OUTCOME-BASED EDUCATION (OBE)

Reported by: Jiya Aika B. Lentejas and Rishelle Monsanto

In recent years, educational institutions around the world have shifted their focus from
traditional teaching methods to approaches that prioritize what learners are expected to
achieve. One such approach is Outcome-Based Education (OBE)—an educational framework
that emphasizes clear, measurable outcomes as the foundation for curriculum planning,
instruction, and assessment. In the Philippines, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED)
formalized its commitment to quality education through CHED Memorandum Order No. 46,
Series of 2012, which introduced policies for Outcomes-Based and Typology-Based Quality
Assurance in Higher Education.
OBE challenges educators to reimagine the teaching-learning process by asking not just
what should be taught, but more importantly, what should students be able to do after learning?
This shift ensures that education remains relevant, responsive, and aligned with real-world
demands. As future professionals, students must understand how OBE shapes their learning
experience and prepares them for success beyond the classroom.
This report aims to define Outcome-Based Education, explain its core principles, and
illustrate the hierarchy of learning outcomes. By understanding the meaning and application of
OBE, both educators and learners can contribute to a more goal-oriented and meaningful
educational journey.
At the end of the Chapter, the student should be able to:
a. define Outcome-Based Education (OBE);
b. identify and explain the four principles of OBE and
c. illustrate the hierarchy of learning outcomes.

II. Motivation
Directions: The class will be divided into two groups. Each group will select five
representatives to participate in the game. Two representatives (one from each group) will face
off by playing Cham Cham Cham. The winner of the round will get the chance to answer a
multiple-choice question about Outcome-Based Education (OBE). If the representative answers
correctly, their team earns one point. The first group to earn three correct answers wins the
game!
1. What does Outcome-Based Education (OBE) primarily focus on?
a. The number of hours spent in class
b. The teacher’s method of instruction
c. What students can do after the learning process
d. The use of textbooks and lectures
2. Which of the following best describes a learning outcome?
a. A list of classroom rules
b. What a student should be able to demonstrate after a lesson
c. The teacher’s lesson plan
d. A topic written on the board
3. How is OBE different from traditional teaching methods?
a. OBE focuses on the teacher’s performance
b. OBE emphasizes exams over activities
c. OBE focuses on student achievements and real-world application
d. OBE does not require assessments
4. Which of the following is an example of a learning outcome?
a. Watching a video in class
b. Submitting homework
c. Solving a real-life math problem after the lesson
d. Listening to a lecture
5. What are “graduate attributes”?
a. The grades students receive in their subjects
b. The set of physical skills students must develop
c. The traits and skills all graduates are expected to demonstrate after finishing
their program
d. The titles graduates receive after school

III. Key Concepts

  Outcome-Based Education (OBE) – OBE is a way of teaching where the focus is on
what students should learn and be able to do at the end of a lesson, subject, or course.
It doesn’t just look at what the teacher teaches but more on what the students achieve.
 Transformational OBE – Dr. William Spady said OBE should help students succeed in
real life—not just in school. Students should be ready for future roles like being a
worker, parent, or citizen. What matters is what students can do with what they learned.
 Institutional Outcomes – What all students of a school should learn.
 Program Outcomes – What students in a specific course or program should learn.
 Course Outcomes – What students should learn in a subject.
 Learning Outcomes – What students should learn in a specific lesson.
 Clarity of Focus – Learning outcomes must be clearly defined and communicated.
 Designing Down – Start planning from the desired outcomes and work backwards to
design instruction.
 High Expectations – Believe all learners can achieve success with proper support.
 Expanded Opportunities – Provide time, strategies, and support tailored to each
learner’s needs.

IV. Discussion

The Meaning of OBE

OBE means Outcome-Based Education. Simply put, it is education based on outcome. This
outcome may refer to immediate outcome or deferred outcome. Immediate outcomes are
competencies/skills upon completion of a lesson, a subject, a grade/year, a course (subject) or
a program itself. Examples are ability to communicate in writing, reading, speaking, and solve
mathematical problems. Deferred outcomes refer to the ability to apply cognitive, psychomotor
and affective skills/competencies in the various aspects of the professional and workplace
practice (Navarro, 2019). Examples are success in professional practice or occupation as
evidence of skill in career planning, health and wellness and continuing education. Navarro's
explanation of outcomes is synonymous with Spady's.

OBE, Spady’s Version

Spady espouses transformational OBE. Transformational OBE is concerned with long-term,
cross-curricular outcomes that are related directly to students’ future life roles such as being a
productive worker or a responsible citizen or a parent. In transformational OBE, learning is not
significant unless the outcomes reflect the complexities of real life and give prominence to the
life roles that learners will face after formal education. In transformational OBE, learning
outcomes comprise the knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes that learners should
acquire to enable them to reach their full potential and lead successful and fulfilling lives as
individuals, as a member of a community and at work. Spady describes outcomes as clear
learning results that we want students to demonstrate at the end of learning experiences; what
learners can actually do with what they know and have learned and tangible application of what
have been learned. (Spady, 2007) For Spady, the outcomes he refers to are the deferred
outcomes cited by Navarro (2019)
Spady adds:
This has macroconceptions of the same things. Years ago, we had outcomes that were really
just little skills. Now we’ve got complex role performances as culminating outcomes. From an
OBE perspective, it’s not a matter of what students had or what courses they have taken. It’s a
matter of what they can do when they exit the system.

Outcomes in Different Levels

Biggs and Tang made mention of different levels of outcome—institutional outcomes, program
outcomes and course outcomes. The most broad are institutional outcomes and the most
specific are learning outcomes. Arranged from most broad to most specific, outcomes start with
institutional outcomes followed by program outcomes, course outcomes and learning outcomes.
From the institutional outcomes are drawn the graduate attributes that graduates of the
institution are expected to demonstrate after graduation. Others claim that the graduate
attributes are likewise drawn from the program outcomes. The program outcomes are outcomes
that graduates of the program are expected to demonstrate at the end of the program. Course
outcomes are the particular subject outcomes while learning outcomes are the most specific
outcomes that the teacher is concerned with in his/her specific lessons.
Institutional outcomes - are statements that express what the graduates of a certain institution
are expected to become after graduation. It is supposed that any educational institution will
have set their expectations for their graduates; that is why these institutions create their
mission-vision. Mission-vision statements serve as the institution’s guiding framework.
Program Outcomes - while the institutional outcomes are the broader statements of the entire
institution’s expectations from all their graduates—regardless of degrees or programs—the
program outcomes are specific to a particular degree. These are statements that express the
students’ outcomes after completing a certain degree or program.
Course outcomes - are more specific than program outcomes. These are statements that
indicate what the students should be able to do or perform after taking a specific course or
subject.
Learning outcomes - are statements that explain what the students can do after a specific
lesson or topic.

Principles of OBE
The four principles of OBE cited by Spady (1996) are: 1) clarity of focus, 2) designing down,
3) high expectations, and 4) expanded opportunities.
Clarity of focus simply means that outcomes which students are expected to demonstrate at
the end of the program are clear. Designing down means basing the details of your
instructional design on the outcomes, the focus of instruction. OBE follows the top-down
approach to teaching as well as assessment. While the traditional education uses the bottom-up
approach, where teachers teach concepts, then create quizzes based on these lessons, and
lastly, design end-of-term tasks as a measure of the students’ learning, in the top-down
approach, the teacher begins with the end in mind. High expectations is believing that all
learners can learn and succeed, but not all in the same time or in the same way. Not all learners
can learn the same thing in the same way and in the same amount of time but all are capable of
mastery and meaningful learning. Some learners may need more time than others. Teachers,
therefore, must provide expanded opportunities for all learners. Most learners can achieve
high standards if they are given appropriate opportunities. OBE is anchored on the premise that
all learners are teachable.

The Parable of the Talents is a frequent reminder that not all learners received five talents.
Others received three and still others one. Take note, however, that everyone received a talent
or more. Other than more time and more opportunity for learners with just one or three talents,
more scaffolding from teacher is necessary.

V. Applications
Directions: Answer each question in 2–4 sentences.
1. How can OBE prepare students for real-life roles outside the classroom?
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2. How would you apply the principle of “high expectations” in a classroom where students
have different learning abilities?
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3. Why is it important for learning outcomes to be measurable and observable?
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VI. Conclusion
Outcome-Based Education (OBE) is a learner-centered approach that redefines the educational
process by focusing on what students are expected to achieve by the end of their learning
experience. It shifts the emphasis from what the teacher teaches to what the learner can
actually do with the knowledge and skills gained. Guided by its four key principles—clarity of
focus, designing down, high expectations, and expanded opportunities—OBE ensures that all
learners are given the chance to succeed according to their own pace and capabilities.
By understanding the different levels of outcomes—from institutional to lesson-level—educators
and learners alike are better equipped to align learning activities, assessments, and goals with
meaningful and measurable results. Ultimately, OBE prepares students not only for academic
success but also for real-life roles as responsible citizens, professionals, and lifelong learners.

VII. References
Corpuz, B. B., & Cuartel, I. C. (2021). Assessment in learning 2: Authentic assessment
(p. 184). Lorimar Publishing, Inc.