Is the shift to learning outcomes really taking place? How do trainers, teachers and learners view the approach? What is happening in practice?
These were some of the questions stemming from the online workshop organised by Cedefop on 24th May: The shift to learning outcomes; Rhetoric or reality?
Over 200 experts and practitioners from more than 50 countries joined the workshop to share and discuss their experiences and expertise in implementing learning outcomes in school programmes as well in companies’ apprenticeships programmes.
The workshop highlighted the evolving educational landscape, emphasizing the necessity for vocational training and education systems to prioritize what learners know and can demonstrate from their learning experiences. This shift aims to better align education with labour market needs, enhancing employability and mobility within the European Union, and beyond.
The event was also an opportunity for policy-makers, stakeholders, experts and researchers to discuss the interim findings of the study The shift to learning outcomes; Rhetoric or reality, whose aim is to analyse the transformation of intended learning outcomes into achieved learning outcomes. The study looks at initial vocational education and training (IVET), in schools and apprenticeships, to understand the factors influencing the transformation of intentions into actual teaching, learning and assessment processes.
Learning outcomes: multi-purpose and user-driven
The learning outcomes principle - the definition of what a learner is expected to know, be able to do and understand at the end of a learning process – underpins most European education and training systems, and often influences the way teaching and learning is organised and carried out.
Research carried out by Cedefop demonstrates that while the learning outcomes approach is rapidly gaining ground across Europe, the diversity of interpretations and applications calls for further dialogue and sharing of experiences. This is particularly true when it comes to the awareness and engagement of teachers, trainers and learners, which is crucial to understand whether the main principle of the approach is known and seen as relevant to their daily work, also in consideration of the variety of factors influencing the take-up and successful application of the approach.
Learning outcomes: putting learning front and centre
The workshop provided participants with a platform for comparing approaches and exchange experiences, as part of the continuous European effort to connect practitioners and improve practices in this area. Countries shared their approaches towards shifting to learning outcomes to support broad policy aspirations and:
- make their education and training systems more relevant to the needs of the labour market, society and individuals,
- facilitate access to more flexible learning and mobility opportunities, and
- bring transparency to qualifications and credentials and facilitate their international recognition.
With a fast-evolving market landscape of learning opportunities which is not only increasing but also getting more complicated, both employers and learners can benefit from the learning outcomes approach, which by nature requires the collaboration between different stakeholders, and an in-depth understanding of the different users and their needs.
By spelling out skills in a clear, transparent and visible way, learning outcomes represent an opportunity for bridging vocational education, and training in schools and apprenticeships, and can empower both the employer and the learner, as “achieved learning outcomes” need to be demonstrable at the completion of a learning process.
Cedefop will continue building on these discussions to map and analyse the use of learning outcomes for different purposes, and support policy developments at EU, national and sectoral level. This includes the use of learning outcomes to promote lifelong learning and reduce barriers to progression and mobility.
