ISOBES Features
Outcome-based education is an approach to education in which decisions about the curriculum are driven by the exit learning outcomes that the students should display at the end of the program/ course.Thus in outcome-based education, “product defines process” which is adopted by ISOBES on following platform.
ISOBES Instructional Planning System
a) Deciding on the outcomes
Outcomes and standards should be described in terms of three dimensions:
• Content—simple to complex
• Context—simple to complex
• Competence—low to high
They should be arrived at through the input from the different constituencies, which the institution deals with.
b) Demonstrating outcomes
Demonstration of the outcome is set forth by arriving at benchmarks for each level of the program. Each of this benchmark is a skill-set that must be demonstrated by the student. Unlike the outcomes, the list of benchmarks is different in every level of the program of interest. Benchmarks should address and define specifically the goals of the curriculum and determine ways to assess whether students have reached these goals at that level of study.
c) Deciding on contents and teaching strategies
Students and instructor should jointly develop the content and teaching strategies. Students should actively participate and decide in the process of learning. Classroom should provide experiences that students are going to encounter in the workplace. Empowering the student and engaging them in learning process is the goal and path to life-long learning.
d) Assessments in OBE
The entire curriculum in OBE is driven by assessments that focus on well-defined learning outcomes and not primarily by factors such as what is taught, how long the student takes to achieve the outcomes or which path the student takes to achieve their target. The learning outcomes are set out on a gradation of increasing complexity that students are expected to master these outcomes sequentially. It contains two techniques for assessing students’ learning outcomes:
• Standard-referenced assessment (similar to criterion-referenced assessment but with a clearer description of expected performance), and
• Student portfolios documenting their progress.
ISOBES Process
Development and delivery of an outcomes based program should ideally follow a three stage process.
It contain setting the purpose of the qualification, and the expected competencies of the graduates of the program.
Establishing the content and learning activities required supporting the achievement of the outcomes required.
Providing the teaching, learning and assessment strategies / plans of action that will facilitate the development and assessment of the outcomes associated with the qualification.
