Connect every course to the program it serves.

Course outcomes (COs) state what a learner can do by the end of one course, and connect each course to the program outcomes it helps develop.

Writing course outcomes

Four to six outcomes, each tagged to a level

Good course outcomes follow the same rules as any learning outcome: one observable verb, a clear object and a scope that fits the course. Tagging each with a Bloom’s level makes the course’s cognitive demand visible at a glance.

How to write measurable outcomes

OBE Studio course outcomes list for a calculus course, each outcome tagged with a Bloom’s level such as Apply or Evaluate. — Course outcomes for a calculus course in OBE Studio. Each outcome carries its Bloom’s level, and outcomes can be pasted from an existing syllabus.

In the CHED framework

Where course outcomes sit.

Course outcomes translate program outcomes into what learners can do in one course, and every assessment in that course is tagged to them.

CO–PO alignment

Try a CO–PO mapping

Select any cell to see what the rating claims, change it, and watch the program outcome attainment update.

Sample CO–PO matrix for an illustrative business analytics course. Select a cell to see what the rating means.
CO \ PO	PO1	PO2	PO3	PO4	PO5
CO1
CO2
CO3
CO4
PO attain.	2.67	2.50	1.40	2.50	3.00

No mapping
Low
Medium
High

OBE Studio CO–PO mapping matrix: five course outcomes against ten program outcomes, each cell rated 1 low, 2 medium or 3 high, with an average strength row. — The same idea in OBE Studio: click a cell to cycle through your mapping scale.

Selected cell

CO1 → PO2

Course outcome: Analyze a small enterprise’s sales data.
Program outcome: Analyze complex problems
Current rating: High (3): the course outcome contributes substantially to this program outcome.

Change the rating

PO2 attainment

Σ(CO level × strength) ÷ Σ strength = (3×3 + 2×3) ÷ 6 = 2.50 on a 0–3 scale.

Sample CO levels: CO1 = 3, CO2 = 2, CO3 = 3, CO4 = 1. Data and method are illustrative.

3 High: the CO substantially develops the PO and is assessed for it.

2 Medium: the CO contributes moderately to the PO.

1 Low: the CO touches the PO only slightly.

Assessment selection

Choose tasks that can show the outcome

Match the task to the level of the outcome. An exam alone rarely captures an outcome that asks learners to justify a decision or design a solution; an authentic task with clear success criteria usually does.

Remember / Understand: Quizzes, short explanations, concept maps
Apply: Problem sets, lab exercises, worked calculations
Analyze / Evaluate: Case analyses, data projects, decision briefs scored with a rubric
Create: Design projects, capstones, prototypes with a written rationale

See a worked example

Follow one outcome (analysing a small enterprise’s sales data) to its authentic task and success criteria.

One outcome, one authentic task

OBE Studio ‘Plan an assessment’ form with type, maximum marks, weightage and component, and a choice to link course outcomes at assessment or question level. — Each assessment in OBE Studio is tagged to the course outcomes it measures, for the whole task or question by question.

Measurement and interpretation

Read the result, then ask why

Attainment tells you where to look, not what to conclude. A low CO result might reflect the teaching, the task, the criteria or the outcome statement itself.

Check whether the assessment really measured the outcome, whether marks were tagged to the right COs, and whether the threshold suits the level. Then decide on an action and record it.

Try the attainment example See CO–PO mapping in OBE Studio

Turn this into practice today.

Map outcomes, plan assessments and see CO and PO attainment in OBE Studio. Free to start.

Claim Free Access