Bring concepts to action
Now that you have completed the learning outcomes module, the next steps are to:
- Practice writing and reviewing your course learning outcomes
- Self-assess your learning progress
- Reflect on the effectiveness of your learning outcomes
- Book a consultation with CTL (for faculty or staff at Concordia University seeking support or a teaching excellence credential)
Step 1: Bring concepts to action
You may either use the interactive (H5P) activity below and export the final document or download a document (MS Word) to write or revise your learning outcomes. The interactive activity and downloadable document guide you through the steps to writing and reviewing your course learning outcome statements.
Step 2: Self-assessment
An essential component for consolidating your learning is to assess and reflect on how your knowledge has changed. Take a moment to evaluate your learning through the following five (5) statements. Decide where you would situate yourself for each.
If you identify ‘Unsure’ for any statements or would like to develop further in any area, as Concordia University faculty or staff you may request a consultation with a learning expert from CTL.
Step 3: Reflection
Learning outcomes are the cornerstone of good course design. They clarify your learning expectations for your students and guide your assessment planning and teaching activities. Take a moment to reflect on how your learning outcome statements support your commitment to teaching excellence.
Take a moment to consider these questions:
- Am I ready to share my learning outcome statements with my students?
- Will students perceive my learning outcomes to be student-friendly?
- Are my course assignments and assessment tasks directly aligned with my learning outcomes?
- Am I ready to identify lesson-level learning outcomes for each class and plan an explicit feedback activity to gauge if I have met my teaching objectives?
Step 4: Book a consultation
Faculty and staff of Concordia University are invited to book a consultation with a learning expert at the Centre for Teaching and Learning to:
- Seek clarifications or support on developing learning outcomes.
- Receive a Teaching Excellence credential evidencing your ability to effectively design learning outcomes.
Pro tips
To make learning more transparent, identify your lesson-level learning outcomes for each class. Plan a simple feedback activity to gauge how well your lesson met its objective.
Example feedback activities:
- Pose one or two questions about important concepts to evaluate student learning (show of hands, i-clicker, or Zoom poll).
- Elicit important takeaways OR questions that linger from random students in the last five (5) minutes of class.
- Have students write a two (2) to three (3) sentence summary of the key points OR the muddiest point of the lesson and post it on the class Moodle Discussion Forum.
