Encyclopedia of International Higher Education Systems and Institutions

Living Edition

Learning Outcomes in European Higher Education

Living reference work entry
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9553-1_317-1
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Synonyms

Academic goals; Expected results; Learning objectives

General Definition

Learning outcomes deal with what learners are supposed to know or to be able to do as a result of a learning process.

Learning outcomes emphasize what a student is expected to achieve in terms of knowledge, skills, and competences, in line with each qualification level (Gallavara et al. 2008; Tissot 2008). Besides delivering a description of the expected or intended learning outputs, learning outcomes also point out how these achievements will be assessed. Thus, learning outcomes are expected to explicit not only what is expected a students will be able to do or know but also the criteria that will be used to evaluate him (Adam 2004; Moon 2004; Wiliam 2010). This approach helps students to identify in advance what is expected for them to know, understand, and perform, whether for a given study program or for a specific class, as well as the assessment criteria that will be used.

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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2018

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Universidade EuropeiaLisbonPortugal
  2. 2.CIPES – Center for Research in Higher Education PoliciesMatosinhos, PortoPortugal

Section editors and affiliations

  • Gaële Goastellec
    • 1
  1. 1.OSPS, LACCUSUniversity of LausanneLausanneSwitzerland