Definition of Outcomes-Based Education (OBE)
Among early advocates of OBE was W. Spady (1994), who defined it as clearly focusing
and organizing everything in education around essential outcomes for all students at
the end of their experiences.
Key elements include:
1. What do we want these students to learn?
2. Why do we want these students to learn these things?
3. How can we best help these students learn these things?
4. How will you know when these students have learned them?
Spady premised that in Outcomes-Based Education:
All students can learn and succeed but not at the same time or in the same way.
Successful learning promotes even more successful learning.
Schools and teachers control conditions determining student success.
Four Essential Principles in OBE:
1. Clarity of Focus: Clear focus on desired outcomes ensures effective teaching-learning
processes.
2. Designing Backwards: Curriculum design starts with defining desired results.
3. High Expectations: Challenging standards motivate better performance.
4. Expanded Opportunities: Equal opportunities provided for all learners ensure success.
Teaching-Learning in OBE
Teaching is teaching if learners learn. Learning is measured by its outcome. Whatever
approach to teaching is used, the intent should focus on learning rather than on
teaching. Subjects do not exist in isolation, but links between them should be made. It is
important that students learn how to learn; hence a teacher should be innovative.
Tips for Teaching-Learning in OBE:
Teachers must prepare students adequately by knowing what they want students to
learn and what outcomes to achieve.
Teachers must create a positive learning environment where students feel supported
regardless of individual uniqueness.
Teachers must help their students understand what they need to learn, why it’s
important, and how they’ll know they’ve learned it.
Teachers must use various teaching methods tailored to contents, student
characteristics, resources available, and teaching skills.
Teachers must provide opportunities for students to apply new knowledge and skills
gained.
Teachers must help bring each learning experience to closure so students understand
what they’ve learned.
Traditional View OBE View
Instruction Learning
Inputs and Resources Learning Outcomes
Knowledge transferred by Knowledge exists in learners’ minds
teacher
Teacher dispenses knowledge Teachers design methods
Teachers and students Teachers and students work as teams
independent
Assessment of Learning Outcomes in OBE
Assessment in OBE should also be guided by the four principles of OBE, which are clarity
of focus, designing backwards, high expectations, and expanded opportunity. It should
contribute to the objective of improving students' learning. Since in OBE, there is a need
first to establish a clear vision of what the students are expected to learn (desired
learning outcome), then assessment becomes an embedded part of the system.
To be useful in the OBE system, assessment should be guided by the following
principles:
1. Assessment procedure should be valid. Procedure and tools should actually assess what
one intends to test.
2. Assessment procedure should be reliable. The results should be consistent.
3. Assessment procedure should be fair. Cultural background and other factors should not
influence the assessment procedure.
4. Assessment should reflect the knowledge and skills that are important to the students.
5. Assessment should tell both the teachers and students how students are progressing.
Image 2: The Teacher and the School Curriculum
1. Assessment should support every student’s opportunity to learn things that are
important.
2. Assessment should allow individuality or uniqueness to be demonstrated.
3. Assessment should be comprehensive to cover a wide range of learning outcomes.
Learner’s Responsibility for Learning
In OBE, students are responsible for their own learning and progress. Nobody can learn
for the learner. It is only the learner himself/herself who can drive himself/herself to
learn; thus, learning is a personal matter. Teachers can only facilitate that learning,
define the learning outcomes to be achieved, and assist the students to achieve those
outcomes. Students have the bigger responsibility to achieve those outcomes. In this
way, they will be able to know whether they are learning or not.
One of the great benefits of outcomes-based education is that it makes students aware
of what they should be learning, why they are learning it, what they are actually learning,
and what they should do when they are learning. All of these will conclude with the
achieved learning outcomes.
In terms of students’ perspectives, there are common questions that will guide them as
they learn under the OBE Curriculum framework. To guide the students in OBE learning,
they should ask themselves the following questions:
As a student:
What do I have to learn?
Why do I have to learn it?
What will I be doing while I am learning?
How will I know that I am learning what I should be learning?
Will I have any say in what I learn?
How will I be assessed?
