Outcomes-based Approaches to Student Learning

An outcomes-based approach to student learning is a recurring education reform model. It is a student-centered learning philosophy that focuses on empirically measuring student performance, that are called outcomes. Unlike many pedagogical models, such as project-based learning, OBASL does not specify or require any particular style of teaching or learning. Instead, it requires that students demonstrate that they have learned the required skills and content.

Constructive Alignment

Constructive Alignment is a learning and teaching principle devised by John B. Biggs. It basically states that the intended learning outcomes, the learning activities and the assessment tasks in a programme/course must be properly aligned. Thus the intended learning outcomes (what do we want the learners to know?) must be supported by the correct use of learning activities (how will the learners learn?) and the assessment tasks including the languages employed (how will we know the learners have learnt?).

• Learning Outcomes - Learning outcomes are statement or a set of statements that specify what the learners will know and able to do upon successful completion of a learning cycle. The learning outcomes can be/maybe in the affective, psychomotor or/and cognitive domains as specified in Blooms’ Taxonomy. “What do we want our students to learn?”

   

• Learning Activities – The learning and teaching approaches adopted, including the theories and models “How will the students learn?”

•  Assessment – Assessment in Higher Education is an on-going evaluation documenting process aimed at understanding and improving student learning by measuring the learning outcomes in knowledge, skills, attitudes and beliefs.  “How will we know the students have learnt?”