Learning Outcomes
“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat.
“I don’t much care where –” said Alice.
“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat.
“– so long as I get somewhere,” Alice added as an explanation.
“Oh, you’re sure to do that,” said the Cat, “if you only walk long enough.”
~ From Lewis Carroll’s 1865 novel, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Learning outcomes refer to the skills, knowledge, and attributes students should have as graduates of a particular course or program of study. Student success at achieving these outcomes must be assessed at both the program and course level. Links to the most important resources related to BYU’s learning outcomes initiative and accreditation are included below.
For assistance creating and assessing your program and course learning outcomes, make a request here.
Well-written learning outcomes not only provide you with a road map for teaching a course, they provide students with welcome guidance to direct their learning efforts. Significant learning outcomes focuses on important, long-lasting learning outcomes like those outlined in the Aims of a BYU Education and are formulated by asking questions such as:
- What do I want students to learn by the end of the course that will still be with them several years later?
- What would distinguish students who have taken this course from students who have not?
- How will students be intellectually and spiritually strengthened through their experience in the course?
BYU Learning Outcomes Documents
- John Tanner’s University Conference Address “Building a Better House of Learning” (PDF)
- John Tanner’s “Carrots, Vision, and Learning Outcomes at BYU” Address (PDF)
- A very comprehensive FAQ on BYU’s Learning Outcomes web page