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CHAPTER 2
OUTCOME-BASED EDUCATION (OBE) AND ASSESSMENT

At the end of the Chapter 2, the students should be able to:

1. Explain the essesnce of OBE and OBTL;
2. Compare Understanding by Design, OBE and OBTL; and
3. Explain the meaning of constructive alignment in the context of the instructional cycle.

INTRODUCTION
Outcome-Based Education has become the talk among those involved in teaching. For quality
assurance, the Commission on Higher Education issued CHED Memorandum Order 46, series of
2012. Policy Standard to Enhance Quality Assurance through Outcomes-Based and Typology-Based
Quality Assurance. What is Outcome-Based Education? What is Outcome-Based Education? What is
Outcome-Based Technology-Learning? What is constructive alignment?

THE MEANING of OBE

OBE means Outcome-Based Education. Simply put, it is education based on outcome. This
outcome may refer to:
1. Immediate outcome
2. Deferred outcome.

Immediate outcome are competencies skills upon completion of a lesson, a subject, a grade/year, a
course (subject) or a program itself.
Examples are ability to communicate in writing, reading, speaking, and solve mathematical
problems.

Deferred outcomes refer to the ability to apply cognitive, psychomotor and affective
skills/competencies in the various aspects of the professional and workplace practice (Navarro,
2019).
Examples are success in professional practice or occupation as evidence of skill in career
planning, health and wellness and continuing education.

Navarro’s explanation of outcomes is synonymous with Spady’s.

OBE, SPADY’S VERSION

Spady spouses transformational OBE.

Transformational OBE is concerned with long-term, cross-curricular outcomes that are related
directly to students’ future life roles such as being a productive worker or a responsible citizen or a
parent.

In transformational OBE:
1. learning is not significant unless the outcomes reflect the complexities of real life and
prominence to the life roles that learners will face after formal education.
2. Learning outcomes comprise the knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes that
learners should acquire to enable them to reach their full potential and lead successful
and fulfilling lives as individuals, as a member of a community and at work.
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Spady describes outcomes as clear learning results that we want students to demonstrate at
the end of learning experiences; what learners can actually do with what they know and have
learned and tangible application of what have been learned. “(Spady, 2007) for Spady, the
outcomes he refers to are the deferred outcomes cited by Navarro (2019).

Spady adds:
Years ago, we had outcomes that were really just little skills. Now, we’ve got complex role
performances as culminating outcomes. From an OBE perspective, it’s not a matter of what
students had or courses they have taken. It’s a matter of what they can do when they exit the
system.

OUTCOME-BASED TEACHING AND LEARNING (OBTL), BIGGS’ VERSION

Biggs and Tang (2007) make use of the term outcome-based teaching-learning (OBTL) which in
essence is OBE applied in the teaching-learning process. They define the outcomes as learning
outcomes which are more specific than institutional outcomes, program outcomes and course
outcomes.
In Biggs’ and Tang’s OBTL, outcomes are statement of what we expect students to demonstrate
after they hve been taught. These are referred to as learning outcomes.

OUTCOMES in DIFFERENT LEVELS

Biggs and Tang made mention of different levels of outcomes:
1. Institutional outcomes
2. Program outcomes
3. Course outcomes
4. Learning outcomes

Institutional outcomes are drawn the graduate attributes that graduates of the institution are
expected to demonstrate after graduation. This is the most broad outcome.

Program outcomes are outcomes that graduates of the program are expected to demonstrate at
the end of the program.

Course outcomes are the outcomes of a particular subject outcomes.

Learning outcomes are the most specific outcomes that the teacher is concerned with his/her
lessons.

PRINCIPLES of OBE
The 4 principles of OBE cited by Spady (1996) are:
1. Clarity of focus
2. Designing down
3. High expectations
4. Expanded opportunities

Clarity of focus simply means that outcomes which students are expected to demonstrate at the
end of the program are clear.
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Designing down means basing the details of your instructional design on the outcomes, the focus
of instruction.

High expectations is believing that all learners can learn and succeed, but not all in the same time
or in the same way. Not all learners can learn the same thing in the same way and in the same
amount of time but all are capable of mastery and meaningful learning.

Expanded opportunities
Some learners may need more time than others. Teachers therefore, must provide expanded
opportunities for all learners. Most learners can achieve high standards if they are given
appropriate opportunities. OBE is anchored on the premise that all learners are teachable.

The parable of the talents is a frequent reminder that not all learners received five talents.
Others received three and still others one. Take note, however, that everyone received a talent or
more. Other than more time and more opportunity for learners with just one or three talents, more
scaffolding (support) from teacher is necessary.

CONSTRUCTIVE ALIGNMENT

Constructive alignment is Biggs’ term of “designing down” as given by Spady.

Constructive alignment is a process of creating a learning environment that supports the

learning activities that lead to the achievement of the desired learning outcomes.

The supportive learning environment is a learning environment where the intended learning
outcomes, the teaching-learning activities and the assessment tasks are aligned. It is a learning
environment that is highly focused on the attainment of learning outcomes.

In the context of assessment, constructive alignment also means that the assessment tasks and
the specific criteria as bases of judgment of students’ performance are aligned to the intended
learning outcomes.
This is the concern of this course on Assessment - that the assessment tasks are