To the Question About Learning Outcomes and Methods of Their Evaluation in Higher Educational Institutions

Abstract

The article is devoted to the issues of significance of learning outcomes for the education system at the international, national and institutional levels. The authors analyze the significance and approaches to the assessment of learning outcomes according to the new system and structure of European qualifications. The article also presents the types of evaluation of learning outcomes, their criteria and practical significance. The provided material allowed to highlight the main advantages and possible problems of implementing a learning system based on results. Learning outcomes are playing an increasingly prominent role in higher education. However, at the European level, this process focuses mainly on the general development of new systems and structures. This is confirmed by the approach based on learning outcomes, which agrees on the level of European policy and, in particular, on the level of policy in higher education institutions. Learning outcomes can be applied at different levels: institutional, national and international which determines their definition and the meaning. At the institutional level, learning outcomes (curriculum implementation, learning and assessment) can be used to express learning outcomes at the unit or module level. At the same time, they explain to students what exactly is required of them, as well as what skills / competencies and abilities they will receive after successful completion of training. For the teacher, the learning outcomes can clarify what the module will give and how it will be combined with the appropriate assessment. The requirement to make the teaching and learning processes more transparent and clearer presents a challenge for all those involved in education. In the short term, it has to do with preparing for the urgent task of formulating modules and programs in terms of learning outcomes. In the longer term, adopting a learning outcomes approach has the potential to help adopt a more systematic approach to program and module development.