INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES & PLANNED LEARNING

EXPERIENCE FOR TECHNICALLY DEVELOPED CURRICULUM

Azadeh Asgari (Corresponding author)

C-3-22, Selatan Perdana, Taman Serdang perdana, Seri Kembangan Serdang, PO box 43300, Selangor, Malaysia

Tel: 6-017-350-7194 E-mail: Azia.Asgari@gmail.com

Abstract

Learning outcomes result from students’ experiences with the curriculum

content selected by developers and noted in their content statement .Curriculum

developers plan intended learning outcomes, but students achieve actual learning

outcomes. Learning outcomes are what result from a learning process. They are

specific measurable achievements and are stated as achievements of the student.

Learning outcomes should specify the minimum acceptable standard for a student to

be able to pass a module or course.

Keywords: Learning outcomes, curriculum content, planned learning

Introduction

Intended learning outcomes represent what learners are expected to be able to

do with curriculum content as a result of participating in planned learning

experiences involving one or more teaching agents. An intended learning outcome is

a concise description of what a student will have learnt at the end of some learning

process. One of the main advantages to stating the intended learning outcomes from

a course of study is the way in which this allows one explicitly to consider the ways

in which the goals for student learning are constructively aligned with both the

methods used for teaching and supporting learning and the assessment on the

program (Carroll et. al., 2003).

Intended learning outcomes represent achievement attained by students instead

of topics to be covered, the latter being typically the purpose of a syllabus. Learning

outcomes are goals that describe how a student will be different because of a learning

experience. More specifically, learning outcomes are the knowledge, skills,

attitudes, and habits of mind that students take with them from a learning experience

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(Suskie, 2009). Learning outcomes, however, offer a significant advantage over a

syllabus by providing an explicit indication of the abilities that student actually

should be learning. A learning outcome typically consists of sentence that begins

with a phrase such as "at the end of this program it is expected that you will be able

to", which is then followed by three elements:

1. an active verb (often with an associated adverb);

2. an object of the verb (indicating on what the learner is acting);

3. a phrase that indicates the context or provides a condition.

Verb Object Context

Critically evaluate new technical, regulatory & policy developments in law

especially in relation to notions of justice

Recognize any risks or safety aspects that may be involved in the

operation of computing equipment within a given context

Examples of the Three Elements of a Learning Outcome

What Are the Benefits of Learning Outcomes?

1. Help to explain more clearly to students what is expected of them and thus help

to guide them in their studies.

2. Help teachers to focus more clearly on what exactly they want students to

achieve in terms of knowledge and skills.

3. Help teachers to define the assessment criteria more effectively.

4. Help to provide guidance to employers about the knowledge and understanding

possessed by graduates of programs.

Potential Problems With Learning Outcomes:

1. They could limit learning if learning outcomes written within a very narrow

framework, lack of intellectual challenge to learners.

2. Danger assessment--driven curriculum if learning outcomes too confined.

3. They could give rise to confusion among students and staff if guidelines not

adhered to when drawing up learning outcomes.

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Writing Learning Outcomes Leads To:

1. Student learning becomes central when the focus is on what the student should

be able to achieve by the end of a course.

2. It is not the instructors and their teaching, but student learning that is of

primary interest.

3. The vital task for instructors is to facilitate and support this learning.

4. It becomes clear to students what is expected of them.

5. New instructors can more easily see what their responsibilities are.

6. The fact that goals are centered on the essential aim of teaching, that is student

learning, also makes it possible for evaluation to focus on learning.

Technical Approach to Development

Curriculum Development:

The term "curriculum" is generally understood as the courses or programs of

study offered by an educational institution. The concept of "curriculum" is best

understood, however, from the Latin root of the word which is "currere", or "to run"

as in to run a race course. To use an analogy, curriculum means the course (or path)

that students have to run to finish the "race" or put another way, all the activities

which students need do if they are to finish a program of study and achieve the

intended learning goals. Curriculum is more than just a body of knowledge, a list of

subjects to be studied, or a syllabus (Print, 1988).

The aims and objectives of the curriculum are set by professionals and experts

who believe that they have sufficient technical knowledge to produce the desired

product (Hart, 2002). It assumes that there is agreement by all interested groups

(teachers, students, communities, employers) on common educational goals and,

therefore, dialogue and consensus building among groups are not required.

Curriculum Development can be defined as the systematic planning of what is

taught and learned in schools as reflected in courses of study and school programs.

These curricula are embodied in official documents (typically curriculum "guides"

for teachers) and made mandatory by provincial and territorial departments of

education (Clair, 2000). The most appropriate approach to curriculum development,

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according to the traditional literature, is the technical approach, the goal of which is

to teach more content more efficiently with the greatest possible amount of student

achievement (Suskie, 2009).

The technical approach focuses on a product in a teacher-centered classroom.

Students listen to lectures, memorize facts, master skills, and take tests. This

approach involves teaching students expert ways to do household tasks; it does not

address questions of meaning or questions of value (Bloom, 1981).

Deductive approach:

The term "deductive approach" represents a more traditional style of teaching

in that the grammatical structures or rules are dictated to the students first. Thus, the

students learn the rule and apply it only after they have been introduced to the rule

(Kahn, 2003). A deductive approach based TESOL session is highly effective

because it helps a learner arrive at the language through the rule. It gives a student a

comprehensive sense and understanding of the English language. It also presents

ample opportunities for TESOL instructors to plan the lessons properly, to rightly

predict the problems students might face in the teaching session and prepare self with

clarifications (Suskie, 2009).

Aims, Goals & Objectives:

Aims

Aims refer to the widest level. They are general statements that provide

direction or intent to educational action. They are usually written in amorphous terms

using words like: learn, know, understand, appreciate, and these are not directly

measurable. They often are not measurable (Bloom, 1981).

In context, aims are defined as the outline of educational policy of the country

and this policy aims to chart the future of education in a range of systems and values

that education policy seeks to consolidate in the individuals’ personality. Aims are

usually written in amorphous terms using words like: learn, know, understand,

appreciate, and these are not directly measurable. Aims may serve as organizing

principles of educational direction for more than one grade. Indeed these organizing

principles may encompass the continuum of educational direction for entire

programs, subject areas or the district (Kahn, 2003).

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Aims refer to general guidelines for the teachers that describe expected life

outcomes based on some values. Aims are stated in broader terms. They cannot be

achieved completely. They are broadly phrased statements borrowed from

philosophy. They can be applied to the educational system rather than an individual

school and classroom (MacKenzie, 2002a). For example aims can be state as: 1) to

inculcate the Islamic values among the learners, 2) to cultivate the personal talent

and interest among the learners and 3) to create a desire for learning among the

learners.

Goals

Goals are more narrows and often specific. Goals are statements of educational

intention which are more specific than aims. Goals too may encompass an entire

program, subject area, or multiple grade levels (Bloom, 1981).

Goals are statements of educational intention which are more specific than

aims. Goals may encompass an entire program, subject area, or multiple grade levels.

They may be in either amorphous language or in more specific behavioral terms

(Richards, 1998). In content , goals are less comprehensive than the aims and they

only interested in the field of study in various stages of education and they are

derived from the aims, but they seem to be like general aims and cannot be

implemented as they are. So, goals refer to school outcomes which can be achieved

through certain programs. They are more explicit as compare to aims (Morrow,

2004).

Objectives

Objectives refer to specific gains/behaviors. Objectives are usually specific

statements of educational intention which delineate either general or specific

outcomes (Print, 1988).

Objectives provide great assistance to the teachers in planning process of

teaching. A well planned teaching is based on well stated objectives. Many teachers

resist using objectives in their teaching and they think that it will make their teaching

limited (Print, 1988). But without objectives there is no evaluation and without

evaluation there is no teaching. Objectives provide a focus of teaching for the

teachers. Through these the students can be given feedback and the result can also be

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communicated with the parents easily. There are two types of objectives (Hart,

2002). They are instructional objectives and behavioral objectives.

Instructional Objectives:

These objectives provide a road map to the teacher to select appropriate content,

strategies, resources and assessment (Hart, 2002).

Behavioral Objectives:

These objectives are classroom objectives based on the observable behavior. They

can be observed by the teachers while the learners perform. Objectives are useful to

the student when they state the level of understanding required rather than simply list

topics to be covered (Hart, 2002).

Learning Experiences:

The term "Planned Learning Experience" is first defined as any activity that

provides a practicing administrator with knowledge or skills, or that changes

attitudes, and is deliberately planned and presented as a learning event. Each learning

experience should contribute to the development of at least one learning outcomes.

The student’s learning experience is key to helping students find their full potential

and enhance the quality of their learning (Richards, 2001). Learning experience is a

sequential set of activities, tasks, experiences, under the direction of a learning

manager, through which learning outcomes are delivered for a defined learning

cohort (Clair, 2000).

The primary function of learning experiences is to communicate

information, to provide a structure and a map of the subject, to help students to cope

with competing (and sometimes confusing) views, to help students make good notes,

to stimulate and guide students' private study, to stimulate and guide students' private

study, and to prepare students for an assessment (Hart, 2001). There are few steps

to develop the learning experiences in order to achieve the desired objectives; a)

determine purpose, b) determine outcomes to realize purpose, c) determine

assessment criteria, d) determine learning content, e) select and develop learning

experiences and f) select resources. So, decision making includes categories of

materials and resources, activities and teaching strategies, grouping, time and

space. Decisions in these categories are legitimately involved in the creation

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of learning experiences. Analysis of the learning outcomes by levels of decision

making shows that students who satisfy the requirement of the learning outcomes are

likely to satisfy this purpose (Jankin, 2004).

Most learning outcomes are cognitive as well as they should be for this purpose

of education. Nevertheless, more emphasis on affective outcomes would be

beneficial, especially in the case of meeting the program outcome on “becoming a

more successful, productive worried citizen".

This curriculum uses both lower (L) and high-than-lower (HL) cognitive

objectives. The learning out comes appear to emphasize content and the process.

This dual emphasis is appropriate for the purpose of education. If students engaged

in these learning experiences, they would be likely to develop attitudes, interested,

and appreciation whether or not affective outcomes were stated (kahn, 2003).

Creation of Plans for Learning Outcomes & Learning Experiences:

Creating plans for learning outcomes and learning experiences is usually

considered the major thrust of technical curriculum development. As a result,

planners spend long hours in these tasks. Well-articulated views of education and

content statement provide foundations on which developers build well-chosen

learning outcomes and experiences. This section concludes the development of the

health curriculum (Richards, 1998).

Health Curriculum

The discussion in this section will focus on one small piece of the health

curriculum. The health education curriculum provides all students with the skills and

knowledge to promote responsible lifetime decision making and contribute to a

healthy and safe society. Keep in mind, however, that in a real world situation both

district and school committee on the complete curriculum (Barfield and Nix, 2003).

District level

District committees have specific roles and responsibilities, carrying out

functions that contribute to a wide variety of goals. The principle of the elementary

school continues service on a district-based curriculum committee charged with

planning an elementary school health curriculum. Actually the aims were stated as

helping students "acquire the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that promote sensible,

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lifelong health habits" (Barfield and Nix, 2003). The group also drafted a content

statement that district evaluators used in a need assessment.

The sets of outcomes extend and make more specific the aim of this

curriculum, but they respect the differences in maturity and general ability levels of

children who are to meet them. The learning outcomes for the older students follow

logically from those for the younger students (Hart, 2002).

School level

The principle must work with teachers and staff in the school to develop and

implement a revised curriculum. What the principle does know is that children in the

school and their parents/ guardians need the information in this curriculum. As the

initial step in meeting this challenge, the principle rethinks the changes processes for

initiating curriculum project. A few teachers will be ready to start, but others will

wonder “why do we have to change the curriculum” (Carroll et. al., 2003).

Conclusion

Following the development of the classroom outcomes and learning

experiences, school curriculum developers should review the project to be sure they

adhered to content organization consideration. Because this is a subject-based

curriculum, the developers should also check on sequence to see that the repeated

ideas and skills require greater depths than those that proceeded. Finally, curriculum

developers should strive for integration, making sure that affective and cognitive

learning work together. If any organizational consideration is faulty, the outcomes

leaning experiences should be corrected before the curriculum is implemented.

The learning experiences clarify the means by which students are to achieve

the cognitive objectives in the lesson. Also, teachers and students are able to carry

out the participatory roles intended by the views statement. Taking part in the

commonly associated with this purpose of education especially; if the activities are

carried out over a longer period of time than the limited number of class periods

suggested in the lessons.

In this paper tried to describe intended learning outcomes as occupying a

continuum of broadness narrowness from aims to goals to objectives. And then the

technical approach of curriculum development which suggests stating the purpose of

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education as aims, then making the aims operational as goals, and converting goals to

objectives.

Planned learning experiences provide the means to satisfy objectives. Learning

experiences indicate with different degrees of specificity how teachers and students

are to interact with content.

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