Learning Outcome Types and Recommended Assessment Methods
The assessment method one chooses is driven by the thinking skills articulated in the learning outcome to be measured. Depending on whether the assessment is formative or summative, consider how students will receive feedback on their work and what they respond to or incorporate this feedback.
Click on specific assessment methods below to reveal recommended learning technologies that could facilitate such assessments.
The learning outcome types are in order from lower-level thinking (Recall, Understanding) to higher-level thinking (Apply, Analyze, Evaluate, Create).
| Learning Outcome Type1 | Definition | Action Words for Outcomes | Discussion Questions | Best Practices | Assessment Methods | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recall | Retrieve, recall, or recognize knowledge from long-term memory |
| What do we already know about...? What did you notice about...? What are the principles of ...? How does...tie in with what we learned before? |
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| Understand | Demonstrate comprehension through one or more forms of explanation |
| Summarize...or Explain... What will happen if...? What does...mean? How might you demonstrate...? |
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| Apply | Use information or skill in a new situation |
| What would happen if...? What is a new example of ...? How could...be used to...? What is the counterargument for...? What would you have done in this situation? What do you think they should do? How does ....play out in this context? |
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| Analyze | Break material into its constituent parts and determine how the parts relate to one another |
| Why is ... important? What might...have in common? How are they different? What are the implications of...? Explain why / explain how? |
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| Evaluate |
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| How does ...affect ...? Why is...happening? What is the best...and why? Do you agree or disagree with the statement...? What evidence is there to support your answer? What are the strengths and weaknesses of...? What is the nature of...? |
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| Create |
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| What is the solution to the problem of...? What do you think causes ...? What is another way to look at...? |
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1 Learning outcome types are pulled from Bloom's Taxonomy.