Learning outcomes and Bloom taxonomy verbs for a course
A learning outcome is one sentence saying what a student can do after the course, written with a verb that someone can observe: "By the end of this course, students can implement a scheduling algorithm and compare its behaviour under different loads." Verbs like understand, know and appreciate fail the test, because no assessment can see them. Most courses need five to eight outcomes, each tied to something the student actually produces.
This guide covers the sentence pattern, the verbs by level, how many outcomes to write, and the map from outcomes to assessment that review committees ask for.
The sentence pattern
By the end of this course, students will be able to [verb] [object] [condition or standard].
- Weak: Students will understand memory management.
- Better: Students can explain how paging translates a virtual address, and calculate the page-table size for a given address width.
The condition is what turns an outcome into something markable: given a dataset, without reference material, in under ten minutes, to professional standards. It also tells the student what the exam will look like.
Bloom's verbs by level
The taxonomy's six levels, from recall to creation, with verbs that can be assessed:
| Level | What the student does | Verbs |
|---|---|---|
| Remember | retrieves facts | define, list, name, state, identify |
| Understand | explains meaning | explain, summarise, classify, paraphrase, illustrate |
| Apply | uses a procedure | calculate, implement, solve, use, demonstrate |
| Analyse | breaks into parts | compare, differentiate, decompose, test, diagnose |
| Evaluate | judges against criteria | justify, critique, assess, defend, select |
| Create | produces something new | design, construct, formulate, compose, plan |
Two cautions. The verb does not set the level by itself — "design a two-line function to a given specification" is apply wearing a create verb; the cognitive demand comes from the task. And a course does not need outcomes at every level: a first-year service course sitting at understand and apply is honest, while a capstone that never reaches create is not.
How many, and at what grain
Five to eight for a course. Fewer than four and each one is too broad to assess; more than ten and they become a list of topics with verbs attached.
Grain sizes stack: programme outcomes → course outcomes → session outcomes. A single lecture gets two or three, and those belong on the objectives slide at the start of the session, phrased in the same way.
Map each outcome to an assessment
This is the table review committees ask for, and it is also the most useful thing in the syllabus for you:
| Outcome | Taught in | Assessed by |
|---|---|---|
| Implement a scheduling algorithm | Weeks 4–5, lab 2 | Coursework 1 |
| Compare policies under load | Week 6, tutorial | Coursework 1, exam Q3 |
| Justify a design choice in writing | Weeks 9–11 | Project report |
Writing it exposes the two standard faults: an outcome nothing assesses (drop it, or assess it), and an assessment that tests something no outcome claims (usually the interesting one — add the outcome). Keep the table in the syllabus; see the syllabus guide for the surrounding document.
Where they show up during the term
- The first day, on a slide, in plain language — see first day of class slides.
- Each session, as two or three specific outcomes at the start.
- Revision, as the checklist students use before the exam. An outcome list that also works as a revision guide is a good outcome list.
- Next year, when you update the course — outcomes change far more slowly than the slides, which is what makes them worth writing carefully once.
In Lecture Studio
Lecture Studio produces an instructor guide alongside the deck, which is where session-level outcomes live naturally; the course outcomes stay yours to write. The app is free during the beta and needs an Oberik project key.
FAQ
How do you write a course learning outcome?
"By the end of this course, students will be able to [observable verb] [object] [condition]." One sentence, one verb, something an assessment can see.
What are Bloom's taxonomy verbs?
Verbs matched to the six levels: define and list (remember), explain and summarise (understand), calculate and implement (apply), compare and diagnose (analyse), justify and critique (evaluate), design and construct (create).
How many learning outcomes should a course have?
Five to eight. Two or three per individual session.
Why is "understand" a bad verb for an outcome?
Because nothing can observe it. Replace it with what the student would do to show understanding: explain, predict, compare, calculate.