Kerry Dobbins
Subscribe to Kerry Dobbins's posts
Taken-for-granted metaphors in HE and the messages they convey
In my work on the ‘Learning Outcomes Project’, I’ve been reviewing a lot of the learning outcomes literature. Over the coming weeks I will try to review some of the papers I’ve found that have either been very interesting or have made me stop and think further about certain issues. For this post I want […]
Unwarranted research claims in educational research: reflections for ‘learning outcomes’
Some time ago I came across a paper from Stephen Gorard called ‘Warranting research claims from non-experimental evidence’. This paper makes some important points about warrants for research conclusions in educational research. Gorard states: many of the high-profile criticisms of educational research are not, on reflection, about the nature of the evidence produced but about […]
Arguing against learning outcomes: limited evidence and moving forward
As part of the ‘Learning Outcomes Project’, I’m always very eager to see the different contexts in which other academics/scholars write about learning outcomes (LOs). Last week I came across a piece from Graham Gibbs on the SEDA blog in which he discusses the importance of conveying clear and high expectations to students. The key […]
Embracing the nuances within a learning outcomes approach: moving the discussions forward
I recently attended a Higher Education Academy (HEA) webinar in which Michael Tomlinson presented some of the findings from the following project: ‘Exploring the impact of policy changes on students’ attitudes and approaches to learning in higher education’. All of the findings Tomlinson presented were interesting – especially as it was actual students’ opinions that we were […]
Making learning outcomes really student-centred
I questioned in a previous blog post whether learning outcomes are really deserving of their ‘student-centred’ claim if they are primarily derived by teachers/lecturers and if we have no real idea about how students are actually using them. The ‘Learning Outcomes Project’ team has recently had a paper published in which we begin to address the […]
Conducting a systematic literature review: reflections and resources
For the past couple of months I have been undertaking a systematic review (of sorts) of the learning outcomes (LOs) literature. I say ‘of sorts’ because I have followed all but the final few protocols of a systematic review – I have reviewed the extent of certain features within the LOs literature but have not quality assessed studies […]
Learning about learning outcomes: the student perspective
Our first ‘Learning Outcomes Project’ paper has just been published in Teaching in Higher Education. It’s called ‘Learning about learning outcomes: the student perspective’, and is based on research we conducted with students at the University of Leicester concerning their perceptions about, and uses of, learning outcomes. We are particularly pleased with this publication as it […]
Beyond Bloom: other useful taxonomies for learning outcomes
In my last post, I suggested that the learning outcomes (LOs) discourse is becoming narrowed around prescribed elements, such as that they must be measurable. Another of these elements has never, I don’t think, been officially prescribed. Yet it has become such an ingrained feature that any discussion of writing or implementing LOs inevitably falls […]
Going beyond the ‘rules’ of learning outcomes: opening up the discourse
I came across this quite useful presentation the other day on the web. It raises some key critical questions about learning outcomes (LOs) and also reaffirms what are seen as the central elements of an LO approach. One of these much stated central elements is that LOs must be measurable. It might seem that in some […]
Making learning outcomes work for social responsibility and not neoliberalism
Last week I read a really interesting piece by Henry Giroux called ‘Defending higher education in the age of neoliberal savagery’. In this piece Giroux makes some key critical comments: – As market mentalities and moralities tighten their grip on all aspects of society, democratic institutions and public spheres are being downsized, if […]
Recent Comments