ILO

INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOME

 What are Intended Learning Outcomes
(ILO's)?
Intended Learning
Outcomes
are: Statements of what
students are
expected to be able to do as a
result of
engaging in the learning process
(studying a lecture/course/programme). They are:
Expressed from the students' perspective. Expressed in
the form of action verbs leading to observable and
◦An intended learning outcome should describe what
students should know or be able to do at the end of the
course that they couldn’t do before. Intended learning
outcomes should be about student performance.
Good intended learning outcomes shouldn’t be
too abstract (“the students will understand what good
literature is”);
too narrow (“the students will know what a ground
is”);
or be restricted to lower-level cognitive skills (“the
students will be able to name the countries in Africa.”).
Writting Intended Learning Outcomes?
◦Experts often talk about using the acronym S—K—A to
frame learning objectives. SKA stands for:
What students should be able to do
Skills by the time the course is completed.

What students should know and

Knowledge understand by the time the course is
completed.
What the students’ opinions will be
Attitudes about the subject matter of the
course by the time it is completed.
◦ It is best to identify the skills, knowledge, and attitudes the
students should gain throughout the course by writing
sentences that begin:
◦At the the end of the lesson the students will
be able to . . .
◦ and then supplying a strong, action verb. Examples of
verbs that define student performance in a particular area
include:

■explain ■list ■describe ■demonstrate

■calculate ■report ■compare ■analyze

 Tips on Writing Learning Objectives
◦ Try to write instructional objectives for every topic in every course
you teach. Consider taking a gradual approach: formulating good
objectives for a course may take some time.

◦ Include some objectives at the three highest levels of Bloom's

Taxonomy, (see module on Learning Objectives and Learning
Domains). Analysis, synthesis, and evaluation questions can and
should be included in every course, but they rarely show up in
undergraduate courses. They are not that hard to write, but if you
don't consciously set out to write some, you probably won't.
◦Avoid beginning an instructional objective with any of
these four words: know, learn, appreciate,
and understand. These may be the ultimate goals of
instruction but they are not valid instructional
objectives, since you cannot directly observe whether
they have been achieved. Think of what you will ask
the students to do to demonstrate their knowledge or
understanding, and make those activities the
instructional objectives for that topic
 Intended Learning Objectives
Using the S.M.A.R.T. approach
◦One way of determining learning objectives is
the S.M.A.R.T. approach:
◦Specific - The learning objective should be well
defined and clear. It states exactly what will be
accomplished.
◦Measurable - The learning objective should provide a
benchmark or target so that the institution can
determine when the target has been reached, by how
much it has been exceeded or by how much it has
fallen short.
◦ Attainable - Can the objective be accomplished in the proposed time frame with the available
resources and support? Do the students have the prior learning necessary to accomplish
the objective?
◦ Relevant - Does the objective address the overall program goal(s)? Will the objective have
an impact on the goal(s)?
◦ Time-Bound - A learning objective should include a specific date (or point in the course) by
which it will be completed. It is important to allow enough time to successfully implement
the steps needed to achieve the objective, but not so much as to elicit procrastination
 THE LEARNING OUTCOMES
FORMAT
◦All in all, learning outcomes usually follow the
FORMAT:
◦“At the end of the lesson, learners will be able to + insert
verb here + insert knowledge, skills, or attitudes the
participant is expected to develop here.”
◦For example, “At the end of the lesson, learners will be
able to evaluate the specific attitude/game to be
implemented in each specific multicultural class.”
◦Other examples:
◦ …will be able to read and demonstrate good
comprehension of text in areas of the student’s interest or
professional field.
◦ …will demonstrate the ability to apply basic research
methods in psychology, including research design, data
analysis, and interpretation.
◦ …will be able to identify environmental problems, evaluate
problem-solving strategies, and develop science-based
solutions.
◦ …will demonstrate the ability to evaluate, integrate, and
apply appropriate information from various sources to
create cohesive, persuasive arguments, and to propose
design concepts."
 Intended Learning Objectives Using
the A.B.C.D. Method
One method that can be useful when writing a learning
objective or outcome is the A. B. C. D.
method (Heinich, et al., 1996). This method considers:
◦Audience: Who are your learners (who will be doing
the performance)?
◦Behavior: Describe the task or behavior using action
verbs -- be sure it is something that can be heard or
something that is observable.
◦Conditions: Under what conditions
(what tools, aids or reference materials
can the learner use? Are there things
that they won't be able to use?)

◦Degree: To what degree of mastery --

how well must it be done (speed,
accuracy, quality, etc.)?
◦Examples of Learning Objectives using the
A.B.C.D. Method
◦Below are some example objectives which
include Audience (A), Behavior (B), Condition (C),
and Degree of Mastery (D). Note that many objectives
actually put the condition first.
◦Example:
(Students will explain the social responsibility to
ensure that adequate legal services are provided
to those who cannot afford to pay for them in three
paragraphs.)
◦Students will describe the steps in
planning factual investigation in legal
research, including identifying and
formulating relevant legal theories,
generating alternative solutions and
strategies, applied to a hypothetical case.
Thank you for listening!