ELearning/Foundations/Universal learning outcomes
Referred to variously as core standards, prescribed learning outcomes and, more to the point, what every student should learn, universal learning outcomes attempt to identify what every child or adult completing an education should master. The issue has become especially acute in the U.S. higher education arena since the publication of Arum and Roksa's Academically Adrift (2011) in which they analyzed data from the annual Collegiate Learning Assessment and concluded that college students do not make any progress on the skills measured by the assessment during their first two years - among others. At the K-12 level, core standards are an evolution of the No Child Left Behind initiative of 2001. Other nations such as Canada, France, Germany, the U.K. and many others have also published versions of universal learning outcomes, and UNESCO is leading a global effort to establish standards in developing countries.
Clearly, the clarion bell is ringing for an era of defined learning outcomes and the accountability of those who purport to educate our students. It can't happen too soon. Even if you don't teach or design for education, this knowledge will serve you well as background information.
We will briefly review the Common Core State Standards for K-12, samples from U.S. universities, the proposed Degree Qualifications profile for higher education, and UNESCO's global framework.
Common core state standards (K-12)
Common core state standards (CCSS) were developed under the auspices of the National Governors Association (NGA) and adopted by 48 states, two territories, and the District of Columbia. "These English language arts and mathematics standards represent a set of expectations for student knowledge and skills that high school graduates need to master to succeed in college and careers" (NGA, 2010). Note that the standards address different grade levels. Here we focus on high school graduates.
Categories
- English language arts
- Reading (literature and informational text)
- Writing
- Speaking and listening
- Language
- History/Social Studies (reading and writing for literacy)
- Mathematics
- Number and quantity
- Algebra
- Functions
- Modeling
- Geometry
- Statistics and probability
Example: Reading
Key Ideas and Details
- Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
- Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.
- Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.
Craft and Structure
- Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.
- Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole.
- Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
- Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse formats and media, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.
- Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.
- Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
- Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.
View/Download: English Language Arts Standards Mathematics Standards
Common core controversy
Shortly after common core standards were introduced in 2013, politicians became involved resulting in a number of states delaying or forbidding implementation. Reasons included concern over implementing the standards too quickly, the continued use of standardized tests, and "This will destroy America" arguments (Tashman, 2014). Among scholars, there is also doubt that the new standards are an improvement over the old. "Andy Porter, dean of the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, and a team of researchers concluded that the Common Core standards were not a significant improvement over states’ previous standards. And when comparing the Common Core with standards in other nations that perform well on international tests, the team found that the Common Core placed more emphasis on higher-order thinking whereas some of the highest-performing countries emphasized more basic skills, such as computation" (Lu, 2013).
Green (2014) argues that American education approaches the implementation of standards by issuing the standards and leaving it to classroom teachers to implement. The typical teacher in America spends less than four days in training on the entire Common Core. Especially with math standards, the new approach (understanding how math works and applying it to real-world situations) is in opposition to the way teachers learned and teach math (focusing on apparently arbitrary procedures) leaving them ill-equipped to help their students learn.
"American institutions charged with training teachers in new approaches to math have proved largely unable to do it. At most education schools, the professors with the research budgets and deanships have little interest in the science of teaching . . . attending Harvard Graduate School of Education, students find only 19 out of 231 courses that use the word 'teaching' (up from one in the 1970s)." (Green, 2014)
There is good news. Follow this link to NPR about a local success with Common Core reading standards. Teachers were skeptical, but are now believers.
Universal learning outcomes (higher education)
There are currently no common learning outcome standards at the college level. Many universities and colleges have developed their own, and the Lumina Foundation has recently proposed a "degree qualification profile" as a common set.
Individual institutions
Of the colleges and universities who have developed their own set of learning outcomes, we see common threads throughout. Some are detailed and others are abbreviated. Some address undergraduate students only while others include graduate students. "The five university undergraduate learning outcomes (UULOs) define what all students should know and be able to do when they graduate" (UNLV, 2013). Three sample outcomes are listed below as published by the universities.
| Texas A&M University | University of Seattle | University of Nevada Las Vegas |
| Master the depth of knowledge required for a degree | Prepared to encounter the world | Intellectual breadth and life-long learning |
| Demonstrate critical thinking | Adept in their discipline | Inquiry and critical thinking |
| Communicate effectively | Empowered to make a difference | Communication |
| Practice personal and social responsibility | Self-reflective in their pursuit of meaning and purpose | Global/multicultural awareness |
| Demonstrate social, cultural, and global competence | Committed to justice and ethical action | Citizenship and ethics |
| Prepare to engage in lifelong learning | ||
| Work collaboratively |
Example: Master the depth of knowledge required for a degree (Texas A&M)
- Articulate disciplinary and interdisciplinary theories, concepts, principles, skills and practices
- Synthesize knowledge across courses and other experiences
- Apply knowledge from core curriculum courses, discipline-based courses, and other experiences in a range of contexts to solve problems and make decisions
Example: Empowered to make a difference (U Seattle)
They are competent and creative writers, speakers, and critical thinkers who are able to thrive in leadership, team and advocacy roles; who contribute to the common good; and who possess the tools to meet life's challenges.
Example: Citizenship and ethics (UNLV)
- Acquire knowledge of political, economic, and social institutions
- Explore the various rights and obligations that citizens have in their communities
- Experience or interpret the social, environmental, and sustainability issues of the larger community
- Learn various forms of citizenship skills such as media analysis, letter writing, community service, lobbying, etc.
- Engage in public discourse and exercise civic imagination
- Learn and apply ethical reasoning and action in defined situations
View: A&M Learning Outcomes U Seattle Essential Learning Objectives UNLV Undergraduate Learning Outcomes
Degree qualifications profile
The Lumina Foundation has proposed a "degree qualifications profile" or qualifications framework for college graduates at the associate, bachelor's and master's levels. It constitutes an initial proposal, "to be tested and developed in partnership with faculty, students, leaders, and stakeholders" (Lumina Foundation, 2014). The profiles are "indicative of the incremental and cumulative nature of learning."
The profile structure, illustrated in Figure 1, is based on five core capacities or competencies, described below. The points along each are anchored to indicate the extent of learning required to reach each rung on the ladder: the associate degree, the bachelor's degree, and the master's degree. Doctorate degrees are not currently included because of their emphasis on advanced research skills specific to individual disciplines.
Specialized knowledge should be deep enough to assure mastery - expertise - within the strategically selected disciplines. However, the profile also argues for:
Broad/Integrative knowledge that enables students to integrate their specialized knowledge with broader issues within science, culture, and society.
Intellectual skills are the cognitive capacities and operations, including communication, analysis, inquiry, interpretation, integration and others that are used within all disciplines.
Applied learning emphasizes the practical application of knowledge, whether general or discipline specific. "Beyond what graduates know, what they can do with what they know is the ultimate benchmark of learning."
Civic learning prepares students for responsible citizenship, including engagement with civic affairs, participation in the political process, and openness to diverse perspectives.
Individual institutions need to require the core learning outcomes but may emphasize different capacities, as we see below. Institution A (Figure 2) emphasizes applied learning in specialized fields, while Institution B (Figure 3) accentuates civic involvement in a range of causes. Institution C (Figure 4) stresses intellectual development such as theory-building within specific disciplines.
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|
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|---|---|---|
| 2. Institution A | 3. Institution B | 4. Institution C |
Download: The Degree Qualifications Profile
Global learning domains framework
The seven domains for learning identified by the UNESCO taskforce are all applicable from early childhood through post-primary schooling, although some domains are more relevant at different learning stages (UNESCO, 2013).
Categories
- Physical well-being
- Social and emotional
- Culture and the arts
- Literacy and communication
- Learning approaches and cognition
- Numeracy and mathematics
- Science and technology
Example: Learning approaches and cognition (post-primary level)
- Collaboration, the ability to work with others to address matters of shared concern.
- Self-direction reflects the ability to act autonomously to collect and understand information.
- Learning orientation refers to the individual's commitment to using learning to respond to evolving demands.
- Persistence captures the ability of individuals to begin and complete activities with attention.
- Problem solving involves researching problems and finding innovative and effective solutions.
- Critical decision making refers to the process of finding and weighing evidence in assessing possible solutions to questions.
- Flexibility is the ability to analyze and respond to changing life circumstances in a way that reflects resilience and commitment to achieving success.
- Creativity is the capacity to view circumstances in unexpected ways and find ways to reach satisfactory outcomes, including aesthetic and pragmatic considerations.
Download: UNESCO Toward Universal Learning
Conclusion
As you review the documents here, the authors' tremendous thought and effort are self-evident. These are serious undertakings to identify and define the purpose of education in clear and measurable ways. They are inspiring; we would do well to emulate their endeavors.
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