NONPUBLIC: Course Learning Outcomes

Central Shared Doc for populating other KBs regarding CLOs.

Formatting requirements

  1. 400 characters or less per learning outcome (limitation due to software capabilities)
  2. Must be in English
  3. No special characters (accents, umlauts, ampersands, etc.). It is fine to use special characters etc. in the syllabus document.
  4. No formatting (bullets, dashes, paragraphs, etc.)
  5. Don’t include “Students will …” this assumed/implied.

Expectations

These learning outcomes are included in the proposal for a new course and may subsequently be updated through the course change proposal process. If a course is part of the requirements for a particular degree/major or certificate, one or more of the learning outcomes could relate to the program learning outcomes.

Guidelines

Course learning outcomes at the catalog level are an integral part of the course and all outcomes must be a part of all offerings of the course (regardless of modality, term, instructor, section, credits, etc.).

Learning outcomes are required for all course proposals, in support of our HLC Criteria for Accreditation. According to the UW-Madison Institutional Assessment Plan, “All courses offered at UW-Madison must have course syllabi with course objectives and student learning goals clearly articulated.”

Learning outcomes must:

  • be clear, observable, and measurable
  • reflect how students will be assessed through activities such as participation, assignments, exams, etc.
  • typically relate to one or more program learning outcomes
  • meet the formatting requirements (above).

In courses where graduate/professional  and undergraduate students enroll, there must be at least one learning outcome distinct for graduate/professional students

Help for learning outcomes

Syllabus

  • Goals and assessment can be explained in relation to the learning experiences in the syllabus.
  • The established course learning outcomes must be included on the syllabus each time offered.
  • The syllabus may always include more learning outcomes, but if they are supposed to apply to all sections they must be listed in Lumen Courses.

Guidelines, Roles, and Responsibilities

After the initial implementation of Lumen Programs, Student Learning Assessment (SLA) and Data, Academic Planning & Institutional Research (DAPIR) offices received feedback that the learning outcomes process was confusing. SLA and DAPIR created a roles and responsibilities document for Lumen Courses. The Clarification of Guidelines and Roles for Learning Outcomes in Lumen Courses (pdf) document explains the basic principles for learning outcomes in Lumen Courses and the role of SLA and DAPIR.



Keywords:
n/a
Doc ID:
138282
Owned by:
Melissa S. in Academic Planning
Created:
2024-07-08
Updated:
2025-06-10
Sites:
Academic Planning, Lumen and Guide