LEARNING OUTCOMES AND ASSESSMENT AS COURSE DEVELOPMENT TOOLS

Learning outcomes and their assessment were studied in a first year university course in a degree programme of chemical technology. Intended learning outcomes of this course were used as a reference in determining learning during the course. Teaching and assessment methods were evaluated based on assessed learning. Students’ achieved learning outcomes, both answers in final exams and reports from learning portfolios or from project works, were used as indicators of learning. Different forms of evaluation were also compared in their ability to present different levels of learning, determined after Blooms’ taxonomy. The goal was to find out if the teaching and assessment methods used were supporting the learning and the intended learning objects during the course, called constructive alignment of teaching. It was shown that the final exam alone as an assessment method supports memorising instead of understanding and applying knowledge. Although it was possible to develop questions for the final exam to better measure understanding and skill application, there is still a problem that assessing at the end of the course does not support learning. This final assessment is only for teachers and its results can be utilized solely for the planning of the actions to improve teaching on the following year. Aforementioned facts lead to a conclusion that other teaching methods, for example project or portfolio work, in addition to lectures, are needed for more versatile learning and assessment of it. Construction of a learning portfolio or working on a project with intermediate assessment supports student learning during the course. Working on those tasks during the course almost forces students towards deep learning by requiring the processing of knowledge. Portfolios and project reports also make assessment of learning and comparison of real student learning more evident.