Establishing learning outcomes and objectives for your course is one of the most significant steps in the planning process. It is important to make sure that you have effective learning outcomes and objectives to guide your decisions about what content needs to be taught and to keep you focused on what the learners will be able to do at the end of the instruction. However, first, you must distinguish between learning outcomes and objectives.
Learning outcomes are expressions of what we hope students will do, think, or feel differently following their course experience. Rather than focusing on the instructor, outcomes are student-centered, highlighting what it will actually look like for students to demonstrate their learning. Outcomes must then be behaviour-based (identifying behaviour that is observable given your learning environment and context) as well as measurable (this behaviour is something that can be assessed).
Objectives are brief, clear statements that describe the desired result of instruction. Objectives describe specific skills, values, and attitudes students should exhibit. Include SMART attributes when writing objectives: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
In higher education, best practices endorse Bloom’s taxonomy as a classification method to guide the writing of learning objectives. An elaborate illustration of Bloom’s Taxonomy is presented in Module 3.

This video discusses the relationships between Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, Learning Outcomes, and the Course Design Process.[Watchtime: 7.31 mins]

The structure of observed learning outcomes (SOLO) taxonomy is a model that describes levels of increasing complexity in students’ understanding of subjects. It was proposed by John B. Biggs and Kevin F. Collis.
The model consists of five levels of understanding:

Read more on SOLO Taxonomy on this link: https://h5pstudio.ecampusontario.ca/content/12126

Understanding by Design is a book written by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe that offers a framework for designing courses and content units called “Backward Design.” Instructors typically approach course design in a “forward design” manner, meaning they consider the learning activities (how to teach the content), develop assessments around their learning activities, then attempt to draw connections to the learning goals of the course. In contrast, the backward design approach has instructors consider the learning goals of the course first. These learning goals embody the knowledge and skills instructors want their students to have learned when they leave the course. Once the learning goals have been established, the second stage involves consideration of assessment. The backward design framework suggests that instructors should consider these overarching learning goals and how students will be assessed prior to consideration of how to teach the content. For this reason, backward design is considered a much more intentional approach to course design than traditional methods of design.

Watch the video to get more insight into backward design. [Watchtime: 2.33 mins]

Course redesign and revision can be an opportunity to review the course as a whole, rethink just one or two elements, or try one new thing. Or maybe you need to adapt a course for a longer or shorter semester.

Why re-design a course?

You may want to consider redesigning an existing course or even part of one—say, an assignment or the navigation layout. Some possible reasons:

• Lack of effectiveness of a course element, as shown by poor student performance, lower than optimal grades or passing rates, negative comments on student course evaluations, peer input on the curriculum or design, or frequent questions and confusion evidenced on the part of students.
• Programme changes necessitating updates and major changes for your course. In this case, your academic director may have specific templates or features in mind.
• The discovery of new tools and resources that might be more engaging to students and stimulate your enthusiasm or, for online courses, software changes that provide new opportunities and features.

Beginning a course revision

Whether you are trying to decide if a course revision is appropriate or have already made up your mind to redesign all or part of your course, your process should include:

• Reassessing what you already have: Can you provide a solid rationale for change?
• Checking alignment: Do the activities and content really support the learning outcomes for the course or units?
• Analysing: What was most difficult for students to achieve or for you to assess?
• Reviewing the whole picture: How do the various component parts of the course or assignments complement and reinforce student learning?
• Clarifying your course activities: Do students know what to do and why they are doing it?

In considering a course revision, you may find it helpful to consult some of the following materials in determining what to revise and the scope of that revision:

Doing a course revision

In preparing to try something new, it is a good idea to “rethink” or reconceptualise the course or assignment. This is particularly necessary when you are creating an online or hybrid version of a course that was previously only offered face-to-face.
This sort of rethinking can involve asking yourself:

• How can I make the course or an assignment more engaging?
• How can I enhance the social presence and learning community factors of the class?
• How can I enrich the course content to offer more than text?
• How can I provide more options and encourage student creativity and active learning?
• How can I draw connections between the course and the real world and help students to do the same?
• How can I best share my expertise in the subject matter?
• When moving from a face-to-face to an online or hybrid course, what existing activities will work well in the context of an online environment and which need to be transformed or replaced?

During the process of redesign, you also need to consider issues of coverage versus depth—are you simply adding more content or might it be a matter of taking the existing topic to a more profound level of knowledge? For example, the introduction of new resources, such as primary source documents, interviews, simulations, case studies, or multimedia resources, can provide new perspectives to a topic that serve to deepen understanding.
Whenever you make a major revision in one part of the course, it is always a good idea to look at the impact it will have on the entire course. Once you’ve decided on the revisions, map out the course in full with the new content in order to see how it may affect the existing course. For example, is there a need to rebalance activities or otherwise refresh the course? Does the overall course design support your new additions? Make sure you don’t take on too much at once while trying to enhance your course, especially when it comes to using new technology tools; one new thing may be easier to integrate effectively than trying to introduce multiple changes simultaneously.
On a similar note, as you prepare to create new elements, list other items and areas of your course that may be affected by your changes and that will need to be reviewed or revised. For example, if you decide to add a new discussion board assignment, you will probably have to make changes to your syllabus, schedule, course grade breakdown, weekly folder, discussion board area, and the Grade Center. You may also want to make notes about how you typically title and present discussion boards, so that the new forum is consistent in its naming, look, and settings. Keeping a good, detailed list helps ensure accuracy and continuity between old and new items—it can double as a final checklist once you finish the revision.

Watch this video on “Using Student Feedback: Reach Out, Reflect, Revise” for tips on course revision. [Watchtime: 3.29 mins]