From intended to achieved learning outcomes

Since 2004, the EU’s agenda for education, training, and employment has actively supported the learning outcomes principle. Learning outcomes serve as the foun­da­ti­on for the European Qualifications Framework as well as for qua­li­fi­ca­ti­ons frame­works at the national level, and they also have an incre­a­sing influence on how qua­li­fi­ca­ti­ons and curricula are defined and written, and how teaching, training and assess­ment are oriented.

In 2023, Cedefop com­mis­sio­ned a new study, ‘The shift to learning outcomes: Rhetoric or Reality?’ that will map and analyse the trans­for­ma­ti­on of intended learning outcomes into achieved learning outcomes. In order to better under­stand the elements impacting the con­ver­si­on of inten­ti­ons into real teaching, learning, and assess­ment processes, the research will con­cen­tra­te on initial voca­tio­nal education and training in schools and apprenticeships.

The following five topics will be the study’s main focus:

• the influence of learning outcomes on pedago­gi­cal theory and tools;
• the impact of learning outcomes-based curricula on teaching practices (in school-based programmes);
• the influence of learning outcomes-based curricula in company training (part of app­ren­ti­ce­ship pro­gram­mes that takes place in companies);
• the influence of learning outcomes on assessment;
• Building on the four topics the study will further develop recom­men­da­ti­ons for the way forward sup­port­ing stake­hol­ders and policy makers in addres­sing future chal­lenges and oppor­tu­ni­ties in this area.

The study is coor­di­na­ted by PPMI (LT) with 3s as con­sor­ti­um partner. Karin Luomi-Messerer is involved as key team member of the overall framework contract and team leader of the sub-project on ‘The influence of learning outcomes on assessment’.