Aims and learning outcomes

The purpose or aims of the work should be carefully thought out.

Which of the purposes identified in the introduction above is the particular work designed to deliver?

In developing the learning outcomes consideration has to be given to what the student is expected to gain as a result of undertaking the work.

The outcomes should relate to and stem from the aims. If the aim of the work is that students should develop skills in information technology appropriate for their further study and employment then the outcomes might be:

• To be familiar with the internet to find source material
• To produce a report with appropriate formatting, numbered paragraphs, referencing and footnotes using Microsoft Word
• To be familiar with email to send the report
• To be familiar with PowerPoint to produce visual support material for a five minute presentation
• Organisation of the course unit and the practical work

Consideration needs to be given to how practical work will integrate with other aspects of learning and how marks from such work will be utilised.

In some circumstances it would be appropriate for a unit to be complete in itself, incorporating practical work that reinforces the lectured material of the unit and is fully integrated in respect of the aims, learning outcomes and assessment.

The balance of learning hours and contact hours between taught and practical component needs to be determined, as does the balance of assessment.

It may be that practical work needs significantly less self-study time than lectured material. Notional study time and assessment for a 10 credit course unit might be apportioned in a variety of ways, as in the following examples:

As example C shows, it may be necessary for practical work to stand alone from lectured material in separate course units. In this case the credit rating of the practical work needs to be commensurate with the concept that a 10 credit unit is expected to require 100 hours of study (contact plus self-study).

In these examples the total assessment of lectured units and practical work is proportional to credit rating.

These two strategies are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Professional bodies often require all students to demonstrate appropriate competence at practical or laboratory work.

When such work is integrated into course units, the practical component of each unit can be separately aggregated, and a pass/fail established for the necessary demonstration of such competence.

Organisation of project work needs to be given special thought. Is such work individual or group - can the students choose? How will students select projects? Can they devise their own? Is any funding for consumable material attached to projects? What are the deadlines for selection, intermediate reports and final report? What are the supervision arrangements?