Measurable Learning Outcomes: Everything You Need To Know

Imagine you plan to create a program. Your aim is to help increase your students' knowledge of a specific topic and then use the learnings practically. Yet, you fear losing your students’ engagement and focus during your training. 

This fear can prevent you from creating the program in the first place. 

However, if you plan to write statements about measurable learning outcomes before a course starts, you may save yourself from these issues. These statements are designed to help your students stay engaged, improve their understanding, and enhance their real-world application. 

Want to learn tips to write the best measurable learning outcomes? Have a read!

What Are Measurable Learning Outcomes?

A course or program you create may be best for your students, but what do you want them to achieve by the end of it? If you are unsure of how a program can change their life or overall understanding, you may not be motivated to create it with full dedication. 

Besides, if you are unaware of your students’ expectations after they finish the course, you may fail to assess them properly. 

To overcome this problem, we have measurable learning outcomes. 

Now, what are these? These are simple statements that you can use to describe what your students should be able to learn, do, or value once your Coursebox program or any other course ends. 

You can use the term measurable learning outcomes in place of learning goals or even just results. 

What Are the Top Characteristics of Measurable Learning Outcomes? 

Source: Accessally

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When curating measurable learning outcomes, you must consider a few characteristics in mind. These are statements and not paragraphs, so you need to make sure that you write them precisely. 

Here are some more features that these statements should have. 

• Measurable learning outcomes must be specific. This means that they should be very clear and precise. In addition, these outcomes must be different from other outcomes. 
• As the name suggests, these outcomes must be measurable. They should reflect your actions. 
• Make these statements action-oriented. You can use defining verbs with active language to make your expectations clear to you and your teacher. 
• All the outcomes created must align with the goals of the course, assessments, and the overall content. They should all be connected. 
• The statements must be appropriate and achievable. They should represent your learning level and mustn't be too hard or easy to achieve. 
• The goals mentioned in your measurable learning outcomes must have a timeframe with them. So, suppose you have a goal. Make sure that the statement you create mentions the time you may want to earn it. 

Benefits of Writing Measurable Learning Outcomes 

You may wonder why these learning outcomes are necessary. Here are some solid reasons. 

They Offer Clarity for Educators and Learners 

These outcomes are designed to offer a roadmap that helps clarify the expectations. Your students should understand all their expected achievements after the course ends. Similarly, educators or teachers know how to create assessments and structure the lessons according to the program’s requirements. 

Outcomes Help Create Aligned Assessments 

With the help of measurable learning outcomes, teachers like you or course creatures can design assessments that perfectly align with the entire program and the learners' goals. This helps make assessment valuation reliable and valid. 

Clear Benchmarks Help Promote Accountability 

The most important feature of a measurable learning outcome is its clear benchmarks related to time frames and goals. This characteristic helps hold teachers and learners accountable. Institutions can easily track students' progress, while learners can identify areas that require the most attention. 

Outcomes Help Promote Continuous Learning 

Measurable learning outcomes are very helpful, especially when it comes to analyzing the effectiveness of a course. 

Suppose more than 60% of students fail an assessment. In that case, the course creator can assess the program's instructions or provide additional resources to help learners achieve better results. 

The Process to Create Your Measurable Learning Outcome 

As a teacher or course creator, you can’t create these outcomes without planning. You need to follow certain guidelines and some structure to meet these statements' specific attributes. 

Find the Desired Results

You can start by identifying your students' end goals. What do they actually wish to achieve from a program? If the course is on AI, do they wish to master the technique or only understand the basics once it ends? 

Make sure that your students' goals are relevant to their age, skill level, and overall understanding of the topic. 

Use As Many Verbs As Possible

Once you have identified the goals, use verbs in your statements that help make them action-oriented. 

Words such as solve, demonstrate, apply, compare, and analyze are easy to comprehend. Plus, they hold solid instruction within them. 

Ensure to Mention a Clear Criteria

To make your assessment easy, ensure that your statements have clear criteria. For instance, if the outcome is a success, they should mention the criteria to achieve it. 

Here is an example. “Students should be able to solve problem-solving questions with 95% accuracy.”

Make Sure to Align the Outcomes with Goals 

All the outcomes stated must align perfectly with the instructional methods, assessment tools, and the goals of your curriculum. This helps create a smooth and uniform education process without any hurdles. 

Keep Revising and Reviewing the Outcomes 

Great work once you have created outcomes. However, your job doesn't end there. Make sure that you keep reviewing and updating them so they stay relevant. You can elevate the process by taking solid feedback from your learners and then making changes accordingly. 

Practical Examples of Measurable Learning Outcomes 

These are some examples of these statements. Take a look at some examples. 

Suppose you have used Coursebox to create a science program and its assessment. This is a measurable learning outcome you can create. 

“ Students must follow all the taught instructions to perform an experiment on the impact of temperature on the enzyme activity. Once finished, share your findings in a report using science technologies.”

Here is another for a history program. 

“Students are expected to evaluate different sources to find the entire timeline that led to World War II. Your facts should be 90% correct.”

You can see that both examples shared use verbs, making them action-oriented. Besides, they are specific, short, and have clear criteria to help students achieve their final goals. 

Challenges You Can Face When Implementing These Outcomes 

Measurable learning outcomes, when designed correctly, can reap many benefits. However, at times, implementing them can be a huge challenge. 

• An outcome with many details may hinder flexibility and creativity. This may make it difficult to teach and learn at the same time. So, always ensure to practice precision when creating a statement. 
• Some educational settings may not give you enough time to plan and create these outcomes. This can be a huge challenge because these statements require lots of effort and time to create. 
• Making these outcomes measurable every time can be another challenge. In some aspects, you may not be able to quantify creativity, making it difficult for you to create clear criteria. 
• If you work in a system that is resistant to change, you may not find it easy to create and then implement these measurable learning outcomes. Certain traditional educational institutions find these statements a waste of time and effort. 

Tips to Implement These Outcomes Effectively 

Source: Edly

If you want to fully benefit from measurable learning outcomes, make sure they are implemented correctly. For that implementation, you must follow the tips below. 

• Make sure that you keep all the stakeholders in the loop. Whether you need to involve the administration of your institution or students, don't hesitate. They should be informed to ensure that the masses support all the outcomes. 
• Use the latest technology to analyze the progress of your students. Platforms like Coursebox can help you create assessments and also track the performance of learners. You can also use other features to assess their track record. 
• If you are aware of creating measurable learning outcomes, ensure you teach the art to your juniors as well. Provide relevant training so they can implement the process smoothly. 
• Keep making the required changes and receive feedback as necessary. This is to ensure that all your statements achieve complete educational needs. 

Wrapping Up 

Are you ready to create and implement the best measurable learning outcomes that might help you make a difference in the education system? If yes, don't overburden yourself. Just follow the rules mentioned above to plan and design these ones. 

You can also choose platforms like Coursebox to seamlessly create assessments and courses that align with your measurable learning outcomes.