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Introduction

The purpose of this standard is to encourage you to reflect on your course-level learning goals, commonly referred to as course outcomes. Note that the terms "outcomes" and "objectives" are frequently used interchangeably but, for clarity, we'll use "outcomes" to refer only to broad course-level learning goals. Course outcomes are specific statements that clearly describe the overarching knowledge or skills students are expected to learn or achieve by the end of the course. Both effective course design and student learning success start with having a clear understanding of the learning goals. Outcomes should give students clear direction, help focus their learning, and provide a means for measuring their progress. For the instructor, course outcomes provide a framework for curriculum development that can help you align your assessment strategies and select relevant course content.

Well-written outcomes will be clearly stated, appropriate to the skill level of the course, measurable, and relevant to your students. Outcomes written in plain language help make invisible knowledge and processes transparent to your students. Aligning the skill level of the outcome to the highest cognitive level intended for the course helps ensure learning is realistic and achievable for your students. Measurable outcomes reflect behaviors that can be demonstrated by your students and observed by you, the instructor. Outcomes that are relevant and meaningful beyond the classroom help students make connections between what they’re learning and their broader personal and career goals. Actively engaging students in exploring course outcomes can significantly boost student motivation and ownership of their learning. You can engage students by providing opportunities for them to connect their prior knowledge to course outcomes, discover the relevance of course outcomes beyond the classroom, and understand the purpose behind the outcomes.

Reflecting on your course outcomes is key to ensuring they contribute to your students' learning and growth. Regularly revisiting your course outcomes based on student feedback and assessment results will help ensure your course outcomes remain relevant and responsive to student needs. Remember, course outcomes need to be approved through the curriculum review process on your campus, so any new or revised outcomes should be submitted for approval in collaboration with colleagues teaching the same course.

Why it Matters to Students ...

Reyes and Ping are good friends, and both are taking the same online Chemistry course this quarter, but with different teachers. The course is the first in a series of three courses that are required for transfer. Reyes and Ping begin chatting about what they hope to learn in the course and out of curiosity, end up comparing their syllabi. The course descriptions are similar, but the course outcomes are quite different. This is confusing because why would the same class teach different things? Both courses appear to include an exploration of fundamental chemistry concepts, but the syllabus for Reyes’ course includes outcomes that are written with highly complex language and scientific jargon that makes them challenging to decipher. The outcomes for Ping’s course are written in clear and simple language, making them much easier to understand. (2.1.a) However, the outcomes for Ping’s class seem to include learning that feels way beyond the scope of an introductory course and it’s unclear how students will demonstrate these skills. (2.1.b, 2.1.c) While this course is required for transfer both Reyes and Ping are unsure how any of the listed skills might be useful beyond the classroom. (2.1.d) Reyes and Ping wonder what to do ... switch classes or maybe ask an advisor for help?

Challenge Your Thinking ...

Acting with self-awareness can help you design with intention to meet the varied and diverse needs of your students, so before you embark on designing or redesigning your course, take some time to identify and reflect on your social identities, privileges, implicit biases, and any assumptions you may be making about students, their identities, their lives, how they learn, and how you teach. As you begin to identify what you’re unintentionally bringing to the design of your course, use Section 2 of your Reimaging My Course Reflection Journal to reflect on how these things may be affecting students, especially students of color and students identifying with other historically underrepresented groups. Exploring your own identities, the power and privileges associated with your identities, and becoming aware of your implicit biases and the assumptions you may be making is a crucial first step in re-imaging educational structures, systems, policies, and attitudes that may be creating barriers and inequities for your students.

The reflection journal includes the questions below and provides space for you to think critically about your teaching and course design practices. Please make a copy of the journal to explore your thoughts and feelings and use your discoveries to make meaningful enhancements to your course.

Before you get started, think about the following:

Who you are - what makes you, you? Describe your intersecting identities.
What power and privileges and/or lack of power and privileges come with how you identify?
How do your identities, power, and privilege impact your teaching and course design practices?
Who is your course currently designed to serve - your institution, your department, you, or your students?

Reflect on how you described your identities, power, and privileges and answer the following:

How might your identities, power, and privileges impact student understanding of your course outcomes?

Make a list for each of the following:

Biases you may have based on the identities of students in your course.
Assumptions you may be making about the identities of your students.
Assumptions you may be making about how students are engaging with your course outcomes.
Assumptions you may be making about how well students understand the purpose behind the course learning goals.
Assumptions you may be making about how clear and transparent your course outcomes are to students.
Assumptions you may be making about how relevant your course outcomes are to students.
Assumptions you may be making about how relevant your course outcomes are beyond the classroom.

Reflect on your lists and answer the following:

How long has it been since you checked the institutional course outcomes for your course and how do they compare to the course outcomes used by others on your campus teaching the same course?
Who are your course-level outcomes currently written to serve - your institution, your department, you, or your students?
What adjustments might be necessary in your course design to ensure that students from diverse backgrounds, including historically underrepresented groups, can readily relate to and engage with the learning outcomes?
How can you help students more easily grasp the meaning of and connect to your course-level outcomes?
How are you partnering with students and actively involving them in the exploration and understanding of course-level outcomes and how can you further engage them in this process?
How can you foster a sense of ownership and responsibility among students for their own learning related to the course outcomes?
What opportunities are you providing for students to reflect on their learning journey in relation to the course outcomes and set goals for their own growth?
How can you make your course-level outcomes more visible and transparent to students so they can track their progress and understand the significance of achieving them?
In what ways do your course-level outcomes connect with skills and applications outside of the classroom and how can you help your students discover and appreciate those connections?
How do you encourage students to make meaningful connections between what they're learning and their educational, life, and career goals?
How do you gather meaningful data about the student experience in your course and use that data to make improvements for future students?
How are you inviting students to contribute to or co-create course-level outcomes?
How are you inviting students to offer feedback on your course-level outcomes?

Indicators Explained

The Indicators for Standard 2.1 are organized by Essentials and Next Steps. Click the menu bars below to expand and read about the Indicators in each section.

Essentials

Applying all Essential Indicators demonstrates that your course design includes the basic foundational elements that must be present for students to succeed in an online course.

2.1.a - Course includes clearly stated course-level outcomes written in easy-to-understand, student-friendly language.

Ever tried to read the complete “Terms of Use” for a product? Typically, these statements are long, difficult to understand, and filled with all sorts of “legal-ese.” The resulting feeling you get of being overwhelmed and the desire to skip reading the terms altogether is similar to how students might feel when course outcomes are written in complicated “academic-speak.” Your students will have difficulty achieving the course outcomes if they're not clearly written. Phrasing your outcomes in plain everyday language that avoids the use of overly complex academic terms, unexplained acronyms, and jargon will help students more easily understand the meaning of the intended outcome and help them more easily connect the outcome to the learning behaviors expected of them.

Your college likely requires you to use an official set of course outcomes that has been approved by the college’s curriculum review team, so right about now, you probably thinking “Hold on, my college requires me to use the institutionally approved outcomes for my course, what can I do if they’re not clearly stated or aren’t written in student-friendly language?” If this is the case, consider adding a brief explanation of your own to simplify and help clarify the meaning for students, or add an activity to your course that encourages students to explore and discover the meaning for themselves. In some cases, it may also be appropriate to collaborate with other faculty teaching the same course to collectively draft revised outcomes to submit to your campus curriculum review team for approval. You can check in with your college’s curriculum review team to find out more about the outcomes approval process on your campus.

The table below provides some examples of complicated course outcomes that have been transformed by rephrasing them in student-friendly language.

*Transforming Complex Course Outcomes to Student-friendly Course Outcomes*
Discipline	Using Complex Academic Language	Using Student-friendly Language
Information Technology	Conduct a comprehensive analysis and synthesis of the foundational principles governing network topology configuration.	Design computer networks using advanced network topology.
Computer Science	Apply object-oriented programming concepts to achieve advanced objectives within software development projects.	Apply principles of object-oriented programming for software development.
Welding	Operationalize sophisticated welding methodologies to achieve precise metallurgical component integration through the utilization of advanced techniques.	Use advanced welding techniques for joining structural metal components.
Accounting	Examine financial statements to critically analyze and interpret complex financial data using financial statement analysis.	Analyze and interpret complex financial statements.
Architectural Design	Employ sophisticated tools and techniques within advanced architectural drafting software to exhibit proficiency in utilizing specialized software.	Use advanced software for architectural drafting.
English	Analyze the intricate syntactical structures in written communication.	Break down complex sentence structures in written communication.
History	Conduct in-depth analysis to determine the causal factors behind historical events.	Analyze the causes behind historical events.
Anthropology	Conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the significance of cultural relativism in anthropology.	Critically assess why it's important to understand and respect different cultures in anthropology.
Mathematics	Synthesize advanced mathematical constructs and algorithmic methodologies to devise innovative computational solutions for complex mathematical problems.	Apply mathematical algorithms to solve complex mathematical problems.
Sociology	Apply diverse sociological paradigms to showcase the multifaceted theoretical frameworks underpinning sociological analysis.	Apply sociological perspectives to different methods for studying society.

Because course outcomes can get shifted over time as different instructors teach a class and syllabi are passed from person to person, it’s a good idea to occasionally check and make sure you are using the most current and up-to-date outcomes for your course. Comparing course outcomes with other instructors that teach the same course is also helpful and using the same, or similar, course outcomes for the same course across a program of study provides a more consistent learning experience for students. This is especially important when students are expected to transfer specific skills or knowledge into the next course in a series or for students needing to fulfill prerequisite courses before transferring into a four-year program.

2.1.b - Course-level outcomes are appropriate to the level of the course.

Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy (2001) classifies knowledge into six levels of thinking ranging from basic knowledge acquisition to complex higher order thinking skills. By aligning your course outcomes with this hierarchy, you can ensure a logical progression of learning, building on foundational knowledge before moving to more complex skills that challenge students to achieve deeper understanding of the subject matter. The Taxonomy is also a useful tool for identifying skills that are appropriate to the level of your course. As shown in the graphic below, the varying levels of cognition are commonly illustrated as a pyramid. In order from the base up, these levels are Remember, Understand, Apply, Analyze, Evaluate, to Create at the top. Each level in the Taxonomy includes a set of action verbs that correspond to measurable behaviors exhibited by learners at each level of the hierarchy.

Bloom's Revised Taxonomy helps explain the progression of learning, meaning that successful attainment of higher order skills often relies on developing some foundational skills and knowledge at the lower levels. Most courses contain a mix of lower, mid, and higher order skills that are scaffolded to help students progressively build skills. If you teach an introductory level course, your course will likely contain mostly lower-level skills such as identify, define, and list and minimal higher-level skills, so expecting your students to develop, defend, or critique may be beyond the introductory scope of the course. If you're teaching a more advanced course, your outcomes will likely lean toward the higher-level skills like analyze, construct, and interpret. The table below illustrates course-level outcomes from a Nutrition course aligned with the varying cognitive levels in Bloom's Revised Taxonomy.

*Course-level outcomes aligned to Bloom's Revised Taxonomy*
Create	Develop a healthy recipe that incorporates at least two different types of vegetables. Design a meal plan that includes a variety of vegetables to promote balanced nutrition.
Evaluate	Evaluate the nutritional content of various vegetables and determine the healthiest option. Justify your selection of the healthiest vegetable based on specific criteria.
Analyze	Compare and contrast the characteristics that differentiate leafy greens from root vegetables. Analyze the chemical composition of vegetables and its impact on their taste and nutritional value.
Apply	Diagram the anatomical parts of a selected vegetable. Create a visual representation illustrating the growth stages of a specific vegetable.
Understand	Explain the botanical classification of vegetables. Describe the nutritional benefits of consuming vegetables.
Remember	List various categories of vegetables. Recall the names of different vegetable varieties.

On most campuses, changes to course learning outcomes must be approved through a curriculum review process. If you feel that your course outcomes are not written at an appropriate level for your course, it's a good idea to check in with your college’s curriculum review team to find out more about the outcomes approval process on your campus.

2.1.c - Course-level outcomes describe measurable knowledge or skill performance.

Courses typically have 3-7 broad learning goals, or outcomes, which represent the overarching knowledge and skills for the course. These outcomes should be measurable, meaning that the learning behaviors they represent can be observed by the instructor and demonstrated by the learner by the end of the course. The difference between measurable and unmeasurable outcomes is mostly in the phrasing. For example, “understanding”’ is abstract, you cannot quantify, see, or measure if students "understand steps to selecting appropriate instructional technologies for active learning." But you can quantify and measure whether students can identify, describe, list, compare, explain, or summarize the "steps to selecting appropriate instructional technologies for active learning". A good rule to remember is that measurable outcomes begin with action verbs. The chart below shows examples of how to transform unmeasurable outcomes to measurable outcomes with some simple rephrasing using action verbs.

*Transforming Unmeasurable Outcomes to Measurable Outcomes using Action Verbs*
Discipline	Unmeasurable	Measurable
Statistics	Develop an appreciation for the beauty of statistics in solving practical problems.	Solve practical problems using statistical techniques.
Construction Management	Recognize the importance of effective project communication in construction management.	Outline strategies for effective communication with construction project stakeholders.
Dental Hygiene	Show proficiency in conducting patient-centered oral health assessments.	Conduct patient-centered oral health assessments.
Nursing	Demonstrate an understanding of personal protective equipment (PPE).	Select, use, and maintain Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in a healthcare setting.
Education	Understand steps to select appropriate instructional technologies for active learning in the classroom.	Identify steps to select appropriate instructional technologies for active learning in the classroom.

While it's not the only taxonomy for developing learning goals, many instructors use Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy to write measurable outcomes and objectives for their courses. In simple terms, Bloom's taxonomy classifies knowledge into six levels of thinking ranging from basic knowledge acquisition to complex higher order thinking skills. As shown in the graphic below, the varying levels of cognition are commonly illustrated as a pyramid. In order from the base up, these levels are Remember, Understand, Apply, Analyze, Evaluate, to Create at the top. Each level in the taxonomy includes a set of action verbs that correspond to measurable behaviors exhibited by learners at each level of the hierarchy.

Using Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy can help you select action verbs that align with what you want students to learn and writing measurable outcomes for your students will help them better understand what’s expected of them. You can write a measurable outcome in just a few simple steps as illustrated by the chart below. The completed outcome in the final column specifies what students will learn (writing a business plan), the level of knowledge (create), the associated action verb (develop), and how the skills will be assessed (written report and presentation).

*Writing Measurable Outcomes using Action Verbs*
Step 1 Identify what you want students to learn	Step 2 Identify the level of knowledge based on Bloom's Revised Taxonomy	Step 3 Select a corresponding action verb	Step 4 Add additional criteria as needed to detail when/how the outcome will be observed	Step 5 Add it all together
How to write a strategic business plan	Create	Develop	Present to a panel of business professionals	Upon completion of this course, students will be able to: Develop a written strategic business plan for a proposed business of their choice to present to a panel of business professionals.

Be sure to check out other variations of the taxonomy, like Bloom's Digital Taxonomy, whichexpands the hierarchy to include activities using digital tools as illustrated in the table below.

*Bloom's Revised Taxonomy with Digital Taxonomy Expansion*
Levels of Bloom's Digital Taxonomy	Associated Action Verbs	Activities Using Digital Tools	Digital Tools to Consider
Share	Share, publish, broadcast, network, author, influence	Contributing to open social networks, media publishing, live or recorded broadcasting, networking, authoring open educational resources, influencing	Social media platforms (TikTok Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat), Pressbooks, Twitch
Create	Design, construct, plan produce, invent, devise, make, compose, transform, imagine, originate, rearrange, design, hypothesize, invent, produce	Programing, filming, animating, blogging, video blogging, media mixing and re-mixing, wiki building, videocasting and podcasting, directing, producing, illustrating, website building, ePortfolio building, song-writing, ePub or iBook writing, storytelling, multimedia presentation, Infographics	Panopto, Studio, Camtasia, YouTube, Portfolium, Adobe Illustrator, WordPress, Screencast-o-matic, Loom, Garage Band, Storybird, Piktochart, Canva, Animoto, Powtoons, Projeqt
Evaluate	Check, hypothesize, critique, experiment, judge, test, detect, monitor, support and defend, critique, moderate, discuss, rank, select	Blog commenting, reviewing, posting, moderating, collaborating, refactoring, testing, researching, validating, posting, reviewing, debating, self-evaluation, peer evaluation, recommendation	Padlet, Portfolium,
Analyze/Conceptualize	Compare, contrast, organize, deconstruct, attribute, outline, find, structure, integrate, sequence, differentiate, categorize, infer, hack	Mashing, linking, validating, reverse engineering, cracking, mind mapping, surveying, reporting, diagramming, demonstrating, graphing, hacking, brainstorming solutions	Google docs, Jamboard, Miro, SurveyMonkey, Google Forms, PollEverywhere, MentiMeter,
Apply	implement, carry out, use, execute, simulate, upload, draw, record, interview, teach, edit	Uploading, operating, playing media, sharing media, editing media, charting, presenting, diagramming, interviewing, photographing, demonstrating, simulating	Dropbox, Popplet, digital camera, Web conferencing, PowerNotes, PowerPoint, Prezi, VoiceThread, Miro,
Understand/Connect	Interpret, summarize, inferring, paraphrase, classify, compare, explain, exemplify, report, retrieve, locate,	Boolean searches, advanced searches, blog journaling, tweeting, categorizing, tagging, commenting, annotating, subscribing, note-taking, social bookmarking, googling	Flip, Wordpress, OneNote, Kahoot, Padlet, Quizlet, Jamboard, Miro, Pocket, Web browers, Evernote, Keynote, Twitter, Word, Google Docs, Pages, PowerPoint, Prezi, VoiceThread, Explain Everything, Socrative
Remember/Do	Recognize, list, describe, identify, retrieve, name, locate, find, match, summarize, classify, explain,	Bullet pointing, highlighting, book marking, group networking, shared bookmarking, searching, flashcards., review games	Kahoot, Padlet, Quizlet, Jamboard, Miro, Pocket, Web browers, Evernote, Keynote, Twitter, Word, Google Docs, Pages, PowerPoint, Prezi, VoiceThread, EdPuzzle, Socrative, ThingLink,

On most campuses, changes to course learning outcomes must be approved through a curriculum review process. If you feel that your course outcomes are not written at an appropriate level for your course, it's a good idea to check in with your college’s curriculum review team to find out more about the outcomes approval process on your campus.

2.1.d - Course includes one or more opportunities for students to reflect on and make meaningful connections between course-level outcomes and their educational, life, or career goals.

Encouraging students to make connections between their educational, life, or career goals and your course outcomes can increase their motivation to learn. This is especially true of adult students who are more engaged and motivated to learn when they understand the purpose behind their learning. Adult learners are also more motivated by learning that solves immediate problems and that has relevance to their careers or personal lives. Intentionally including opportunities in your course for students to connect what they’re learning to how and why they’re being asked to learn it creates a clearer path to success. Doing so also demystifies for students why they are being asked to do certain things. For all of these reasons, it's important to do more than simply list the course outcomes in your syllabus. Connecting your course outcomes to practical applications outside of the classroom makes them even more relevant to students. Here are some examples of how to do that by adding practical applications to outcomes that are already written in student-friendly language.

*Adding Practical Applications to Student-friendly Course Outcomes*
Discipline	Student-friendly	+ Practical Application
Welding	Use advanced welding techniques for joining metal components.	Use advanced welding techniques to join metal components for the construction of high-stress, load-bearing structures.
Mathematics	Apply mathematical algorithms to solve complex mathematical problems.	Apply mathematical algorithms to optimize supply chain logistics.
Sociology	Apply sociological perspectives to current societal issues using different methods for studying society.	Apply sociological perspectives to explore solutions to current societal issues.

As with all other aspects of your course design, it is also essential to reflect on your course outcomes through the eyes of your students. Keeping inclusion and relevance at the forefront of your course design will help you create a learning environment where students feel they belong and that their unique perspectives are being valued in the learning process. Here's an example of how to transform a student-friendly outcome from an Environment Science course to engage students in addressing practical issues and systemic inequalities surrounding social and environmental justice by considering how environmental challenges disproportionately affect marginalized communities and the importance of proposing sustainable and equitable solutions that address these disparities.

*Adding Relevancy to Student-friendly Course Outcomes with Practical Applications*
Student-friendly + Practical Application	+ Relevancy
By the end of this course, students will be able to investigate environmental justice issues related to access to clean water, clean air, and healthy living environments.	By the end of this course, students will be able to investigate environmental justice issues related to access to clean water, clean air, and healthy living environments to propose sustainable and equitable community-based solutions.

In addition to ensuring your course outcomes are relevant, there are many ways you can provide space for students to explore and make meaningful connections between course outcomes and their personal and professional lives. For example, assignments or class activities that ask students to tackle practical problems they might face on the job or in their community can help them connect their learning to life outside the classroom. Journaling about how course outcomes connect with their personal goals encourages students to think about how what they're learning ties into their educational, life, and career goals. Service learning projects offer students an opportunity to apply their newly acquired knowledge and skills within a community setting, allowing them to connect their learning with broader community needs. Discussions where students share how achieving the course outcomes might help them reach their goals can open up new perspectives and show students they're not alone in their ambitions. By including learning experiences like this in your course, you’re not only providing opportunities for your students to understand course concepts better, but you're also creating ways for them to explore how their learning ties into their personal and professional goals.

Next Steps

Applying all Essential Indicators for this Standard combined with one or more of the following Next Steps Indicators demonstrates that your course design includes the basic foundational elements necessary for students to succeed in an online course plus additional elements that are intentionally designed to increase student success in your online course.

2.1.e - Course includes one or more opportunities for students to contribute to or co-create course-level outcomes.

Inviting your students to contribute to or co-create course outcomes can increase their engagement and motivation to learn. Actively engaging with the evaluation and selection of course outcomes or participating in the co-creation of course outcomes also empowers your students to take ownership of their learning experience. Engaging students with the selection of course outcomes or the co-creation of course outcomes presents an excellent opportunity early in the term to begin developing a collaborative partnership with your students.

Contributing to course outcomes encourages students to work collaboratively with you and their peers to reflect on existing outcomes and to identify and select relevant knowledge or skills they’d like to learn. Participation in the identification and selection of additional skills actively engages students in using their critical thinking skills, helps them connect their prior knowledge to what they will be learning, and most importantly, fosters belonging by providing a way for students to see their learning goals and values reflected in the course. Co-creating course outcomes is also an opportunity for students to share their unique perspectives, cultural backgrounds, experiences, and interests with their peers - something that will enrich the overall learning experience for everyone, including you.

Incorporating the co-creation of course outcomes is easier than you think. The activity can be as simple as leaving one course-level outcome blank each term and asking students to select from a list or brainstorm ideas for an outcome of their own that you help them refine, they vote on, and then you add to the syllabus. If you're new to the idea of having students contribute to or co-create outcomes, it's a good idea to start small and ask your students for feedback on the process as you go. Gathering feedback and making adjustments to improve the process for current and future students is a critical step in ensuring success. You can scale up as you get a feel for how to facilitate this collaborative process for your students. Being transparent about how you intend to use student-authored outcomes, now and in the future, is also an important part of the process. If you're planning to reuse any student-authored outcomes in future courses, be sure to ask for permission from your students before you do so. For example, adding student-authored outcomes to a running list of outcomes to share with future classes. As an added benefit, co-created student-authored outcomes present an opportunity to explore open pedagogy with your students by engaging them in the creation of reusable content that teaches the selected knowledge or skill later in the course - this could be anything from student-authored slide shows, assessment or even entire modules. Using open pedagogy invites students to openly license their content, often using Creative Commons licensing, which allows students to share their work with the world and helps ensure they'll be properly attributed in the future.

2.1.f - Course includes an invitation for students to offer feedback on course-level outcomes.

Each quarter you share valuable feedback with your students to help them learn and grow, but students aren’t the only ones who need encouraging words and practical advice for improving their skills. You also need feedback to learn and grow in your professional practice, and you can learn a lot from inviting students into the course design process and asking for their perspectives on various aspects of your course. Receiving student feedback can help you identify what's working well in your course and areas that might need some refining. Student feedback can also give you insight into the student experience in your course and can also be used to inform decisions on everything from textbook selection to the types of technology used in your course. Asking what your students think and taking action on their advice also helps you create a sense of partnership and community in your classroom by demonstrating to students that their opinion matters. Students who experience increased feelings of belonging and value are more likely to actively engage and be successful in your course.

Student feedback on course-level outcomes can also help you identify new areas of learning students value and hope to experience in your course. For example, if your students suggest a new course outcome, you can use that information to reflect on your existing outcomes and determine if it's time to review or revise them. Receiving feedback on course-level outcomes also presents you with an opportunity to incorporate the exploration of additional discipline-related topics during the term that better reflect your students’ identities, backgrounds, interests, and experiences.

Depending on how and when you plan to use the information, student feedback on course-level outcomes can be collected in a variety of ways throughout the quarter or just at the end of your course. To get started, consider including a beginning-of-term activity that asks students to review the course-level outcomes for the course, share their thoughts, and/or contribute a suggested outcome of their own. This activity would work well individually as part of your introductory discussion or as part of a syllabus quiz. If you'd prefer to get students working together early in the course, you might consider using a think-pair-share activity or small group discussion instead. A beginning-of-quarter course outcomes activity gives you an opportunity to begin building a partnership with your students by engaging in meaningful conversation about what they expect to learn and the topics they are most interested in learning about. In the middle of the term, consider asking students to reflect individually and share how the course-level outcomes have impacted their learning to date. If you prefer to wait until the end of the term, consider adding a question about the impact of the course-level outcomes to the final assessment in your course or the end-of-term survey for your course. Inviting students to participate in an informal discussion about their thoughts on the course-level outcomes at the end of the term is another great way to get feedback. However you decide to collect feedback from your students, it’s important to be transparent in how the feedback you collect will be used, so be sure to share why you are asking for student feedback and exactly how you plan to use it. Consider sharing an example of how you’ve used feedback from previous students to improve the learning experience for your current students and/or summarizing the feedback you receive from students and sharing it back with the class. Also, assure students that providing feedback is optional, anonymous, and will not affect their grades in any way.

Feedback is a valuable tool for your professional growth and can help you become the best educator and course designer you can be. The feedback you receive from your students can also help you improve your course and help you make intentional decisions that promote inclusivity, representation, and equity in your classroom.

Canvas Tools

These Canvas tools can help you apply this standard and make your work easier:

Syllabus: Use the Syllabus page to prominently display important course information. For example, including a section on course outcomes.
Modules + Pages: Use a Page added to a Module to display course outcomes. For example, a page dedicated to explaining the outcomes for your course.
Discussions, Assignments, or Quizzes: Use a discussion, assignment, or quiz to provide space for students to interact. For example, to share about the course outcome(s) that interest them most.
Outcomes + Rubrics: Use the Outcomes page to create course outcomes that can be aligned to rubrics. For example, adding rubrics with aligned outcomes to assignments to help students understand homework expectations.
Learning Mastery Gradebook: Set up the Learning Mastery Gradebook and Student Learning Mastery Gradebook. For example, to track outcome achievement and help students track their progress in the course.
Credentials + Leaderboard: Set up course outcome and/or a badging pathway and turn on the Leaderboard feature in your course. For example, to track achievement of course outcomes and help students track their progress in the course.

Examples of Standard 2.1

Want to see how other instructors have applied this Standard in their course? Check out these examples!

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Ways to Apply Standard 2.1

Need some ideas for how to incorporate this standard into your course? Try one of these!

2.1.a - Clearly stated course-level outcomes

(2.1.a) Locate the “institutionally required” outcomes for your course. Compare them to your syllabus. If the outcomes listed in your syllabus are different than the “institutionally required” outcomes for your course, update our syllabus.
(2.1.a) Locate the “institutionally required” outcomes for your course. Compare them to your syllabus and to the outcomes your colleagues may be using. If you feel the “institutionally required” outcomes for your course are not clearly stated: note the specific examples of ambiguous or vague language, share your thoughts with your department's leadership and your colleagues, collaborate on revisions as needed, submit a change request to the outcomes approval committee on your campus, and wait for approval before changing your outcomes.
(2.1.a) Add a simplified explanation of each outcome to your Syllabus page, “Start” module, or other prominent area in your course.
(2.1.a) Add an introductory activity to your course that encourages students to explore and discover the meaning of course outcomes for themselves.
(2.1.a) Use detailed rubrics and/or frequent formative assessments to aid students in understanding the intended course outcomes.
(2.1.a) Share a course map with students to ensure they understand how the intended course outcomes relate to other components in the course.

2.1.b - Appropriate course-level outcomes

(2.1.b) Locate the “institutionally required” outcomes for your course. Compare them to your syllabus. If the “institutionally required” outcomes for your course are not appropriate to the skill level of the course: assess the gap(s) and note any discrepancies between the approved outcomes and the appropriate skill level for the course, share your thoughts with your department's leadership and your colleagues, collaborate on revisions as needed, submit a change request to the outcomes approval committee on your campus, and wait for approval before changing your outcomes.
2.1.b) Provide supplemental options for support like offering extra office hours or creating study groups where students can access additional help on challenging topics.
(2.1.b) Add scaffolding for advanced topics and skills.
(2.1.b) Provide timely and constructive feedback to help students improve and stay on track.
(2.1.b) Incorporate opportunities for peer learning.
(2.1.b) Add additional learning resources like instructional videos, practice exercises, and/or online tutorials to help students grasp high level concepts.

2.1.c - Measurable course-level outcomes

(2.1.b) Locate the “institutionally required” outcomes for your course. Compare them to your syllabus. If the “institutionally required” outcomes for your course are not measurable, add some clarification to your Syllabus page or “Start” module. For example, the unmeasurable course outcome, "Understand basic welding vocabulary." would be clearer and more measurable simply by telling students how they will be expected to demonstrate their new knowledge. For example, "Understand basic welding vocabulary by defining and explaining common welding terms."
(2.1.b) Locate the “institutionally required” outcomes for your course. Compare them to your syllabus and to the outcomes your colleagues may be using. If you feel the “institutionally required” outcomes for your course are not measurable: identify the unmeasurable outcome(s) and note why the current outcome(s) cannot be measured, share your thoughts with your department's leadership and your colleagues, suggest incorporating action verbs associated with Bloom's Revised Taxonomy, collaborate on revisions as needed, submit a change request to the outcomes approval committee on your campus, and wait for approval before changing your outcomes.
(2.1.b) Review the alignment of your module-level objectives to course level outcomes to ensure you are actively measuring the scaffolded skills that lead students toward achieving course outcomes.

2.1.d - Reflection and meaningful connection

(2.1.d) Add a discussion, quiz questions, or other activity that asks students to reflect on and share how the course-level outcomes connect to their educational, life, or career goals. Use the data gathered to make revisions as needed.
(2.1.d) Ask students to describe how they hope this course will help them achieve their personal, educational, and career goals and encourage them to revisit their goal statement throughout the term and reflect on their progress. Use the data gathered to make revisions as needed.
(2.1.d) Build course-level outcomes into the Outcomes tool and align them with your assignment rubrics. Ask students to self-assess their work before and after submission.
(2.1.d) Set up the Learning Mastery Gradebook and Student Learning Mastery Gradebook feature to track outcome mastery in your course.
(2.1.d) Design projects that require students to apply course concepts to practical problems related to their intended career fields.
(2.1.d) Add a discussion where students can share how course outcomes relate to their goals and can hear from peers with similar or different aspirations.
(2.1.d) Invite professionals from various fields to guest speak about how the course content is relevant to their careers.
(2.1.d) Integrate a service learning project where students apply course concepts to a community setting in relation to their goals.
(2.1.d) Ask students to review existing course outcomes and relate them to practical scenarios or personal experiences by sharing how achieving these outcomes will benefit their academic, career, or personal lives.
(2.1.d) Work with students to develop individual learning contracts where students propose specific outcomes they want to achieve.

2.1.e - Contribution and co-creation of course-level outcomes

(2.1.e) Leave one course-level outcome blank each term and ask students to work individually or in small groups to review existing outcomes and brainstorm ideas for additional course-level outcomes of their own. Discuss and refine the ideas as a class and have students select one co-created outcome to include in the course.
(2.1.e) Use a discussion or another collaborative platform to engage students in a continuous conversation about course outcomes and invite them to share their thoughts, suggestions, and ideas.
(2.1.e) Incorporate reflective assignments or journals where students can regularly assess their progress toward achieving course outcomes and suggest revisions or additions based on their learning experiences.
(2.1.e) Include an interactive outcome mapping activity where students can visually map their personal goals to the course outcomes, then use the maps to identify gaps and co-create additional outcomes.

2.1.f - Opportunity for feedback

(2.1.f) Add a question to your introductory discussion inviting students to reflect on the course-level outcomes, share their thoughts, and/or contribute a suggested outcome of their own. Use the data gathered to make revisions as needed.
(2.1.f) Add a discussion to your course that invites students to reflect on the course-level outcomes, share their thoughts, and/or contribute a suggested outcome of their own. Use the data gathered to make revisions as needed.
(2.1.f) Add a question to your syllabus quiz inviting students to reflect on the course-level outcomes, share their thoughts, and/or contribute a suggested outcome of their own. Use the data gathered to make revisions as needed.
(2.1.f) Add a survey to your course inviting students to reflect on the course outcomes, share their thoughts, and/or contribute a suggested outcome of their own. Use the data gathered to make revisions as needed.
(2.1.f) Add a question to an existing course survey that invites students to reflect on the course-level outcomes, share their thoughts, and/or contribute a suggested outcome of their own. Use the data gathered to make revisions as needed.
(2.1.f) Use a survey or discussion to invite student feedback on how well the course outcomes connect to their learning needs. Use the data gathered to make revisions as needed.
(2.1.f) Include course outcomes as part of discussions, learning activities, and assessments to encourage students to ask questions, share their perspectives, and contribute to the refinement of outcomes for future classes. Use the data gathered to make revisions as needed. Use the data gathered to make revisions as needed.
(2.1.f) Add a new beginning-of-term, mid-term, or end-of-term check-in survey that invites feedback from students on the quality and relevance of the course outcomes. Be sure to include an explanation of why you are collecting this information from students and how you plan to use it to improve your course. Use the data gathered to make revisions as needed.
(2.1.f) Add a question to an existing beginning-of-term, mid-term, or end-of-term survey to invite feedback from students on the quality and relevance of the course outcomes. Be sure to include an explanation of why you are collecting this information from students and how you plan to use it to improve your course. Use the data gathered to make revisions as needed.
(2.1.f) When adopting new course outcomes for your course, invite students to share their impressions on the quality and relevance of the new outcomes. Use the data gathered to make revisions as needed.
(2.1.f) Add a new end-of-term survey or discussion to invite student feedback on how well the course outcomes connect to the learning materials, activities, and assessments in the course. Use the data gathered to make revisions as needed.
(2.1.f) Use a collaborative annotation tool and dedicate specific colors, emojis, or icons for students to use to collect and sort student comments and concerns regarding the course outcomes. Use the data gathered to make revisions as needed.
(2.1.f) Poll students on their thoughts about, and gaps they perceive, in the course outcomes. Use the data gathered to make revisions as needed.
(2.1.f) Create a feedback loop for students to provide ongoing feedback on how well the course outcomes align with their educational, career, and personal goals. Use the data gathered to make revisions as needed.
(2.1.f) Conclude the course with a feedback session that invites students to provide input on how well the course outcomes were met and suggest improvements for future iterations of the course. Use the data gathered to make revisions as needed.
(2.1.f) Invite former students to participate in a panel discussion to review and provide feedback on proposed course outcomes. Use their feedback to refine and finalize the outcomes.

Resources

Recommended Reading

Website: What is a Course Map? The Online Course Mapping Guide from Teaching & Learning Commons Digital Learning UC San Diego
Website: Transparency in Learning & Teaching (TILT) Higher Ed by M.A. Winkelmes
Website: Revised Bloom's Taxonomy from Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching Iowa State University
Website: Using Bloom’s Taxonomy to Write Effective Learning Outcome from University of Arkansas Teaching Innovation and Pedagogical Support (TIPS)
Website: Developing Learning Outcomes from Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation University of Toronto

References

2.1.a - Clearly-stated course-level outcomes

Anderson, L. W., & Krathwohl, D. R. (2001). A taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assessing, Abridged Edition. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
Anderson, L.W. & Krathwohl, David R. (2001). A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching and Assessing: a Revision of Bloom’s Taxonomy. New York. Longman.
Armstrong, P. (2010). Bloom’s Taxonomy. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. Retrieved March 8, 2021 from https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/blooms-taxonomy/.
Carnegie Mellon University Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence. (nd). The Educational Value of Course-level Learning Objectives/Outcomes. Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence. Retrieved March 8, 2021, from https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/resources/Teaching/CourseDesign/Objectives/CourseLearningObjectivesValue.pdf
Carnegie Mellon University. (2021). Design & Teach a Course - Articulate Your Learning Objectives. Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence. Retrieved March 8, 2021, from https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/designteach/design/learningobjectives.html
Iowa State University. (2022). Revised Bloom's Taxonomy. Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching. Retrieved November 19, 2023, from https://www.celt.iastate.edu/instructional-strategies/effective-teaching-practices/revised-blooms-taxonomy/.
Jiang, L., & Elen, J. (2011). Why do learning goals (not) work: a reexamination of the hypothesized effectiveness of learning goals based on students’ behavior and cognitive processes. Education Technology Research & Development. 59, 553-573. doi: 10.1007/s11423-011-9200-y
Shabatura, J. (2014, September 18). Bloom's Taxonomy Verb Chart. University of Arkansas Tips. Retrieved November 24, 2023, from https://tips.uark.edu/blooms-taxonomy-verb-chart/
Shabatura, J. (2022, July 26). Learning Outcomes: Examples and Before & After | Teaching Innovation and Pedagogical Support. University of Arkansas. Retrieved November 24, 2023, from https://tips.uark.edu/learning-objectives-before-and-after-examples/
Shabatura, J. (2022, July 26). Using Bloom's Taxonomy to Write Effective Learning Outcomes. University of Arkansas Tips. Retrieved November 24, 2023, from https://tips.uark.edu/using-blooms-taxonomy/
Teaching & Learning Commons Digital Learning UC San Diego, Hartley, B., & Cha, A. (n.d.). What is a Course Map? The Online Course Mapping Guide. Retrieved March 5, 2021, from https://www.coursemapguide.com/
Quality Matters. (2018). Higher Education Rubric Workbook: Standards for Course Design (6th ed.). MarylandOnline.
University of Toronto. (2021). What Are Learning Outcomes? Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation. Retrieved March 8, 2021, from https://teaching.utoronto.ca/teaching-support/course-design/developing-learning-outcomes/what-are-learning-outcomes/

2.1.b - Appropriate course-level outcomes

Anderson, L. W., & Krathwohl, D. R. (2001). A taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assessing, Abridged Edition. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
Armstrong, P. (2010). Bloom’s Taxonomy. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. Retrieved November 19, 2023 from https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/blooms-taxonomy/.
Iowa State University. (2022). Revised Bloom's Taxonomy. Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching. Retrieved November 19, 2023, from https://www.celt.iastate.edu/instructional-strategies/effective-teaching-practices/revised-blooms-taxonomy/.
Shabatura, J. (2014, September 18). Bloom's Taxonomy Verb Chart. University of Arkansas Tips. Retrieved November 24, 2023, from https://tips.uark.edu/blooms-taxonomy-verb-chart/
Shabatura, J. (2022, July 26). Learning Outcomes: Examples and Before & After | Teaching Innovation and Pedagogical Support. University of Arkansas. Retrieved November 24, 2023, from https://tips.uark.edu/learning-objectives-before-and-after-examples/
Shabatura, J. (2022, July 26). Using Bloom's Taxonomy to Write Effective Learning Outcomes. University of Arkansas Tips. Retrieved November 24, 2023, from https://tips.uark.edu/using-blooms-taxonomy/

2.1.c - Measurable course-level outcomes

Anderson, L. W., & Krathwohl, D. R. (2001). A taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assessing, Abridged Edition. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
Armstrong, P. (2010). Bloom’s Taxonomy. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. Retrieved [todaysdate] from https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/blooms-taxonomy/.
Iowa State University. (2022). Revised Bloom's Taxonomy. Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching. Retrieved November 19, 2023, from https://www.celt.iastate.edu/instructional-strategies/effective-teaching-practices/revised-blooms-taxonomy/.
Shabatura, J. (2014, September 18). Bloom's Taxonomy Verb Chart. University of Arkansas Tips. Retrieved November 24, 2023, from https://tips.uark.edu/blooms-taxonomy-verb-chart/
Shabatura, J. (2022, July 26). Learning Outcomes: Examples and Before & After | Teaching Innovation and Pedagogical Support. University of Arkansas. Retrieved November 24, 2023, from https://tips.uark.edu/learning-objectives-before-and-after-examples/
Shabatura, J. (2022, July 26). Using Bloom's Taxonomy to Write Effective Learning Outcomes. University of Arkansas Tips. Retrieved November 24, 2023, from https://tips.uark.edu/using-blooms-taxonomy/
Quality Matters. (2018). Higher Education Rubric Workbook: Standards for Course Design (6th ed.). MarylandOnline.

2.1.d - Opportunities to reflect on and connect course-level outcomes to educational, life, or career goals

Culatta, R. (2021). Andragogy (Malcolm Knowles). Instructional Design.org. Retrieved March 10, 2021, from http://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/andragogy/
Pappas, C. (2013, May 9). The Adult Learning Theory - Andragogy - of Malcolm Knowles. eLearning Industry. Retrieved March 10, 2021, from https://elearningindustry.com/the-adult-learning-theory-andragogy-of-malcolm-knowles
Teaching & Learning Commons Digital Learning UC San Diego, Hartley, B., & Cha, A. (n.d.). What is a Course Map? The Online Course Mapping Guide. Retrieved March 5, 2021, from https://www.coursemapguide.com/what-is-a-course-map
Winkelmes, Mary-Ann. Transparency in Teaching: Faculty Share Data and Improve Students’ Learning. Liberal Education 99,2 (Spring 2013).
Winkelmes, M.-A. (2013). Transparent Assignment Template. TILT Higher Ed. Retrieved March 10, 2021, from https://tilthighered.com/assets/pdffiles/faculty.pdf
Winkelmes et al, A Teaching Intervention that Increases Underserved College Students’ Success. Peer Review 18,1/2 (Winter/Spring 2016).

2.1.e - Opportunities to contribute to or co-create course-level outcomes

CAST. (2018). Checkpoint 7.1 Optimize individual choice and autonomy. UDL Guidelines. Retrieved July 13, 2021, from https://udlguidelines.cast.org/engagement/recruiting-interest/choice-autonomy
CAST. (2018). Checkpoint 7.2 Optimize relevance, value, and authenticity. UDL Guidelines. Retrieved July 13, 2021, from https://udlguidelines.cast.org/engagement/recruiting-interest/relevance-value-authenticity
CCCOER - Community College Consortium for OER. (n.d.). Why Open Education? CCCOER - Community College Consortium for OER. Retrieved July 29, 2021, from https://www.cccoer.org/learn/
Hilton III, J. (2020). Open educational resources, student efficacy, and user perceptions: a synthesis of research published between 2015 and 2018. Education Tech Research Dev, 68, 853-876. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-019-09700-
Katz, S. (2021, October 22). What is co-creation in higher education? | THE Campus Learn, Share, Connect. Times Higher Education (THE). Retrieved April 26, 2023, from https://www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/cocreating-students-practical-considerations-and-approaches
The University of British Columbia. (2015, February 18). From consumer to creator: Students as producers of content. Flexible Learning. Retrieved August 3, 2021, from http://flexible.learning.ubc.ca/case-studies/simon-bates/

2.1.f - Opportunities to offer feedback on course-level outcomes

33 Soliciting Student Feedback. (n.d.). Blogs@Baruch. Retrieved May 1, 2023, from https://blogs.baruch.cuny.edu/blsci/files/2017/11/33-Soliciting-Student-Feedback.pdf
Blonder, B., Bowles, T., De Master, K., Fanshel, R. Z., Girotto, M., Kahn, A., Keenan, T., Mascarenhas, M., Mgbara, W., Pickett, S., Potts, M., & Rodriguez, M. (2022). Advancing Inclusion and Anti-Racism in the College Classroom: A rubric and resource guide for instructors (1.0.0). Zenodo. Retrieved September 27, 2022, from https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5874656
Collecting and Responding to Early Student Feedback. (2020, April 21). Engaged Teaching. Retrieved May 1, 2023, from https://engagedteaching.ucsd.edu/resources/assess-learning1/collecting-student-feedback.html
Early/Midterm Course Feedback | Center for Advancing Teaching and Learning Through Research. (n.d.). Center for Advancing Teaching and Learning Through Research. Retrieved May 1, 2023, from https://learning.northeastern.edu/midterm-course-feedback/
Garibay, J. C. (n.d.). Creating a Positive Classroom Climate for Diversity. UCLA Diversity & Faculty Development. Retrieved April 25, 2023 from https://equity.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/CreatingaPositiveClassroomClimateWeb-2.pdf.
Improving Your Teaching: Obtaining Feedback | CRLT. (n.d.). CRLT. Retrieved May 1, 2023, from https://crlt.umich.edu/gsis/p9_1
Merculieff, I., & Roderick, L. (2013). Stop talking: Indigenous ways of teaching and learning and difficult dialogues in higher education. University of Alaska Anchorage. Retrieved May 11, 2023, from https://ctl.oregonstate.edu/sites/ctl.oregonstate.edu/files/stop_talking_final.pdf
Pacansky, M. (n.d.). How and why to humanize your online course. Online Network of Educators. Retrieved June 28, 2022, from https://onlinenetworkofeducators.org/how-and-why-to-humanize-your-online-course/
Soliciting Student Feedback - Assist. (2022, March 13). College of Education, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Retrieved May 1, 2023, from https://coe.hawaii.edu/assist/showcase/soliciting-student-feedback/
Toy, C. (n.d.). Seeking Student Feedback - Questions and Strategies - The Center For Learning & Teaching. The Center For Learning & Teaching at Champlain College. Retrieved May 1, 2023, from https://clt.champlain.edu/kb/student-feedback-questions/

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