LEARNING ABOUT OUTCOME BASED LEARNING

Advocating the importance of education beyond learning process, Outcome Based Learning emphasizes the learning processes that would lead to planed and specified learning outcomes. The essential attributes reflect the students’ competencies and values, and represent outcomes that are transferable to a variety of contexts for the present and the future.

Ever since the founding of Hong Kong Institute of Education, student learning outcomes have been assimilated into the existing Bachelor of Education curriculum. With the introduction of the OBL approach, we make the outcomes explicit at the Institute level. Outcome-based Unit located within the centre for learning, Teaching and Technology (LTTC), together with all academic departments within within the institute, has been developing generic and course specific, and integrating professional knowledge, concepts, skills and dispositions into the attributes of our ideal graduate.

The learning outcomes are identified through a process of deliberation and consultation with colleagues in academic departments and programmes by engaging then in examining and sharing effective practices.

The benefit of using outcomes in assessing student learning tremendous. They function as standards to monitor university-level learning, foster learning and assessment experiences, establish criteria, and encourage inquiry. Communication across Faculties and Programmes is essential as this would lead to a coherent and continuous improvement of our teacher education curriculum. Nominations from academic departments for OBL champions who come and meet regularly to discuss and explore the important dimension of outcomes, keeping in mind of what our prospective teachers want and need.

Future plans on OBL will focus efforts on assessment and weaving of OBL into the whole curriculum of the five year Bed programmes as well as the four year general degree programmes. The HKIEd prepares their students to become caring and committed education professionals with positive dispositions, sound academic knowledge and professional competence to meet future challenges. In order to realize the full potential of their students, our graduates are committed to work with colleagues, parents and other professionals. As intellectuals, our graduates possess a passion for learning, a global outlook and the ability of independent thinking and problem solving. Being civic minded individuals, our graduates are willing to contribute and collaborate with others in building a just and harmonious society. These attributes are guided by their core values : Perseverance, Cultivation of the Self, National Identity, Respect for Family, Liberty, Democracy, Human Rights, Social Justice, Compassion, Integrity, and Plurality.

Outcome-based Learning (OBL) Processes: valued learning for students is made explicit in sets of expected learning outcomes that form the basis of our curriculum and assessment.

Course Objectives Help : (Student) : clarify personal goals, measure success, reduce anxiety and improve studying effectiveness, (Professor) : design relevant classroom material, design relevant assignments and design tests/ projects for Improved Learning and Improved Teaching.

About the Author:

Annabelle Pomar-Dacanay is a third year teacher at Makati High School, she started working from 2006- up to the present,faculty member of the Social Studies Department and still studying her masteral at Rizal Technological University.