Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcomes (LOs) are statements that articulate these goals. They are statements of what students are expected to know or do by the end of an educational experience. By framing content around what students should learn, rather than what we plan on teaching, we make a (seemingly small but) powerful distinction between teaching and learning that sets our classroom up for student-centric education rather than teacher- or content-centric education.

Defining Learning Outcomes is a powerful step toward student-centric education. We can assess teaching and curriculum in relation to students’ learning and, in doing so, identify ways to enhance students’ learning now and in the future. Along with this, defining, mapping, and assessing Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) allow us to monitor and assess the quality of our programs across York and ensure our programs meet the Ontario Government’s Degree Level Expectations.

Ideally they work together, so that a clear Outcome is articulated for an assignment, which is an element of a clear Learning Outcome for a course, which fits into a clear Learning Outcomes for a program (PLO), which maps onto the Ontario Government’s Degree Level Expectations (DLEs) for undergraduate (UDLEs) and graduate programs (GDLEs).

Students aren’t achieving every outcome with every assignment or in every course, but taken together, students’ experiences across assignments and courses should result in a strong, totally articulated experience for their learning in a program.

Writing strong Learning Outcomes (LOs) and mapping the relationships between LOs (specifically Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) to Degree Level Expectations (DLEs) and PLOs to course-level assignments) are important steps for designing and assessing a strong, student-centric program.