Lesson Title: Shift of Educational Focus From Content To Learning Outcomes

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EDUC 6: Assessment in Learning 1 Handout No.

Lesson Title: SHIFT OF EDUCATIONAL FOCUS FROM CONTENT TO LEARNING OUTCOMES


“The main essence of education is not for passing, but for learning.”
The educative process happens between the teacher and the student.
For centuries, we succeed in perpetuating the belief that education is a “pouring in” process
wherein the teacher was the infallible giver of knowledge and the student was the passive recipient. It
followed that the focus of instruction was content and subject matter. We were used to regarding
education basically in terms of designating a set of subjects to take and when the course is completed,
we pronounce the students “educated,” assuming that the instruction and activities we provided will
lead to the desired knowledge, skills, and other attributes that we think the course passers would
process.
The advent of technology caused a change of perspective in education. The teacher ceased
to be the sole source of knowledge. With knowledge explosion, students are surrounded with various
sources of facts and information accessible through user-friendly technology. The teacher has become
a facilitator of knowledge who assists in the organization, interpretation, and validation of acquired
facts and information.

Outcomes-based Education: Matching Intentions with Accomplishments


1. It is student-centered, it places the students at the center of the process by focusing on Student
Learning Outcomes (SLO).
2. It is faculty-driven, it encourages faculty responsibility for teaching, assessing, program outcomes
and motivating participation from the students.
3. It is meaningful, it provides data to guide the teacher in making valid and continuing
improvement in instruction and assessment activities.

To implement outcome-based education on the subject or course level, the following


procedure is recommended:
1. Identification of the educational objectives of the subject/course. Educational objectives are
the broad goals that the subject/course expects to achieve. They define in general terms the
knowledge, skills, and attitudes that the teacher will help the students to attain. Objectives are
stated from the point of view of the teacher such as “to develop, to provide, to enhance, to
inculcate, etc.”
2. Listing of learning outcomes specified for each subject/course objective. Since subject/course
objectives are broadly stated, they do not provide detailed guide to be teachable and
measurable. Learning outcomes are stated as concrete active verbs such as: to demonstrate,
to explain, to differentiate, to illustrate, etc. A good source of learning outcomes statements is
the Taxonomy of Educational Objectives by Benjamin Bloom. Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational
Objectives is grouped into three domains:
a. Cognitive, also called knowledge, refers to mental skills such as remembering,
understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, synthesizing/creating.
b. Psychomotor, also referred to as skills, includes manual or physical skills, which proceed
from mental activities and range from the simplest to the complex such as observing,
imitating, practicing, adapting, and innovating.
c. Affective, also known as attitude, refers to growth in feelings or emotions from the simplest
behavior to the most complex such as receiving, responding, valuing, organizing, and
internalizing.
3. Drafting outcomes assessment procedure. This procedure will enable the teacher to determine
the degree to which the students are attaining the desired learning outcomes. It identifies for
every outcome the data that will be gathered which will guide the selection of the assessment
tools to be used and at what point assessment will be done.

The Outcomes of Education


Outcome-based education focuses classroom instruction on the skills and competencies that
students must demonstrate when they exit. There are two types of outcomes: immediate outcomes
and deferred outcomes.

A. Immediate Outcomes are competencies/skills acquired upon completion of an instruction, a


subject, a grade level, a segment of the program, or of the program itself. These are referred to
as instructional outcomes.
Examples:
• Ability to communicate by writing and speaking
• Mathematical problem-solving skill
• Skill in identifying objects by using the different senses
• Ability to produce artistic or literary works
• Ability to do research and write the results
• Ability to present an investigative science project
• Skill in storytelling
• Promotion to a higher grade level
• Graduation from a program
• Passing a required licensure examination
• Initial job placement

B. Deferred Outcomes refer to the ability to apply cognitive, psychomotor, and affective skills or
competencies in various situations many years after completion of a degree or program.

Examples:
• Success in professional practice or occupation
• Promotion to job
• Success in career planning, health, and wellness
• Awards and recognitions

Institutional, Program, Course, and Learning Outcomes


These are the attributes that a graduate of an institution is expected to demonstrate three or
more than three years after graduation.
Outcomes in Outcome-based Education (OBE) come in different levels:
1) Institutional outcomes are statements of what the graduates of an educational institution
are supposed to be able to do beyond graduation;
2) Program outcomes are what graduates of particular education programs or degrees are
able to do at the completion of the degree or program;
3) Course or subject outcomes are what students should be able to demonstrate at the end
of a course or a subject; and
4) Learning/Instructional/Lesson outcomes are what students should be able to do after a
lesson or instruction.

Institutional outcomes are broad. These institutional outcomes become more specific in the level
of program or degree outcomes, much more specific in the level of course or subject outcomes, and
most specific in the level of learning or instructional outcomes.

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