Aligning Course Learning Outcomes
On November 29, 2021, Dr. Mazeegha Al-Tale' helmed a training webinar for both undergraduate and graduate programs within the Faculty of Languages and Translation. The session, aptly titled 'Designing CLOs for EFL Courses', was attended by approximately 35 course coordinators and instructors from various campuses.
Dr. Al-Tale' initiated the webinar by underscoring the importance of Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) for teachers and students alike. She emphasized that it's incumbent upon educators to maintain coherence and alignment among outcomes, materials, methods, and activities to enhance the effectiveness of student learning.
In delineating the distinctions between objectives and outcomes, she clarified that while course objectives describe a generally intended state and are open to multiple interpretations, learning outcomes are decidedly more specific and not subject to varying interpretations. In her words, "There are 7 characteristics of writing good CLOs. They should be topic-related, domain-related, measurable, specific, concise, clear, and aligned." Dr. Al-Tale' also presented the four criteria that should be considered when crafting CLOs, emphasizing the necessity of alignment with program learning outcomes, course objectives, content, teaching methods, activities, and assessment tools.
The webinar concluded with an animated question and answer segment, where participants had the opportunity to delve into the topic of course learning outcomes and their alignment. For those unable to attend or wishing to revisit the session, a recording of the event was made available online.
