Building a culture that values learning outcomes as an integral part of effective program development - one faculty’s example

Abstract

In 2016 and 2017, the Faculty of Engineering made significant efforts to review the state of all programs, and our course learning outcomes and redevelop them as necessary. This review was driven by new Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB) requirements to report course learning outcomes as part of the Course Information Sheets. This paper looks at the work done in collaboration with the University’s Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) in undertaking this initiative.Generally speaking, the experiences gained through this process were that learning outcomes benefit the instructors, students, and program alignment; regular workshops and one-on-one interactions improved the culture around learning outcomes amongst faculty members; having up-to-date learning outcomes must be a continuing process; learning outcomes are invaluable in ensuring continuity and consistency in course offerings; and, pedagogical/teaching service units are valuable partners in propagating pedagogical knowledge.