Learner Outcome Guidelines and Assessment Types

Bloom's Taxonomy*

Benjamin Bloom developed this framework to categorize and align educational goals with instruction and assessment. It’s a helpful tool for designing learning outcomes, planning teaching methods, and crafting learning assessments.

As you develop learning outcomes and assessments, consider the following questions:    

What should learners know or be able to do at the end of the course?  
What kind(s) of learning assessments would measure whether learners met the learning outcomes?  
What knowledge, skills, or competencies do I want learners to demonstrate?  
When is the assessment implemented?

Category	Teaching Methodology and Learner Outcome Examples
Knowledge	Teaching Methodology: Observe and recall information; knowledge of dates, events, places; knowledge of major ideas; mastery of subject matter Skill Demonstration: Create opportunities that assess knowledge. Examples include: List Define Tell Describe Identify Show Learner Outcome Example: "As a result of this activity the participant will be able to list the clinical criteria for diagnosing autism."" Assessment Type Example: Written or Oral Quiz/exam. This tests the learner’s ability to recall facts and provide definitions.
Comprehension	Teaching Methodology: Understanding information; grasp meaning; translate knowledge into new context; interpret facts, compare, contrast; order, group, infer causes; predict consequences Skill Demonstration: Create opportunities that assess comprehension. Examples include: Summarize Describe Interpret Contrast Predict Associate Learner Outcome Example: "As a result of this activity, the participant will be able to summarize treatment strategies for individuals with auditory processing disorders." Assessment Type Example: Self-Assessment/Reflection and Intent to Change statements. Learners can clarify what or how much they learned, and how they might intend to use the latest information they’ve acquired. This type of assessment is not typically graded.
Application	Teaching Methodology: Use information; use methods, concepts, theories in new situations; solve problems using required skills or knowledge Skill Demonstration: Create opportunities that assess application. Examples include: Apply Demonstrate Calculate Complete Illustrate Show Experiment Learner Outcome Example: "As a result of this activity, the participant will be able to apply a video head impulse test (vHIT) to diagnose vestibular deficits" Assessment Type Examples: Completion of a project: Projects can assess how learners applied knowledge to a new topic or show the product of their learning. Performance or equipment demonstrations: For physically implemented skills, this is a more direct method of assessing the learner’s competence with that skill. Presentation: One sign of effective learning is the ability to teach the content to others. A presentation can be used as a way for the learner to teach the content again or provide their own comprehension and “spin” on the topic.
Analysis	Teaching Methodology: See patterns; organize parts; recognize hidden meanings; identify components Skill Demonstration: Create opportunities that assess analysis. Examples include: Analyze Order Explain Connect Classify Arrange Learner Outcome Example: "As a result of this activity, the participant will be able to connect social determinants of health to their clinical scopes and responsibilities." Assessment Type Examples: Written Report, Essay, or Summary: This form of assessment tests comprehension more deeply than a quiz or exam. It allows the learner to synthesize the information they’ve learned, make personal connections to the material, and write about their clinical setting or other information that extends beyond the content of the course. Peer Feedback: Peer feedback may be used in place of a formal assessment activity, where learners provide feedback to each other. Learners demonstrating their skill acquisition may happen in real time or with prepared materials. This may be useful in cases where learners are learning to assess or critique the work of others.
Synthesis	Teaching Methodology: Use old ideas to create new ones; generalize from given facts; relate knowledge from several areas; predict; drawn conclusions Skill Demonstration:Create opportunities that assess synthesis. Examples include: Combine Integrate Modify Rearrange Substitute Formulate Generalize Learner Outcome Example: "As a result of this activity, the participant will be able to integrate play-based learning into their clinical sessions." Assessment Type Examples: Written Report, Essay, or Summary Presentation Completion of a project Self-Assessment/Reflection and Intent to Change statements
Evaluation	Teaching Methodology: Compare and discriminate between ideas; assess value of theories; presentations; make choices based on reasoned argument; verify value of evidence; recognize subjectivity Skill Demonstration: Create opportunities that assess evaluation. Examples include: Assess Decide Rank Grade Test Measure Compare Learner Outcome Example: "As a result of this activity, the participant will be able to compare the outcomes of multiple treatment methods for childhood apraxia of speech." Assessment Type Example: Written Report, Essay, or Summary Written or Oral Quiz/Exam Peer feedback

*Adapted from: Bloom, B.S. (Ed.) (1956) Taxonomy of educational objectives: The classification of educational goals: Handbook I, cognitive domain. New York; Toronto: Longmans, Green.