Mastery of Course Learning Outcomes in ODL A Case Study of the Pearson eCollege Learning Outcome Manager

Abstract

The constant emphasis on maintaining a high level of quality in the Open Distance Learning (ODL) self directed courses delivered at Wawasan Open University (WOU) demands the accurate assessment of course learning outcomes (CLO). The summative and formative assessment components of each course module are, in theory, designed to effectively measure the mastery of a set of CLO by an adult learner. However, in reality, there is no real scrutiny of the assessments at WOU to ascertain whether a learner has achieved the expected mastery of a CLO. The general assumption is that the assessment marks are an indication of the mastery of a particular set of CLO measured in a specific assessment component. With the aim of identifying whether assessment marks are indeed reflective of the mastery of a set of CLO, a study was conducted to implement the “Person eCollege Learning Outcome Manager” software application. This paper discusses the methodology and findings of this study and provides several suggestions for the smooth implementation of the Learning Outcome Manager.

Keywords

• assessment
• course learning outcomes
• learning outcome manager
• open distance learning
• outcome based education
• pearson ecollege