Get started with learning outcomes
Updated 19 Feb 2024
Learning outcomes help you assess student understanding or skills, based on assignment results. Examples of learning outcomes: "Read and interpret graphs and data", "Demonstrate an understanding of the principles of scientific inquiry"
Learning outcomes can be either:
- Provided learning outcomes — Automatically provided and associated with assignable items for some textbooks
- My Learning Outcomes — User-created outcomes that can be associated with any assignment items
You can do all of the following.
- Assess class results for each learning outcome throughout the term.
- Create, edit, or remove learning outcomes anytime during the course.
- Copy learning outcomes from other courses without needing to enter them individually.
- Print or export learning outcomes from the Gradebook.
You can also print or export other results (scores, time, and difficulty data) from the Gradebook for your own use or to incorporate into reports for your department or administration.
- Select Mastering Course Settings from your LMS course.
You can also select Course Settings (Getting Started area) from the Mastering Course Home. - Scroll down to the Learning Outcomes section and select Show Me the List of Learning Outcomes Provided for this Course. Not all textbooks have provided outcomes.
You can also choose to add/edit your own learning outcomes or to copy your learning outcomes from another course.
- When you create or edit assignments, select content that can measure the learning outcomes you want to assess.
If outcomes are provided, filter assignable items by their associated outcomes, and then select items accordingly.
- Specify outcomes for items that don't have provided outcomes, or change the associated outcomes at any time.
- As students complete assignments, assess student results by viewing the cumulative Learning Outcomes Summary from the Gradebook.
- Print or export learning outcomes and results for your own use or to incorporate into reports for your department or administration.
For learning outcomes results for a single attempt to solve each question and no hints, use the Quiz or Test category for the assignment. These results may provide a better assessment of student gains. For greatest accuracy, get as close as possible to 100% student completion rates for learning outcome items.
See also: