ASSESMENT OF LEARNING OUTCOMES 1

SHIFT OF EDUCATIONAL FOCUS FROM CONTENT TO LEARNING OUTCOMES

Reduced to the barest components, the educative process happens between the teacher and the student.
Education originated from the terms “educare” or “educere” which meant “to draw out.” Ironically,
however, for centuries we succeeded in perpetuating the belief that education is a “pouring in” process
wherein the teacher was the infallible giver of knowledge and the student was the passive recipient. It
followed that the focus of instruction was content and subject matter. We were used to regarding
education basically in terms of designating a set of subjects to take and when the course is completed we
pronounce the students “educated,” assuming that the instruction and activities we provided will lead to
the desired knowledge, skills and other attributes that we think the course passers would possess.

The advent of technology caused a change of perspective in education, nationally and internationally. The
teacher ceased to be the sole source of knowledge. With knowledge explosion, students are surrounded
with various sources of facts and information accessible through user-friendly technology. The teacher has
become a facilitator of knowledge who assists in the organization, interpretation and validation of acquired
facts and information.

1.1. Outcomes-Based Education: Matching Intentions with Accomplishment

The change in educational perspective is called Outcomes-Based Education (OBE), which has three (3)
characteristics:

It is student centered, that is, it places the students at the center of the process by focusing on Student
Learning Outcomes (SLOs).

It is faculty driven, that is, it encourages faculty responsibility for teaching, assessing program outcomes
and motivating participation from the students.

It is meaningful, that is, it provides data to guide the teacher in making valid and continuing improvement
in instruction and assessment activities.

To implement outcomes-based education on the subject or course level, the following procedure is
recommended:

Identification of the educational objectives of the subject/course. Educational objectives are the broad
goals that the subject/course expects to achieve, and defining in general terms the knowledge, skills and
attitude that the teacher will help the students to attain. The objectives are stated from the point of view
of the teacher such as: “to develop, to provide, to enhance, to inculcate,” etc.

Listing of learning outcomes specified for each subject/course objective. Since subject/course objectives
are broadly stated, they do not provide detailed guide to be teachable and measurable. Learning outcomes
are stated as concrete active verbs such as: to demonstrate, to explain, to differentiate, to illustrate, etc. A
good source of learning outcomes statements is the taxonomy of educational objectives by Benjamin
Bloom.

Bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives is grouped into three (3):

1. Cognitive, also called knowledge, refers to mental skills such as remembering, understanding,
applying, analyzing, evaluating, synthesizing/creating.
 2. Psychomotor, also referred to as skills, includes manual or physical skills, which proceed from
mental activities and range from the simplest to the complex such as observing, imitating,
practising, adapting and innovating.
3. Affective, also known as attitude, refers to growth in feelings or emotions from the simplest
behavior to the most complex such as receiving, responding, valuing, organizing, and internalizing.

Drafting outcomes assessment procedure. This procedure will enable the teacher to determine the degree
to which the students are attaining the desired learning outcomes. It identifies for every outcome the data
that will be gathered which will guide the selection of the assessment tools to be used and at what point
assessment will be done.

1.2. The Outcomes of Education

Outcomes-based education focuses classroom instruction on the skills and competencies that students
must demonstrate when they exit. There are two (2) types of outcomes: immediate and deferred
outcomes.

Immediate outcomes are competencies/skills acquired upon completion of a subject, a grade level, a
segment of the program, or of the program itself.
Examples:

Ability to communicate in writing and speaking Ability to present an investigative science project
Mathematical problem-solving skill Skill in story-telling
Skill in identifying objects by using the different Promotion to a higher grade level
senses Graduation from a program
Ability to produce artistic or literary works Passing a required licensure examination
Ability to do research and write the results Initial job placement

Deferred outcomes refer to the ability to apply cognitive, psychomotor and affective skills/competencies in
various situations many years after completion of a subject, grade level or degree program.
Examples:
Success in professional practice or occupation
Promotion in a job
MEASUREMENT, ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION IN OUTCOMES-BASED EDUCATION
With the change of focus in instruction from content to learning outcomes came the need to redefine and
clarify the terms used to determine the progress of students towards attainment of the desired learning
outcomes. These are measurement, evaluation and assessment.

Measurement
Measurement is the process of determining or describing the attributes or characteristics of physical
objects generally in terms of quantity. When we measure, we use some standard instrument to find out
how long, heavy, hot, voluminous, cold, fast or straight some things are. Such instruments may be ruler,
scale, thermometer or pressure gauge. When we measure, we are actually collecting quantitative
information relative to some established standards.
To measure is to apply a standard measuring device to an object, group of objects, events or situations
according to procedure determined by one who is skilled in the use of such device.
Sometimes, we can measure physical quantities by combining directly measurable quantities to form
derived quantities. For example, to find the area of a rectangular piece of paper, we simply multiply the
lengths of the sides of the paper. In the field of education, however, the quantities and qualities of interest
are abstract, unseen and cannot be touched and so the measurement process becomes difficult; hence,
the need to specify the learning outcomes to be measured.

For instance, knowledge of the subject matter is often measured through standardized test results. In this
case, the measurement procedure is testing. The same concept can be measured in another way. We can
ask a group of experts to rate a student’s (or a teacher’s) knowledge of the subject matter in a scale of 1 to
5 with 1 being the lowest and 5 the highest. In this procedure, knowledge of the subject matter is
measured through perception.

Types of Measurement

Measurements can therefore be objective (as in testing) or subjective (as in perceptions). In the example
cited, testing produces objective measurements while expert ratings provide subjective measurements.
Objective measurements are more stable than subjective measurements in the sense that repeated
measurements of the same quantity or quality of interest will produce more or less the same outcome. For
this reason many people prefer objective measurements over subjective measurements whenever they are
available. However, there are certain facets of the quantity or quality of interest that cannot be
successfully captured by objective procedures but which can be done by subjective methods e.g. aesthetic
appeal of a product or project of a student, student’s performance in a drama, etc. It follows that it may be
best to use both methods of assessment whenever the constraints of time and resources permit.

Whether one uses an objective or subjective assessment procedure, the underlying principle in educational
measurement is summarized by the following formula:

Measurement of Quantity or Quality of Interest = True value plus random error.

Each measurement of the quantity of interest has two components: a true value of the quantity and a
random error component. The objective in educational measurement is to estimate or approximate, as
closely as possible, the true value of the quantity of interest, e.g. true knowledge of the subject matter.
This is a tall order and one which will occupy most of our time in this particular course.

Objective measurements are measurements that do not depend on the person or individual taking the
measurements. Regardless of who is taking the measurement, the same measurement values should be
obtained when using an objective assessment procedure. In contrast, subjective measurements often
differ from one assessor to the next even if the same quantity or quality is being measured.

2.3. Evaluation

Evaluation originates from the word "value," and so when we evaluate we expect our process to give
information as to whether something is good, desirable, or acceptable.

Evaluation is a process designed to provide information that will help make a judgment about a given
situation. The end result of evaluation is to adopt, reject or revise what has been evaluated.

Objects of evaluation include instructional programs, school projects, students, educational objectives, or
curricular materials. Examples include evaluating teaching performance, the comparative effectiveness of
two remedial reading programs, or student achievement of instructional objectives.
Evaluation involves data collection and analysis of results. It emphasizes the worth or value of the result.
Evaluation can help educators determine the success of teaching methods, programs, and goals. It can also
help identify the success factors of programs and projects and signal directions for improvement.

2.2. Assessment

Assessment is a process of gathering evidences of student learning to determine the level of achievement
of the learning outcomes.

Assessment is used as a feedback mechanism for both the teacher and the learner. It provides valuable
information related to students' progress toward attaining the intended learning outcomes.

Assessment refers to any variety of procedures used to evaluate student learning which may include tests,
portfolios, performances, interviews, and other samples of student work.

The most relevant role of assessment is to improve student learning. It provides the teacher with data as a
basis to evaluate the effectiveness of instruction and for students to reflect on their learning.

Assessment research papers classify types of assessments into:

Assessment of learning (summative)

Assessment for learning (formative)

Assessment as learning (self-assessment)

Assessment

Chapter 2 – Measurement, Assessment and Evaluation in Outcomes-Based Education

Evaluations are often divided into two broad categories:

A. Formative Evaluation

Formative evaluation is a method of judging the worth of a program while the program activities are in
progress. This type of evaluation focuses on the process. The results of formative evaluation give
opportunities to the proponents, learners, and teachers to know how well the objectives of the program
are being attained. Its main objective is to determine deficiencies so that appropriate improvements can
be done. Formative evaluation may also be used in analyzing learning materials, student learning and
achievements, and teacher effectiveness.

B. Summative Evaluation

Summative evaluation is a method of judging the worth of a program at the end of the program activities,
where the focus is on the result. The instruments used to collect data for summative evaluation are
summative survey, interview/observation, etc.

Summative evaluations are typically designed to determine the effectiveness of a program or activity based
on its avowed purposes. Surveys gave a technique for summative evaluation: pretest-posttest with one
group, pretest-posttest with experimental and control groups, one group descriptive analysis. The subject
of evaluation is wider than assessment, which focuses specifically on student learning outcomes.

Highlighted Example Summary:

Evaluation: “We evaluate results in terms of some criteria or objectives.”