Module Learning Outcomes

Getting started with Module Learning Outcomes

Having developed your programme learning outcomes and identified your programmatic approach to assessment, you will now be able to think more practically about how to mobilise this strategy through development of modular level learning outcomes and assessment tasks.

A module represents a ‘self-contained, formally structured unit of study, with a coherent and explicit set of learning outcomes and assessment criteria’ (QAA, 2018). However, each module is just one piece of the programme puzzle. All modules should combine to ensure that across a programme, students are able to achieve the programme learning outcomes. Through a series of modular assessment tasks, students should have demonstrated achievement of the programme outcomes through the intended programme assessments.

Modular Learning Outcomes (MLOs) should be structured to support the Programme Learning Outcomes (PLOs). In other words, MLOs should identify how they support one (or more) of the PLOs.

As a reminder, at Cardiff these PLOs are structured in the following categories:

1. Knowledge and Understanding
2. Intellectual Skills
3. Practical and Professional Skills, and finally,
4. Transferable Skills.

What is essential is the ways the modules collectively enable the accumulation of knowledge and skills to meet the programme learning outcomes can be explained and rationalised. This is best done in form of a Programme to Module Learning Outcomes map.

The MLOs should consider the FHEQ Level of study appropriate to the relevant stage of the award: see the reflective prompts section for more guidance. You might notice some of the guidance is similar in the Programme Learning Outcomes and Module Learning Outcomes page – this is because there are many similarities in writing PLOs and MLOs, and in order to cater for a variety of toolkit users, we have provided it on both pages. Typically in a semester-long module, there would be no more than four or five MLOs. The verbs used for these MLOs will inform the Module Learning Activities (see Learning Design section for more on this).

Just as Programme Learning Outcomes are mapped to the graduate attributes, staff should engage in Graduate Attributes Mapping at the module level.

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How to write MLOs

It’s not rocket science… or is it?

Some examples of module learning outcomes from our fictional Rocket Science programme can be seen below as initial examples for exploration. Note the increasing level of challenge across the levels.

 

• Level 4 – To discuss the industry of Rocket Science in a report
• Level 5 – To interpret the commercial implications of rocket development
• Level 6 – To select relevant Rocket Science research for development into a business proposal
• Level 7 – To compile research of benefit to the field of Rocket Science

Writing effective MLOs

To ensure that your learning outcomes are student focused, it can be useful to try and put yourself in the student’s shoes and to think about how you might respond to these as a student. Learning outcomes are normally made up of three elements.

 

1. A verb to define the specific action that students to demonstrate their learning.
2. A subject, to specify the subject material you want the learning to cover.
3. The context of the learning. While learning outcomes do not need to explicitly refer to particular methods of assessment, they should include an indication of the standard of the performance that will demonstrate that the defined learning has been achieved. It should therefore be clear what a student needs to learn/do to attain that learning outcome.

Let’s see that in practical terms:

1. An action that can be verified empirically, by ‘the evidence of your eyes and ears’;
2. A subject: the given;
3. Performance criteria which contextualises the learning (may be implicit).

Examples:

• Analyse the relationship between the language of satire and literary form by the close examination of a selected number of eighteenth-century texts in a written essay.
• Compile a research paper which encompasses a wide range of relevant methodologies and resources.
• Demonstrate a critical understanding of the technological aspects of imaging modalities, including the use of pharmacological agents, to assist with the procedures.
• Design and prepare a clear and coherently structured written presentation about the biography of a building or site.
• Demonstrate an in depth knowledge of implementing evidence based risk assessments, risk and crisis management plans, in collaboration with service users and carers and colleagues from inter-professional and interagency organisations.

Intended outcomes should always be assessable, so their wording needs to reflect the skills and behaviours students should be able to demonstrate on successful completion of the programme/module.

 

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Module Learning Outcomes checklist

Sheffield Hallam University (2015) offer a checklist for effective learning outcomes, which we have edited slightly. You can read it below.

Writing better MLOs: An activity

 

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Different Levels of Study

The verb in the intended learning outcome becomes the common link by which alignment can be achieved between the intended learning outcome, the teaching/learning activities and the assessment tasks. Some ntended learning outcomes would require low level verbs such as “describe”, “enumerate”, “list”; others middle level, such as “explain”, “apply to familiar domains”, “solve standard problems”, while at an advanced level appropriate verbs would include “hypothesize”, “reflect”, “apply to unseen domains or problems”.

The following verb list document is likely to be invaluable in setting verbs at the correct level for your programme.

 

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MLOs and Constructive Alignment

Constructive alignment (CA) is a form of outcomes-based education that specifies how teaching and assessment may be aligned to the intended learning outcomes, thus operationalising Shuell’s description of effective teaching (Biggs and Tang 2011).

In order to achieve contstructive alignment, we need to:

✅ Describe the intended learning outcomes (ILOs) in the form of a verb that denotes how the content or topics are to be dealt with and in what context.
✅ Create a learning environment using teaching/learning activities (TLAs) that address that verb and therefore are more likely to bring about the intended outcome.
✅ Use assessment tasks (ATs) that also contain that verb, enabling one to judge how well students have achieved the ILOs based on pre-set criteria or rubrics.
✅ Transform these judgements into standard grading criteria using rubrics.

Constructive alignment: An activity

A brief matching activity is provided here for you to become more familiar with the words of Biggs (1996) on constructive alignment. Another coffee break challenge!

Below are some prompts when attempting to achieve constructive alignment during the learning outcome writing process.

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Deeper dive