Learning Outcomes. From implementation to evaluation in a tripartite vision of learning outcomes: HEIs, Students and Employers

The implementation of the Bologna process has influenced the development of the quality assurance processes in many European countries. In particular, the implementation of the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education, 2009) has ignited the debate about the use of generic descriptors for each of the three study cycles that is based on Learning Outcomes (LO). However, even though the relevance of LO in Bologna process, there is no explicit reference to this concept neither in the Bologna Declaration (1999) nor in the Prague Communiqué (2011). Only on the Berlin Communiqué (2003) LO are extensively referred. In this document, member states are encouraged to delineate a framework for qualifications with comparable and compatible qualifications for their higher education systems, and that should aspire to describe the qualifications in terms of workload, level, LO, and outbound skills and professional profile (European Commission, 2008). Focusing on Adam definition (2008), LO are statements about what a student must know, understand and/or be able to demonstrate at the end of a given learning period (p. 8). In this sense, learning outcomes are described as “a fundamental building block of the Bologna educational reform” (Adam, 2006, p. 3). Emphasis is placed on what is expected a student acquire in terms of knowledge, skills and competences, according to each qualification level (Gallavara, Hreinsson, Kajaste, & Zadeh, 2008; Tissot, 2008). More than provide a description of the expected or intended learning outputs, learning outcomes should also point out how these achievements will be assessed. That is, learning outcomes should explicit not only what is expected a students will be able to do, but also the criteria that will be used to evaluate him (Adam, 2004; Moon, 2004; Wiliam, 2010). This approach helps students to identify in advance what is expected them to know, understand and perform, whether for a given study programme or for a specific class, as well as the assessment criteria that will be used. The literature on this subject presents different descriptions and understandings about learning outcomes, rending the concept ambiguous and unclear (Aamodt & Hovdhaugen, 2008; Adam, 2008; Scott, 2011). For instance, Nusche (2008) advocates a learning outcome categorization for Higher Education, based on the division between cognitive and non-cognitive outcomes, based in “what a learner knows or can do as a result of learning (p. 7). In light of literature review, this research proposal intends to contribute to the assessment and reflection of the degree of implementation, completion and assessment of learning outcomes performed by HEI in Portugal. To do so, the international policies are analyzed, with a special emphasis being given to the European context, and using the Portuguese National Qualification Framework guidelines (Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education, 2009), in order to reflect about a holistic approach to the process of designing, implementing and assessing learning outcomes in the higher education system in Portugal. Two methodological approaches will be used. In one hand, a content analysis will provide information about what knowledge, skills, and competences are emphasized by Portuguese Higher Education Institutions as a learning outcome in their curricula. In the other hand, a linguistic analysis will inform about how LO have been defined by these Institutions.