Outcome statements
Outcomes statements can provide clarity and focus for qualification development. The development of outcomes for a qualification informs and guides the development of course content, and processes for teaching, learning and assessment. Providing a qualification outcome statement also gives students and prospective employers an idea of what the qualification holder will have achieved by the end of the qualification.
An outcome statement for a qualification is a description of what the holder of that qualification is expected to have achieved. An outcome statement describes what a qualification represents in terms of application of knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes, and is an active statement using verbs such as know, understand, apply, synthesise, evaluate, assess, manage. It is not a statement of content.
An outcome statement should conform to the following principles:
- Be stated as specifically as possible
- Improve understanding about the qualification by accurately and clearly describing achievement
- Allow meaningful comparisons to be made with other qualifications
- Reflect the level of the qualification, by linking to level descriptors and relevant qualification definitions)
- Be achievable
To be meaningful, outcome statements should:
- Reflect the purpose of the qualification without restating it
- State expected learner achievement in terms of application of knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes (graduate profile)
- Identify what the qualification might lead on to
- Suggest possible employment opportunities for a holder of the qualification (if applicable)
For each qualification on the Register there must be a statement of learning outcomes. This includes statements about:
- what the whole qualification represents in terms of the application of knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes; and
- the components of the qualification which, in their combination, make up the wholeness of the qualification.