Intended learning outcomes

A lecturer and student holding drones have a discussion in a teaching room

Welcome to the EDU Teaching Toolkit on Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs).

In the following pages we examine the role and purpose of intended learning outcomes in curriculum design, and we explore principles and best practices for writing effective ILOs.

Intended learning outcomes

Aims, objectives, outcomes - what's the difference?

You have probably heard the terms learning aims, learning objectives or intended learning outcomes in conversations about teaching and learning in higher education. These terms are sometimes used interchangeably, but as we will see, they actually have quite specific and distinct meanings in relation to curriculum design.

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Learning objectives

Defining the learning objectives of a programme, module or class is another important aspect of curriculum design.

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Student-focused ILOs

Intended learning outcomes (ILOs) are quite different. In contrast to aims and objectives, ILOs draw our attention away from what the teacher wants to do. They focus instead on what students will be doing.

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Bloom's taxonomy

The taxonomy was originally an attempt to classify the thinking behaviours that were believed to be important in the processes of learning.

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ILOs and constructive alignment

At the heart of curriculum design are three key processes, when these three elements are appropriate and relevant to each other, we have achieved what we call constructive alignment.

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Designing ILOs

Highlighting the general principles of a well-written ILO

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Choosing action verbs

When writing learning outcomes, first decide the behaviour you wish the student to show. It should be something you can observe (like identify, evaluate or communicate) rather than something inside their head (like know about, understand or appreciate).

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Activity: SMART ILOs

See some examples of ILOs and delve into detail about how they can be improved.