Teaching Effectiveness and Learning Outcomes

When you plan a class, you know the route you will take, but can the students follow your map? How do you know if the students reached the destination? As a faculty member, you plan your classes with clear outcomes in mind. You think about what the students will know, understand or be able to demonstrate after the class, and plan the learning activities around specific goals. Your ability to articulate the learning outcomes for a class can provide you with an opportunity to gather ‘in-the-moment’ feedback on your teaching effectiveness. It can be as simple as letting your students know where you were going and then asking them if they got there too.