Topic 7: Components of

Instruction
Hardeep Kaur Darshan Singh
Learning Outcomes of this topic
By the end of this topic, you should be able to:

 Explain the characteristics and various other

names of learning outcomes
 Describe the functions of learning outcomes
 Identify the domains of learning outcomes
 Develop effective learning outcomes
Learning Outcome
 Good learning outcomes will lead to more
learning, better instruction, higher learner
retention of learning, and even help students
develop their own organisational, critical and
creative thinking skills.
Definitions of Learning Outcomes
Figures Definition

Popham, et al. (1969) Intended change brought about in a learner.

Goodlad, in Popham et al. A statement of what students ought to be able to do
(1969) as a consequence of instruction.
Bloom (1956) Explicit formulations of ways in which students are
expected to be changed by the education process.
Mager (1962) What the students should be able to do at the end
of a learning period that they could not do
beforehand.
Mager (1975) An objective is a description of a performance you
want learners to be able to exhibit before you
consider them competent. An objective describes
an intended result of instruction, rather than the
process of instruction itself.

Gallagher and Smith (1989) Properly constructed education outcomes

represent relatively specific statements about what
students should be able to do following
instruction.
Definitions of Learning Outcomes
Hartel & Foegeding (2004) A very specific statement that describes
exactly what a student will be able to do in
some measurable way. A competency may
have several specific learning outcomes so a
course typically contains more outcomes than
competencies.

Neary (2002) When discussing the area of teaching for

competence the challenge for the teacher is
to
„select appropriate learning outcomes which
will lead to achieving the competencies,
specify evaluation indicators and develop a
functional delivery system.
Characteristics of Effective Outcomes
Alternative Terms of Learning Outcomes
Functions of Learning Outcomes
 Purpose and Functions of
Learning Outcomes
According to Florida State University, the purposes and functions of
learning outcomes are to:
 Guide teachers in designing instruction;
 Guide teachers in evaluation/test design (e.g. written tests, OSCE);
 Guide learners in learning focus;
 Guide learners in self-assessment;
 Inform others about what we value;
 Cause careful thinking on what is to be accomplished through
instruction;
 Help relationships between teachers and learners: with explicit
outcomes, the instructor is viewed in a less adversarial role because
students are not forced to guess what is to be learned.
 Enhance possibility of creating focused independent learning material
 Purpose and Functions of
Learning Outcomes
 Make teaching more directed and organised;
 Communicate to colleagues what you are teaching, thus enhancing
collaboration and teamwork with colleagues.
 Help facilitate situations in which we want students to demonstrate
competency ;
 Aid in programme evaluation;
 Encourage teachers to think carefully about what is important;
 Avoid unnecessary repetitions in teaching;
 Bridge the gap between vague but relevant and important institutional
goals and actual instruction;
 Provide visibility and accountability of decisions made by teachers and
learners;
 Provide models for the creation of outcomes by students;
 Help students to make decisions regarding prioritising;
 Provide feedback to learners as outcomes are accomplished.
 Purpose and Functions of
Learning Outcomes
Students are able to use learning outcomes to:
 focus on application of knowledge and skills
learned in a course and on the integration of
these knowledge and skills with other areas of
their lives so as to be more connected to their
learning.
 draw connections between courses, and between
coursework and other kinds of knowledge,
hence, enhancing student engagement.
 understand the conditions and goals of their
assessment.
(The University of Toronto (2018))
Elements of Learning Outcome
 A learning outcome is a statement describing a
competency or performance capability to be
acquired by the learner (Arreola, 1998).
 It states exactly what the student will be able to
do in a measurable way (Hartel & Foegeding,
2004). 
 There are four elements essential to ensuring

writing of effective learning outcomes have

been referred to the ABCD of writing learning
outcomes and objectives
 Elements of LOs
 Audience
◦ An outcome must mention the target group of learners.
 Behaviour
◦ An outcome must describe the competency to be learned in performance
terms. The choice of a verb is all important here.
 Conditions
◦ An outcome should describe the conditions under which the learner will
be expected to perform in the evaluation situation. What tools, references,
or other aids will be provided or denied should be made clear
 Degree/ Criterion
◦ An outcome should make clear how well a learner must perform in order
to be judged adequate. This can be done with a statement indicating a
degree of accuracy, a quantity or proportion of correct responses or the
like
 Element Description

Audience: Form 1 An outcome must mention the target group of learners.

Science students
Behaviour: An outcome must describe the competency to be learned in
Measure the length performance terms. The choice of a verb is all important here.
of an object Frequently used terms such as know, understand, grasp and
appreciate do not meet this requirement. If the verb used in
stating an outcome identifies observable student behaviour, then
the basis for a clear statement is established. In addition, the type
or level of learning must be identified for a description of the
types of learning and their levels.

Condition: With An outcome should describe the conditions under which the
ruler learner will be expected to perform in the evaluation situation.
What tools, references, or other aids will be provided or denied
should be made clear.
Degree/ Criterion An outcome should make clear how well a learner must perform
(implied): Measure in order to be judged adequate. This can be done with a
the length of an statement indicating a degree of accuracy, a quantity or
object correctly proportion of correct responses or the like.
 Elements of LO
Example:
 At the end of this lesson, Form 1 Science students will be
able to measure the length of an object with the aid of a
ruler correctly.

 Audience - Form 1 Science students

 Behaviour - Measure the length of an object.
 Condition - With ruler
 Degree/ Criterion (implied) - Measure the length of an
object correctly.
 3 Domains of LO
 Cognitive: mental skills (Knowledge)
 Affective: Growth in feelings or emotional areas

(Attitude)
 Psychomotor: Manual or physical skills (Skills)

Form 3 groups.
Each group discuss 1
domain & present
 Cognitive Domain
• Intellectual learning & problem solving
• Cognitive levels:
 Knowledge
 Comprehension
 Application
 Analysis
 Synthesis
 Evaluation
• Example of outcome: The student will be able to explain
the characteristics and various other names of learning
outcome
 Affective Domain
 Refers to emotions and value system of a person
 Affective levels:
◦ Receive
◦ Respond
◦ Value
◦ Organise or conceptualise
◦ Internalise or characterise values
 Example of objective:
The student will demonstrate commitment to
submitting the project report on time.
 Psychomotor Domain
 Refers to physical movement, characteristics and motor
skills capabilities that involve behaviours requiring
certain levels of physical dexterity and coordination
 Psychomotor skills:
◦ Imitation
◦ Manipulation
◦ Precision
◦ Articulation
◦ Naturalisation
 Example of outcome:
The student will be able to use a scientific calculator to
solve trigonometric problems.
Cognitive Domain in
Bloom’s Taxanomy
 Bloom’s Taxanomy
 Knowledge represents the lowest level of cognitive learning. This level
involves the recall of data and information.
 Comprehension is the next level of cognitive learning. It involves
understanding the meaning, translating and interpreting the instructions
and problems, and to restate a problem in one’s own words.
 Application is the level of cognitive learning which refers to the application
of concepts that have been learnt in a new situation.
 Analysis is the level of cognitive learning with the ability to differentiate
between materials and concepts into component parts so that the
relationships between the parts can be understood.
 Synthesis is the level of cognitive learning to build a structure or pattern of
diverse elements, which is the ability to integrate new and bigger parts
from small parts. This ability needs students to analyse the elements of a
piece of information and identify the relationship between each element.
 Evaluation is the highest level in the cognitive domain. In this level, one
needs to have the ability to make judgement based on rational criteria.
Affective Domain
 Affective Domain
 Receiving the phenomena is a level where students are given the
awareness and are willing to hear and accept the new experience.
 Responding to the phenomena means students actively participate,
as well as attend and react to a phenomenon. Learning outcomes
would be related to willingness to respond, or satisfaction in
responding.
 Valuing is the next level where students attach a value or a worth to
an object, phenomena or behaviour which may range from simple
acceptance to more complex commitment.
 Organisation is the level where students are able to organise and
prioritise values, hence developing their own value system.
 Internalises values or characterisation means the student has a
value system that controls his behaviour, and the behaviour is
pervasive, consistent, predictable and characteristic of the learner as
he adopts a belief system and philosophy in his behaviour.
Psychomotor Domain
 Psychomotor Domain
 Imitation is the level where students are able to observe,
pattern, and replicate the action of another.
 Manipulation means being able to reproduce actions by
memory or following instruction.
 Precision is the ability to execute a skill with a high
degree of precision to solve problems.
 Articulation means to coordinate and adapt a series of
action to achieve harmony and internal consistency.
 Naturalisation means to master a high level
performance activity until it becomes natural, or
unconscious mastery, without requiring any thinking of
the activity, as well as related skills.
The five categories of learning in ID
Source: Gagne (1985)
Think-Pair-Share
 Discuss the difference of each domain of
learning outcome
 Summary
• Learning outcomes are important as they will lead to
better learning and help students to develop their critical
and creative thinking.
 
• Good learning outcomes have their own characteristics
and serve many purposes such as a useful guide for both
teachers and learners alike as well as making teaching
more directed and organised.
 
• There are four elements to make sure clear statements of
outcomes – audience, behaviour, conditions and
degree/criterion (ABCD).

• There are three domains of learning – cognitive

(knowledge), affective (attitude) and psychomotor (skills).