Empowering CTE institutions for sustainable success

Career and Technical Education (CTE) institutions play a vital role in equipping students with the skills and knowledge needed to thrive in the workforce. As the world evolves and industries rapidly change, these institutions face the challenge of keeping pace with emerging trends and providing relevant education. Fortunately, advancements in technology have brought forth powerful tools like Insights for Canvas Outcomes that can revolutionize how CTE institutions enhance their ability to prepare students for successful careers. In this blog post, we will explore tips for writing learning outcomes and how Insights manages these outcomes so CTE institutions can thrive in today's dynamic landscape.

Ensure your learning outcomes provide a clear roadmap for both instructors and students, guiding the teaching and learning process. Thoughtfully crafted outcomes promote focused instruction, meaningful assessment, and successful student achievement. 

When writing learning outcomes, keep the following tips in mind:

1. Be specific: Clearly state what students will be able to do or demonstrate by the end of the course or module. Use action verbs that describe observable and measurable behaviors.

2. Focus on outcomes, not activities: Learning outcomes should describe what students will achieve, rather than the specific activities they will engage in. Remember, outcomes are about what students will learn, not what you will teach.

3. Align with course goals: Ensure that the learning outcomes align with the broader goals and objectives of the course. Each outcome should contribute to the overall purpose of the course and reflect the desired learning outcomes for students.

4. Use Bloom's Taxonomy: Consider incorporating Bloom's Taxonomy levels to guide the cognitive complexity of the outcomes. This helps to ensure a balance of lower-level knowledge and comprehension outcomes with higher-level thinking and application outcomes.

5. Make them achievable and realistic: Set learning outcomes that are attainable within the given time frame and resources available to students. Consider the prior knowledge and skills of the learners when determining the level of difficulty.

6. Make them measurable: Ensure that the outcomes can be assessed or measured through appropriate methods such as tests, projects, presentations, or demonstrations. This allows for effective evaluation of student learning and provides feedback for improvement.

7. Consider the context: Tailor the learning outcomes to the specific needs and context of the course, discipline, and student population. The outcomes should reflect the knowledge, skills, and attitudes relevant to the subject matter.

8. Keep them manageable: While it is important to have meaningful and comprehensive learning outcomes, avoid overwhelming students with an excessive number of outcomes. Focus on a manageable set of outcomes that cover the essential aspects of the course.

9. Review and revise: Regularly review and revise the learning outcomes to ensure they remain relevant and aligned with evolving educational goals and industry demands. Continuous improvement of learning outcomes enhances the effectiveness of the course and student success.

Insights was recently added to the Canvas suite of tools. When using Insights in combination with Canvas LMS, institutions are poised to develop and maintain stronger learning outcome statements. Leveraging Insights enables institutions to:

• Verify authored outcomes align with Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning, or a custom institution defined taxonomy
• Map course learning outcomes to program and institutional outcomes, which in turn provides data to drive continuous improvement decisions 
• Collaborate with faculty and staff to track reflections and improvement actions for future enhancements

As CTE institutions embrace technology and data-driven decision-making, they position themselves for sustainable success as they shape the future of preparing students for the workforce.