- CITL offers a framework for creating and revising courses that can help you align learning outcomes, materials, and activities, including assessments. Information is on our Course Design & Development web page.