Open Pedagogy Toolkit: Module 2
Creating or Revising Learning Outcomes
Now that you’ve identified your values and begun thinking about how OP connects to what you already do, it’s time to translate this into your course design. Learning outcomes are one of the most powerful tools you have for aligning your values with student learning.
What Makes a Strong Learning Outcome?
A well-crafted learning outcome articulates what students will be able to do or understand by the end of your course or module. Strong learning outcomes are:
- Student-centered: Written from the student’s perspective (“Students will be able to…” not “This course will…”).
- Action-oriented: Use verbs that describe observable actions or demonstrable skills.
- Measurable: Clear enough that both you and your students can tell when the outcome has been achieved.
- Meaningful: Connected to authentic disciplinary practices and your teaching values.
Action Verbs for Open Pedagogy
These verbs from Bloom’s taxonomy are well-suited to OP approaches because they emphasize higher-order thinking, collaboration, and knowledge creation:
| Cognitive Level | Action Verbs |
|---|---|
| Create | Design, develop, construct, produce, compose, generate, formulate, build, invent |
| Evaluate | Critique, assess, judge, defend, justify, argue, prioritize, recommend |
| Analyze | Compare, contrast, distinguish, examine, investigate, categorize, deconstruct |
| Apply | Demonstrate, implement, solve, use, adapt, modify, collaborate, contribute |
| Understand | Explain, interpret, summarize, articulate, connect, translate, synthesize |
Infusing Values into Learning Outcomes
Here’s how to revise learning outcomes to reflect your core values:
- Traditional outcome: “Students will be able to explain the principles of supply and demand.”
- Revised to reflect Personalized Learning: “Students will be able to analyze supply and demand dynamics in a market of their choosing and explain how these principles apply to their own consumer experiences.”
- Revised to reflect Collaborative Knowledge Construction: “Students will be able to collaboratively investigate supply and demand in a local market, documenting their findings in a publicly accessible case study.”
- Revised to reflect Sharing: “Students will be able to create educational resources explaining supply and demand principles that future students or community members can use to understand economic concepts.”
- Notice how each revised outcome maintains disciplinary rigor while creating space for the values you identified.