Foundations of Course Design:
Developing Course Learning Outcomes

Course Learning Outcomes (or CLOs) are measurable statements that define what your students will learn and be able to do by the end of the term if they are successful in the course (Otter 1992). CLOs differ from course goals, as outcomes are specific statements that are focused on what students will achieve throughout the semester. Conversely, course goals are broad statements that provide a big picture of what students will take away from the course. Importantly, CLOs set key targets and learning parameters for both you and your students. In other words, CLOs help students understand what they can expect to learn throughout the semester, and give you a foundation to design the rest of your course. Faculty will often begin their course design with CLOs to ensure that all of the course content helps students meet the stated goals. 

Why Are CLOs Important?

Studies show that clear, observable, and measurable learning outcomes are necessary to design rich courses for effective learning (Casey et al. 1997, Davis 1993, Lowman 1984, DeLong et al. 2005, Biggs & Tang 2011, Fink 2013, Wiggins et al. 2005). Having clear and concise learning outcomes helps students understand and articulate what they’ll learn in your course, track their progress throughout the semester, and know what they will be assessed on in advance. These benefits allow students to take ownership of and self-regulate their learning. CLOs help faculty clarify expectations of their students and develop appropriate course content. On a broader scale, CLOs serve as a preview that help students understand skills they will need to develop to succeed in their respective programs and disciplines. 

How do I use CLOs?

Through our Engineering Learning framework, you will engage in a process of backward design. Your CLOs set the stage for the rest of your course scaffolding. Once you have identified 6-8 CLOs, you will then create summative assessments that measure each learning outcome (note: some assessments might have multiple CLOs—that is completely normal and expected!). It is imperative that your assessments cognitively align with your CLOs. In other words, if you expect students to be able to create a model, chances are an exam is not the best way to assess that learning outcome. From there, you will design learning pathways through lesson plans and formative assessments that check student progress on each CLO and prepare them for success on the upcoming summative assessment. 

To help students familiarize themselves with your course, your CLOs should be in the university catalog course description, and stated clearly at the beginning of your syllabus. CLOs are often paired with course descriptions on syllabi. It is important to return to your CLOs throughout the semester through regular progress check-ins. You might also consider making learning outcomes at the lesson and module level that align with your broader CLOs. Your formative and summative assessments should also explicitly state which CLOs are being assessed—make sure your assessments align with these stated outcomes!

Once you’ve identified the essential knowledge and cognitive level, it’s time to add specific details to further clarify expectations for your students. These specific details often include boundaries (areas of the content in which you expect students to focus) and conditions (circumstances in which students will be expected to perform). The key is to provide enough detail that students know what is expected of them without overwhelming them with too much information. Look at the example CLOs below, color coded and formatted to identify appropriate cognitive process level action verb, essential knowledge, and specific details to further clarify expectations:

• By the end of the course, students will be able to analyze markets for goods, services, and resources using the supply and demand model.
• By the end of the course, students will be able to design the layout of a workspace to maximize efficiency using computer-assisted design and drawing tools.
• By the end of the course, students will be able to describe the properties and processes common to all cells, including exchange with theexternal environment, transport across selectivity permeable membranes, homeostasis, and the enzymatic promotion of chemical reactions.
• By the end of the course, students will be able to design solutions to mitigate geological risks associated with natural and man-made slopes and underground excavations in rock.
• By the end of the course, students will be able to apply the apparatus of linearization, nullclines, conservation and dissipation to analyze linear and nonlinear differential equations.
• By the end of the course, students will be able to calculate the velocities and accelerations of rigid bodies in general plane motion.
• By the end of the course, students will be able to compare and contrast the social impacts and ethical issues arising from data collection and statistical and machine learning.
• By the end of the course, students will be able to model single-input single-output (SISO) systems using both transfer function and state space realizations in continuous-and discrete-time.