2010

Intended learning outcomes and corresponding aligned assessment tasks and teaching activities are increasingly being used in order for students to achieve deeper levels of learning and understanding. It is a convenient and practical way of maintaining standards and of improving teaching (Biggs & Tang, 2007). Shuell (1986) indicates that it is the teacher’s fundamental task to get students to engage in learning activities that are likely to result in achieving learning outcomes, recognizing that what the student does is more important than what the teacher does. As cognitive science has revealed again and again, active involvement by students enhances long-term retention (Martinez, 2010). Accordingly, assessment that calls for active engagement should contribute to long term memory and deeper processing. The goal of teaching is to encourage students to adopt a deep approach to learning (Biggs, 1989). The deep approach to learning reflects that students have the intention to understand the material not just requirements, interact with the content instead of rote memorization, relate new ideas and concepts to previous knowledge and experience, relate evidence to the conclusion, and analyze the logic of the argument (Entwistle & Waterston, 1988). Deep learning can be facilitated and measured through learning outcome-based teaching and assessment.