06/03/2017

Learning Outcome and Outcome-Based Assessment

Table of specification What IS Leaning Outcome?

Higher Order Thinking Skill

PGT 202E
Dr. Lim Hooi Lian
School of Educational Studies
Universiti Sains Malaysia

Learning Outcomes Learning Outcomes

Characteristics of well-written learning • Use a variety of Bloom’s Taxonomy levels. (Using
outcomes: appropriate action verbs, state what students will be
able to do or what they should be able to
demonstrate as result of completing your course. Do
• The specified action by the students must be not list course content, pedagogies, or class
observable or measurable. activities.)

• Use language that is clear and direct. When possible,

• The specified action must be done by the
use language your students can understand.
students.

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Formula of writing Learning Outcome

Learning Outcome
• At the end of the library session the student
• Time frame: “At the end of the library should be able to identify a relevant database
session…” Student focus: “…students should for their term paper research.
be able to…”
• Action verb (Bloom’s taxonomy): “…identify…”
• Product/process: “…a relevant database for
their term paper research.”

Learning Outcome Learning Outcomes

• Learning outcomes can be clssified into three • Learning outcomes for a subject should fit within the
possible categories (domains): subject goals and aims.
• thinking, knowledge (cognitive domain)
• The verbs used must match the level of learning
• doing, skills (psychomotor domain) outcome. That is, the learning outcome is stated as
• feeling, attitudes (affective domain) measurable or observable behaviours for example, list,
recite, build desigh, comment and so on.
• Some units of learning may occur in more
than one domain at the same time. Each of
• Vague verbs or unobservable verbs such as know,
these categories has different possible levels understand or appreciate are not easily measurable.
of learning.

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What has alignment to do with assessment? What has alignment to do with assessment?

• The new learning theory (Constructive Alignment) • The 'alignment' aspect refers to what the teacher
begins with the premise that the learner constructs does, which is set up a learning environment where
his or her own meaning through relevant learning the learning activities are wholly appropriate to
activities (Biggs, 1999). achieving the desired learning outcomes.

• It is helpful to remember that what the student does is

• That is, meaning is not something transmitted from
actually more important in determining what is learned than
teacher to learner, but is something learners have to what the teacher does.' (Shuell, 1986: 429)
create for themselves.

What has alignment to do with assessment?

• In setting up an aligned system, teachers specify the

desired outcomes of teaching in terms not only of
topic content, but in the level of understanding
teachers want students to achieve.

• Teachers then set up an environment that maximize

the likelihood that students will engage in the activities
designed to achieve the intended outcomes.

• Finally, teachers choose assessment tasks that will tell

them how well individual students have attained these
outcomes.

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Alignment of learning, learning outcome and

What has alignment to do with assessment?
assessment

• The way of assessment is congruent with the Aims

aims and learning outcomes and with the

teaching/learning methods.
Assessment Learning
methods Outcomes

Methods
of teaching
&
learning

Outcome Based Assessment

How do learning outcomes fit into
curicculum goals?
• ‘Outcome’ emphasize on the assessment of
Curriculum student outputs or end products as opposed
aims and goals
to teacher inputs.
• The focus more on the application of
knowledge and the demonstration of the
Subject goals
required skills and values within specific
contexts- students need to put the knowledge
to work, to make it function.
Learning
outcomes

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Outcome Based Assessment Outcome Based Assessment

Four main features: • When designing assessment to match learning
outcomes, remember:
1. The assessment process must be aligned with the learning
outcomes.
1. Ensure the assessment method assess the
2. It should support the learners in their learning progress. stated learning outcomes.
3. It should validate the achievement of the intended learning 2. Assessment should never go beyond the
outcomes at the end of the learning. learning outcomes.
3. Ensure all major outcomes are assessed.
4. Integrated assessment - A variety of assessment methods are
used to enable the learner to demonstrate applied knowledge However, if you assess every minor learning
and competence. outcome of every unit/module, then you run
the risk of over-assessing students.

Table of specification Table of specification

• May also be referred to as the "test • It consists of a two-way chart or grid relating
blueprint," "master chart," "matrix of content learning outcome to the instructional
and behaviors," "prescription," "recipe," "road content.
map," "test specifications," or "formal
specifications" • The column of the chart lists the learning
outcome at different levels of cognitive
complexity; the rows list the key concepts or
content to be measured.

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Table of specification Table of specification

Issues • A Table of Specifications identifies not only
• Teachers often use instructional objectives to guide
instruction and test item construction. the content areas to be covered, it identifies
the learning outcomes at each level of the
• However, this tactic too often results in test items cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains.
measuring lower thinking levels such as memorization
and comprehension skills.

• In order to measure students' achievement at the

higher learning levels of comprehension, application,
analysis, synthesis and evaluation, teachers should
prepare and make use of the table of specification.

Question Teacher-centred Approach

• The traditional way of assessment focussed
The preparation of table of specification should more on the teacher’s input and assessment
focus on teacher-centred approach or student- in terms of how well the students absorbed
centred approach ? the content taught.
• This approach to assessment has been
referred to as teacher-centred approach.

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Teacher-centred Approach Teacher-centred Approach

• Educators or teachers decided on the content • This type of approach had been criticised that
of the course that they intended to teach, it can be more difficult for teachers to identify
planned how to teach the content and then precisely what the student has to be able to
assessed the content that had been taught. do in order to pass the course.

Student-centred Approach Student-centred Approach

• Thus, international trends in education made a • Learning outcome focus on what the
shift from the traditional way of assessment to successful student is expected to be able to
modern way of assessment, that is “teacher
centred” approach to “student-centred” do at the end of the course.
approach. • Learning outcome focus on what exactly a
learner acquires in terms of knowledge, skills
• The new way of assessment focus more on what or/and attitude when they successfully
the students are expected to be able to do at the complete some learning.
end of the course.
• Learning outcome are concerned with the
achievements of the learner rather than the
• Hence, this approach is commonly referred to as intentions of the teacher.
an outcome-based approach.

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Examples of Table of Specification Examples of Table of Specification

Learning outcomes (Constructed- Response Test: CRT) Number of items • It shows the table of specification using only a
a. Explain the concept and purpose of constructed-response
list of learning outcomes. This type of table is
test
b. Differential the functions of short-answer item and essay
useful when the domain to be assessed is very
item.
c. Explain main guidelines to construct short answer items
small, only consisting a few specific learning
d. Explain main guidelines to construct essay items
e. Develop essay items for a subject area
outcomes.
f. Develop short-answer items for a subject area
g. Illustrate the advantages and disadvantages of using CRT

Examples of Table of Specification Examples of Table of Specification

Content domains (Constructed- Response Test: CRT) Number of items • It shows the table of specification using only a
list of content domains.
a. Concept and purpose
b. Guidelines to construct short answer items
• This type of table is not encouraged as the test
c. Guidelines to construct essay items
d. Strengths and limitations developer should consider the full range of
thinking skills that students expected to learn

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Examples of Table of Specification Examples of Table of Specification

Content domain Number of items (Bloom taxonomy levels)
Comprehension Application Analysis Total

• It shows the table of specification with content domains and

Constructed- Response Test (CRT):
Bloom Taxonomy levels. The assignment of items to each cell
a. Concept and purpose

3 3
is not strictly a matter of following the certain percentages.
b. Guidelines to construct short

• Some cells may be left blank, because items in those levels

answer items
3 2 5

are inappropriate. However, some cells may receive a number

c. Guidelines to construct essay
items
5
of items because they correspond to more important learning
3 2

outcomes, may have greater emphasis in teaching.

d. Strengths and limitations
2 2

Total
8 4 2

Content domain
Constructed- Examples of Table of Specification
Number of items (learning outcome based on Bloom taxonomy levels)
Comprehension No. Application No. Analysis No. Examples of Table of Specification
Response Test (CRT) item item item

a. Concept and Explain the concept and Differential the • According to Nitko (1996), four elements of a complete table
purpose purpose of CRT functions of short- specification i) content domain, ii) types of thinking skills, iii)
answer item and
learning outcomes to be assessed, and iv) the number of task
essay item.
for each learning outcome.
b. Guidelines to Explain main guidelines to Develop short-answer
construct short construct essay items items for a subject area
answer and essay
• Allows the test developer to:
items  view the assessment as a whole
Explain main guidelines to
 maintain whatever balance or emphasis of content coverage
construct short answer and complexity of performance to match the teaching
items  the assessment will not too easy or too hard for the students

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What Is Higher-Order Thinking? Definition in the transfer category

• Brookhart (2010)
• Fall into three categories: Those that define • Students not only to remember the
higher-order thinking in terms of: knowledge and skills that have learned, but
(1) transfer also to make sense of and be able to use it.
(2) critical thinking
(3) problem solving

Definition in the critical thinking category Definition in the problem solving category

• Critical thinking is reasonable, reflective • A student incurs a problem when the student
thinking that is focused on deciding what to wants to reach a specific outcome or goal but
believe or do. does not automatically recognize the proper
• as "artful thinking", which includes reasoning, path or solution to use to reach it.
questioning and investigating, observing and • she must use one or more higher-order
describing, comparing and connecting, finding thinking processes.
complexity, and exploring viewpoints.

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Higher-Order Thinking Higher-Order Thinking

• Constructing an assessment always involves these basic • Assessing higher-order thinking almost always involves three
principles: additional principles:
1. Specify clearly and exactly what it is you want to assess. 1. Present something for students to think about, usually in the
form of introductory text, visuals, scenarios, resource
2. Design tasks or test items that require students to
material, or problems of some sort.
demonstrate this knowledge or skill.
2. Use novel material—material that is new to the student, not
3. Decide what you will take as evidence of the degree to covered in class and thus subject to recall.
which students have shown this knowledge or skill. That 3. Distinguish between level of difficulty (easy versus hard) and
is, interpreting their work as evidence of the specific level of thinking (lower-order thinking or recall versus higher-
learning you intended. order thinking), and control for each separately.

Strategy for assessing problem solving Strategy for assessing problem solving

 Identify irrelevances  Sort problem cards

Present interpretive materials (contains Present a collection of two or more examples
relevant and irrelevant information) and a of each of several different types of problem
problem statement. statement.
Ask students to identify all the irrelevant Ask students to sort the problems into
information. categories. Explain it.
Example: students group all the problems that
can be solved using the same mathematical
principle.

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Strategy for assessing problem solving Strategy for assessing problem solving

• Describe multiple strategies • Identify obstacles

• State a problem and ask students to show the • Present a difficult problem to solve, perhaps
problem MORE than one way and show the one missing piece of information, then ask
solution using diagram, graph and picture. students:

• Why it is difficult?
• What additional information is missing?

Strategy for assessing problem

Strategy for assessing problem solving
solving
• Justify solutions • Use analogies
• Present a problem with two or more possible • Present a problem and a correct solution, ask
solutions, ask students to justify: students to describe other problems that
could (by analogy) be solved by using the
• Which solution is correct, and why? same solution. They need to explain their
reason.

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Strategy for assessing problem solving Strategy for assessing problem solving

• Solve backward  Evaluate the quality of a solution

Present a complex (multistep) task to complete, Teachers state a problem.
ask students to develop a plan or a strategy for Ask student to:
completing the task. Evaluate several different strategies
Determine the best strategy, explain the
reasons.

Strategy for assessing critical thinking Strategy for assessing critical thinking
• Making judgment about value • Judge the credibility of a source
Give students
• Give students a problem or situation and  Texts of arguments
possible solutions, then ask students:  Advertisement
 Experiments and interpretations
• What are the positive and negative Ask students
 Which parts, if any, of the material are credible, and why?
consequence of each solution?
 Which parts of the material are not credible, and why?
• What is the most value solution?

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Strategy for assessing critical thinking Strategy for assessing critical thinking

• Judge induction • Identify rhetorical mechanisms and tactics

Give students Give students
Situation statement Persuasive writing, a speech, an advertisement
Information (data) A video clip
Ask students Ask students
What misleading statements or strategies are
Draw the proper conclusion from the data
used? Explain.
Explain why the conclusion is correct.

Thank you

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