learning outcomes

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This article argues that the concept of learning outcomes has been defined in Europe so that it can pervade and unify a wide range of policies relating to education and, in particular, to vocational education and training. It seeks to explain why learning outcomes are multi-dimensional and to clarify how policy, theoretical and operational dimensions can be distinguished and related to one another. In the light of this, it will propose a theoretical model that helps to clarify what the progressive implementation of an outcomes approach looks like and which one can be used to compare the progress of different countries. Furthermore, the article argues that, when it comes to implementation, there are problems in identifying the use and the impact of learning outcomes. There is a diversity of practice in their design and application as ‘tools’ in the construction of curricula and the influence of these curricula upon teaching and learning is by no means straightforward. There has been remarkable progress in the establishment and referencing of national qualifications frameworks and the use of tools such as level descriptors in Europe, but this cannot be taken as evidence that ‘learning outcomes’ approaches are well established or that they have the intended impact.

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