Learning outcomes describe what a learner should be able to do at the end of a learning activity or process using specific, measurable verbs.
Each learning outcome should include one or two active verbs suitable to the course discipline and level. When writing learning outcomes, use the Revised Bloom’s taxonomy to select appropriate active verbs to articulate these skills. The list provided here is not exhaustive and alternative verbs can be used.
Domains
The cognitive domain includes a range of thinking skills, from recall to more complex tasks like analysis and creating.
The affective domain addresses feelings, emotions and attitudes.
The psychomotor domain focuses on physical skills.
Different disciplines and qualifications determine the level of complexity and integration of skills required across these domains for students to demonstrate their learning.
Taxonomies and action verbs
When designing effective learning outcomes, well-established educational frameworks such as the Structure of Observed Learning Outcomes (SOLO) and Revised Bloom’s taxonomies can be used to help articulate and assess student understanding and cognitive skills. Whilst Bloom’s taxonomy focuses on specific cognitive processes involved in completing a task, SOLO focuses on the depth of understanding and relationship between concepts. Educators can use both taxonomies to consider the knowledge, skills and attitudes that students should develop by the end of the course.
Structure of Observed Learning Outcomes (SOLO) Taxonomy
The SOLO taxonomy was first developed by Biggs and Collis (1982) and provides a framework to describe the quality of students’ understanding, from surface to deep level. The SOLO taxonomy classifies learning into five levels of measurable outcomes that build on each previous one:
- Prestructural – the learner does not know anything about the task.
- Unistructural – the learner knows only one or a few relevant aspects.
- Multistructural – the learner knows several aspects that are independent.
- Relational – the learner knows how to integrate aspects into a whole.
- Extended abstract – the learner knows how to generalise knowledge and apply to other domains.
Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy
The Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy provides a spectrum of active verbs for designing learning outcomes across three domains – cognitive, affective, and psychomotor. The most used verbs are in the cognitive domain, which is a hierarchical classification of cognitive skills ranging from knowledge recall to skills like evaluation and creation. When writing learning outcomes, all cognitive skills are important to ensure students’ achievement progresses from foundational understanding to more complex critical thinking.
The cognitive domain includes a range of thinking skills, from recall to more complex tasks like analysis and creating.
The affective domain addresses feelings, emotions and attitudes.
The psychomotor domain focuses on physical skills.
Cognitive domain verbs
Each learning outcome should include one or two active verbs suitable to the course discipline and level. The list provided here is not exhaustive and alternative verbs can be used.
Learners’ ability to process information meaningfully. This domain is the most widely used.
Create
arrange, assemble, combine, compose, construct, create, design, develop, devise, formulate, generate, hypothesise, invent, integrate, organise, plan, prepare, present, produce, propose, reconstruct, rewrite, summarise, synthesise
Evaluate
appraise, argue, ascertain, assess, compare, conclude, contrast, criticise, estimate, evaluate, indicate, interpret, judge, justify, measure, predict, rank, recommend, reflect, review, validate
Analyse
analyse, characterise, compare, connect, contrast, criticise, critique, differentiate, discriminate, distinguish, examine, illustrate, investigate, organise, reflect, relate
Apply
adapt, apply, assess, calculate, compute, construct, demonstrate, employ, examine, execute, experiment, illustrate, modify, operate, organise, practice, prepare, produce, reflect, relate, transfer, solve
Understand
classify, convert, describe, discuss, distinguish, estimate, explain, express, extend, illustrate, infer, interpret, predict, review, solve, summarise, translate
Remember
collect, define, describe, duplicate, identify, label, list, locate, memorise, name, outline, present, recall, recite, recognise, recount, select, state, tabulate, tell
Affective domain verbs
Learner’s feelings, emotions, and attitudes as a result of learning.
accept, ask, assist, attempt, challenge, collaborate, co-operate, communicate, complete, defend, discuss, display, embrace, initiate, join, judge, justify, listen, participate, practice, present, question, relate, resolve, respond, share, support, synthesise, value
Psychomotor domain verbs
Learners’ ability to use motor (physical) skills to learn.
The psychomotor domain was published in further revisions of Bloom’s taxonomy by Simpson (1966), Dave (1970), and Harrow (1972).
adapt, adjust, administer, alter, arrange, assemble, build, choreograph, combine, construct, copy, deliver, design, detect, display, dissect, examine, execute, fix, handle, measure, mend, mix, operate, perform, prescribe, present, process, record, refine, sketch, use
References
Anderson, L. W. (Ed.), Krathwohl, D. R. (Ed.), Airasian, P. W., Cruikshank, K. A., Mayer, R. E., Pintrich, P. R., Raths, J., & Wittrock, M. C. (2001). A taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assessing: A revision of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. Longman.
Biggs, J., & Collis, K. (1982). Evaluating the quality of learning: The SOLO taxonomy. New York: Academic Press.
Bloom, B. S. (1956) Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, Handbook: The Cognitive Domain. David McKay.
Dave, R. H. (1970). Psychomotor levels. In R. J. Armstrong (Ed.). Developing and writing educational objectives (pp. 33-34). Educational Innovators Press.
Harrow, A. J. (1972). A taxonomy of the psychomotor domain: A guide for developing behavioural objectives. David McKay.
Krathwohl, D. R., Bloom, B. S., and Masia, B. B. (1964). Taxonomy of Educational Objectives: The Classification of Educational Goals. Handbook II: Affective Domain. David McKay
Simpson, B. J. (1996). The classification of educational objectives: Psychomotor domain. Illinois Journal of Home Economics, 10(4), 110-144.