Learning Outcome Definition
A learning outcome is a succinct and clear statement of what students are expected to know, understand, or be able to do at the completion of a course and/or unit of study. Learning outcomes are not just statements about content; they also articulate the skills and competencies valued in a discipline, fostering both academic growth and practical application. They guide students’ learning by providing clear expectations and help educators design focused, purposeful teaching strategies. Well-written learning outcomes demonstrate constructive alignment, creating a coherent connection between the aims of the course, the unit learning outcomes, the learning activities, the assessment tasks, and the marking criteria, ensuring an integrated and meaningful learning experience.
FoA Learning Outcomes Principles
Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) for named degrees, or Major Learning Outcomes (MLOs) in the Bachelor of Arts, are the starting point for effective program design. They set out our aspirations for our students, and are the starting point for alignment between programs, units, and assessment. By identifying the goals for student learning, CLOs and MLOs provide a framing architecture for teaching and learning activities as well as assessments within a program.
In the Faculty of Arts, learning outcomes provide transparency for students and other stakeholders. They will be the benchmarks through which staff determine, and students understand, learning in units and programs.
In order to facilitate an alignment process, CLOs (or MLOs in the Bachelor of Arts) need to be integrated into all program levels via scaffolded curriculum development. This allows students in all disciplines to progress through increasing levels of complexity, conceptualise at a higher level, develop greater depth of knowledge, and acquire more sophisticated skill sets as they progress through a program.
At each level, pedagogical design should be strategically planned so that learning outcomes can be authentically evidenced and assessed across a program. This requires them to be meaningful, measurable and demonstrable. ULOs should relate to IPA guidelines, reflecting the purpose of the level of study. For example, at 1000-level ULOs would relate to the introduction of certain knowledges or skills.
Unit Learning Outcomes (ULOs) thus sit in direct relationship to CLOs or MLOs. When viewed in totality, they demonstrate discipline-specific scaffolding that builds to the attainment of CLOs or MLOs. Note, generic skills may have different connotations depending on the discipline through which they are being taught. Assessment tasks and marking criteria articulated in rubrics, in turn, operate as sub-scaffolding that align student learning with ULOs. Learning activities should contribute to the knowledge tested in assessments.
Cohesive linking of unit content, learning activities, assessments, ULOs and CLOs/ MLOs thus represent constructive alignment in a program. In this context, colleagues teaching a program should be seen as a team delivering a cohesive outcome with communication at all levels designed to facilitate this.
Types of Learning Outcomes
Course Learning Outcomes
Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) are the starting point for effective course design. They set out our aspirations for our students, and are the starting point for alignment between courses, units, and assessment. By identifying the goals for student learning, CLOs provide a framing architecture for teaching and learning activities as well as assessments within a course.
The Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) require achievement of different classes of learning outcomes (see Standard 1.4.2) including specific, generic, employment-related and life-long learning outcomes, and that all learning outcomes are assessed prior to completion of the course of study, irrespective of how and where they are assessed (Standard 1.4.4). Mapping to the four dimensions ensures coverage of the range of things needed at the appropriate AQF level.
In the Faculty of Arts, learning outcomes provide transparency for students and other stakeholders. They will be the benchmarks through which staff determine, and students understand, learning in units and courses.
In order to facilitate an alignment process, CLOs need to be integrated into all course levels via scaffolded curriculum development. This allows students in all disciplines to progress through increasing levels of complexity, conceptualise at a higher level, develop greater depth of knowledge, and acquire more sophisticated skill sets as they progress through a course.
At each level, pedagogical design should be strategically planned so that learning outcomes can be authentically evidenced and assessed across a course. This requires them to be meaningful, measurable and demonstrable. A detailed approach to mapping where CLOs are introduced, practised, and assessed across a course provides a firm foundation for what the units then need to do.
Unit Learning Outcomes
Unit Learning Outcomes (ULOs) thus sit in direct relationship to CLOs. When viewed in totality, they demonstrate discipline-specific scaffolding that builds to the attainment of CLOs. Note, generic skills may have different connotations depending on the discipline through which they are being taught. Assessment tasks and marking criteria articulated in rubrics, in turn, operate as sub-scaffolding that align student learning with ULOs.
Learning activities should contribute to the knowledge tested in assessments. Cohesive linking of unit content, learning activities, assessments, ULOs and CLOs thus represent constructive alignment in a course. In this context, colleagues teaching a course should be seen as a team delivering a cohesive outcome with communication at all levels designed to facilitate this.
Major Learning Outcomes
The recent changes in the Macquarie University Curriculum Architecture Policy to the approach for mapping Major Learning Outcomes (MLOs) represent a significant improvement, as MLOs are no longer required to be explicitly mapped to Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs). This shift eliminates the previous statement that "Majors contribute to the acquisition of a course’s learning outcomes," allowing for a clearer distinction between the purpose of core and major components in a program.
This updated approach emphasises that MLOs serve a distinct purpose: providing a specialised focus and employment-related outputs that complement, but do not need to directly align with, the broader CLOs. Developing majors in parallel to core units without unnecessary mapping to CLOs enables majors to deliver their intended value as tailored pathways, enhancing both student learning and career readiness.
Learning Outcome Guidelines
- LOs should be limited in number (6 CLOs and 3-5 ULOs) - A general target of ~10 CLOs, 6-7 MLOs and 3-5 ULOs was developed to adhere to as realistic and workable without over mapping
- CLOs provide the scaffolding architecture for a course
- CLOs focus on disciplinary skills. They tell students clearly what they will be able to do at the end of a course
- ULOs link broad content and/or themes to course-level skills
- Each unit plays a specific role in a course. ULOs should reflect this but do not have to link to every CLO. However, every CLO must be mapped to at least one ULO at 3000 level.
- Learning activities, assessments and rubrics link directly to ULOs
- CLOs, MLOs and ULOs need to be considered both vertically and horizontally (e.g. building from 1000 to 3000, and working across 1000, 2000 or 3000 level)
- MLOs provide specific, disciplinary skills supporting students in developing expertise beyond the core curriculum
- MLOs equip students with industry-relevant and practical skills and knowledge to prepare them for specific professional pathways
Learning Outcomes 'Formula'
A simple way to remember how to write learning outcomes is to refer to the following formula. The formula consists of action verb/s, deployed in relation to the content/topic to be studied, within a discipline-specific context.
