Outcomes are specific descriptions of what a student is expected to be able to do or understand at the completion of an activity or course. They are aligned to specific assignments that correlate to a scale to identify levels of mastery per outcome. An activity might have more than one outcome, and each may have a grade against it (usually on a scale). Other terms for Outcomes are Competencies, Proficiencies, Benchmarks and Goals.
Outcomes are powerful in the following ways:
In a higher educational setting, outcomes are typically associated with accreditation and state licensure requirements.
In a K-12 education setting, outcomes are commonly used to account for local, state or national standards.
In a corporate setting, outcomes are often used to measure competencies aligned to training and professional development courses or to industry standards.
