What are outcomes?
When you are designing a training programme outcomes are where you start. The usual questions you ask to determine the outcomes are:
- What learners or trainees should be able to do? What tasks they should be able to complete, skills and behaviours to demonstrate?
- How well they should be able to do it? Would they be able to independently complete a specific task or job?, and
- What is the context or environment they will be in when doing it?
Whether the module you are working on has learning outcomes, competencies or standards defined you will be designing assessment and training activities to achievement them. The outcomes you are working with indicate what the learners are expected to achieve.
There are different types of outcomes you are likely to come across in education and training. Here we will look briefly at the most common once you are likely to work with in TVET and competency-based training.
Outcome is defined as a very specific statement that describes exactly what a learner will be able to do in some measurable way. The required qualities of those considered qualified or competent at a certain level of learning. (Surce: SADC 2011, Southern Africa)
Learning outcome is defined as the totality of information, knowledge, understanding, attitudes, values, skills, competencies or behaviours an individual is expected to master upon successful completion of an educational programme. (Source: UNESCO UIS 2011, Global)
Competency is defined as the ability, encompassing knowledge, skills and attitudes of an individual to perform adequately in a job. (Source: ILO 2006, Global)
Elements of competency are any of the basic building blocks of a unit of competency which describe the key activities that must be performed to demonstrate competence in the tasks covered by the unit. (Source: NCVER 2013, Australia)
Performance criteria is defined as the part of a unit of competency that specifies the required level of performance to be demonstrated by learners to be deemed competent. (Source: NCVER 2013, Australia)
It is worthwhile exploring some of the definitions of different types of outcomes provided in the TVETipedia glossary. This glossary provides definitions and background information on a collection of terms that are commonly used in the area of TVET from various trustworthy sources. When reading the definitions of the types of outcomes you have defined here do you notice a number of commonalities amongst them?
Consider the definitions for the types of outcomes you are familiar and have worked with. Are there any that specifically stand out to you? Are there any that reinforce your previous experiences with the types of outcomes you have worked with? Think of examples from you own context.
Share one definition of a type of outcome that you are most familiar with and provide an example of that outcome, or outcomes (could be an outcome from the module you have picked to work on as your learning project) forums.oeru.org.
