Understanding the Outcome Based Education

An outcome base education is an educations that focuses on what is important for learners to be able to do and assessment to make sure this learning ultimately happens.

A learning outcome is what a student can perform at a given level of competence under a certain situation as a result of a learning experience.

OBE is learner centric unlike the conventional education where educator is important. In OBE the performance of the learner is very important, not the educator. There must always be a performable task for learner and the focus is not on the task but on the performance of the task.

Let us take an example of driving school. One of the objectives of the school could be:

Learner will demonstrate the ability to physically control a vehicle in a wide variety of driving conditions, which involve a varied amount of traffic, weather, and type of roadway regardless of the time of day or amount of distractions

Base on this the learning outcome could be:

A learner should be able to drive in reverse direction for a certain distance at certain minimum speed on a certain track

Outcome of a lesson of a swimming school could be like

• The learner will be able to outline recreational and water-safety rules

• The learner will be able to demonstrate key steps and movements while swimming

Outcome of a lesson of Mechanical Engineering could be like:

• Develop engineering drawing of parts and assembly using standard conventions

• Calculate minimum size of the shaft required to take given load under given condition

As mentioned earlier in OBE learner is important, not the educator. All the lessons should aim to impart skill and all assessments should aim to check that it is done.