A well-written
CLO is brief, measurable, and focused on
student behavior:
EXAMPLE: (measurable verb) Analyze (desired student behavior) primary and secondary sources.
Use a Consistent Sentence Structure
The subject of every CLO is understood to
be “Upon completion of this course,
students will be able to...”, so do not
include this phrase in your outcome
statements.
- Simply start each CLO with an
appropriate verb, then describe the
desired learning outcome.
- Use the third person, not the second, to refer to students in outcomes statements. Because there is an understood “...students (plural) will be able to…” at the beginning of each outcome, use "their," not “your” to refer to these students.
- Also, do not use
bullets, numbering, or symbols in the
Curriculog form fields. All outcomes
should be top-level bullet points (no
sub-bullets or indents).
| INCORRECT | CORRECT |
| • Upon completion of this
course, students will be able
to
describe the dynamics of power
in
the international political
system. | Describe the dynamics of
power in the international
political system. |
| 2. Students will be able
to
demonstrate how to
troubleshoot a
network
configuration. | Troubleshoot a network
configuration |
| C. You will evaluate your own communication experiences and apply models and theories | Evaluate their communication experiences and apply models and theories. |
Make it Measurable
Use verbs that are measurable,
demonstrable, and observable. Avoid
ill-defined and unmeasurable verbs.
| UNMEASURABLE VERBS and
VERB PHRASES | MEASURABLE
VERBS |
| Know, demonstrate knowledge,
understand, demonstrate
understanding, realize, become
aware of, become familiar
with, learn, demonstrate
learning, learn how
to | Identify, define, describe,
discuss, explain, solve,
calculate, demonstrate, apply,
analyze, compare, assemble,
create, design, critique,
diagnose, evaluate, recommend,
etc. |
Poor
examples:
| Better
examples:
|
Avoid Unnecessary Detail
CLOs should be clear and
precise. Use succinct sentences and
succinct verbs. If your CLO is longer than
one sentence, chances are you’re
identifying multiple learning outcomes
that can be split into separate
statements. Anything that describes
something other than the final CLO is
unnecessary. Leave that level of detail
for the course.
Avoid descriptions of learning activities,
assignments, and assessments
If your chosen verb is something
like research, discover, study, practice,
experience, learn about, acquire
knowledge, or explore, you’re probably
describing preparatory activity, not the
learning outcome. Also, how instructors
assess CLOs can vary. One instructor might
require an essay; another might require a
project. This is acceptable, as long as
both assessments measure whether students
have achieved the desired CLOs.
| UNNECESSARY DESCRIPTION
OF ACTIVITIES | CONSIDER… |
| Read several original source
materials… | After they read the source
materials, then
what? |
| Attend two concerts… | Observe weekly patient
interactions… |
| Pass a 100-question
multiple-choice
test… | What learning outcomes are
assessed in the
test? |
| Observe weekly patient
interactions… | What will they do with the
information they gain from the
observations? |
| Write a 5-page paper… | What learning outcomes do you
want students to demonstrate
in this paper? |
| Deliver a 10-minute
presentation… | What skills do students
demonstrate in that
presentation? |
Avoid descriptions of what the instructor will
do
Think of CLOs as “outputs.”
Instructor activities are “inputs,” and do
not need to be described.
| UNNECESSARY DESCRIPTION
OF OUTPUTS | CONSIDER… |
| We will cover various topics
related to… | After you teach, what will
students do? |
| Through lectures, students will
be introduced to… | After they’re “introduced,”
then what? |
| Instructor edits drafts so
students can revise their
essay… | What will students
do? |
Avoid unnecessary adverbs
Adverbs such as correctly, effectively, appropriately, or accurately are generally
unnecessary because the CLO assumes that
students will perform the task well or
they would not receive a passing
grade.
| UNNECESSARY
ADVERBS | BETTER… |
| Accurately calculate return on
investment. | Calculate return on
investment. |
| Skillfully solder components to
a circuit board. | Solder components to a circuit
board. |
Avoid wordiness
Be concise. Using extra, unnecessary
words makes a sentence harder for students
to understand, and more difficult for
non-native English speakers to
interpret.
| WORDY | MORE
CONCISE… |
| Make a determination about the
validity of a
study. | Determine the validity of a
study. |
| Participate in a discussion of
the pros and cons of the
electoral
college. | Discuss the pros and cons of
the electoral
college. |
| Craft an explanation of
photosynthesis. | Explain
photosynthesis. |
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Last Revision: 11/14/24 REL