Pedagogical aspects of learning outcomes concept and its use in higher education

Abstract

The paper discusses the concept of learning outcomes as a relatively new term in educational practice. The introductory part outlines the concept of learning outcomes in the context of the Bologna process and the reform of higher education in Europe. This emphasizes the importance of learning outcomes as a specially designed tool for harmonizing different education systems within the European Higher Education Area. Learning outcomes, accordingly, represent an irreplaceable tool in creating curricula, student and teacher mobility, recognition of previous learning, recognition of acquired qualifications, and planning and organizing teaching as the most important aspect of university teachers' work. An overview of theoretical dispositions, definitions and conceptualizations of learning outcomes is given through the analysis of the different opinions in the literature which showed and examined its key determinants. The focus of the paper is on pedagogical implications and the use of learning outcomes in teaching practice, which primarily relates to the importance of their definition and planning.  In other words, the specific ways of writing learning outcomes is discussed, and the instructions and theoretical bases for defining and writing learning outcomes are presented in the context of the new educational paradigm and student-centered learning and approach. Detailed explanation of the SOLO taxonomy of educational goals and tasks is given, which proved to be one of the most significant taxonomies when it comes to planning and organizing teaching in higher education. For this reason, this paper can also be understood as a kind of a guidance for the use and writing of learning outcomes. Key results and conclusions indicate that learning outcomes are a construct that helps teachers to adequately plan and organize teaching, as well as to assess the acquired knowledge and competencies of students. On the other hand, it also enables student mobility to other universities, recognizes prior learning, etc. Therefore, the use of learning outcomes significantly contributes to the harmonization of the higher education system in Europe and has an important effect concerning the improvement of quality of higher education.