This guide is intended primarily for programme directors (PDs) who lead undergraduate or postgraduate taught programmes. It may also be of use to programme managers, course convenors, deputy heads of teaching/education in LSE departments and schools, and others involved in programme design and delivery. The guidance can be used to design new PLOs from scratch, or to redesign existing PLOs, or to evaluate whether the existing PLOs are fit for purpose. 

This guidance is designed to be used by colleagues with a range of experience and takes an approach grounded in practice and real-world examples from the LSE and beyond. 

This guidance is indicative, not comprehensive. In addition to the resources linked to in this guide, please contact your Eden Centre department adviser to review and discuss your programme learning outcomes. 

A programme learning outcome (PLO) is a formal statement about what the student is expected to have learnt and achieved by the end of the programme. Learning outcomes represent the threshold standards for what constitutes a pass/fail on the programme. Presented as a list of eight to 12 statements, the learning outcomes cover the entirety of the programme across different courses and levels or years as applicable. e.g. over three years of a three-year undergraduate programme or over the one year of a one-year Master’s programme. In this way, a set of PLOs represents the specific skills, knowledge, and attributes a student will have acquired over the duration of the programme.  

Examples of PLOs: 

• Employ an evidence-based approach to explain the social determinants of health in industrialised nations 
• Collaborate effectively in teams across cultural contexts to achieve common goals 
• Implement and test information systems using leading practices and methodologies
• Articulate complex understandings of the processes of globalization in the long- and short-term, by combining interdisciplinary, theoretical, and historical perspectives with cross-cultural knowledge and advanced language training

PLOs are similar to course learning outcomes, in that they are specific outcome-oriented statements about student learning, but they are designed at the programme level. PLOs are often viewed narrowly as a quality assurance requirement. This is unfortunate as they have tremendous potential in ensuring programme coherence at a structural level in terms of overall programme design, which we look at in greater detail in the third section. 

How do PLOs differ from programme aims?* 

It’s easy to get PLOs mixed up with programme aims and programme objectives, especially if they’re not drafted clearly. While the programme aims and objectives should be reflected in the PLOs, they are not the same. 

• Programme aims: Set out the broad direction and scope of the programme, sometimes in relation to the department, institution, or the discipline 
• Programme objectives: Provide more detailed information including specifics such as methods, approaches, etc. 
• Programme learning outcomes: Are highly specific statements that set out what students will learn and be able to do when they complete the programme 

*Reproduced from guidance by the Eberly Center at Carnegie Mellon University

Curriculum design

PLOs are the basic building blocks when it comes to programme design and planning: they reflect the programme aims, rationale, and distinctive features. They should inform and guide and be embedded into the assessment environment of the programme, especially when it comes to cumulative assessments such as dissertations and capstone assessments. PLOs are a good starting point from which to draft course learning outcomes.

PLOs are also used to establish and ensure programme coherence in terms of core and elective course combinations and course choice across the programme ensuring a good balance between flexibility in terms of course choice and clear programme pathways or specialisations.

"The process of drafting, reviewing, and revising programme-level learning outcomes was really helpful for reflecting on our teaching practices across the team and will enhance the students' experience of learning."

-Monika Krause, Programme Director on BSc Sociology, and Deputy Head for Teaching, Deparment of Sociology

Communication

PLOs are a succinct way to communicate what students will achieve and how they will learn on the programme. The detail and degree of specificity in the PLOs make them a useful tool at orientation sessions for new students, and also for current students during course selection and in academic mentoring sessions. It gives prospective students a concrete idea of what will occur on the programme and is useful in comparing programmes in the same or different institutions.

PLOs can also be used to brief course convenors in terms of the specific parameters and features individual courses need to meet based on whether they are core courses or electives.

“Programme learning outcomes (PLOs) have facilitated communication of my programme’s core objectives and shared expectations to both students and colleagues contributing to the programme. While individual student learning experiences often extend beyond these formal PLOs, they serve as a foundational reference point during discussions about student learning, programme design, curriculum development, and assessment approaches with our stakeholders including our professional accreditor, the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.”

-Pik Liew, Programme Director, BSc Actuarial Science and BSc Actuarial Science with a Placement Year

School requirements and quality assurance

The Pro-Vice Chancellor for Education requires all new programmes at LSE to propose programme learning outcomes as part of the programme proposal process. Older and existing programmes that do not have PLOs will be required to publish approved PLOs by June 2026 in order to ensure consistent good practice across the school.

PLOs should conform to level-specific and qualification-specific criteria as stated in the Office for Students sector recognised standards and the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ) qualification descriptors, along with consideration of the relevant Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) Subject Benchmark Statements (SBS). Several disciplines such as economics, law, and anthropology to name a few, have specific SBS for undergraduate programmes, with a smaller number of Master’s level subjects also covered.

"Consideration of the overarching B1 Condition of Registration and other sector standards when designing or reviewing PLOs will ensure that LSE degree programmes comply with LSE regulations, academic standards set by the government, and sectoral good practice."

-Tom Hewlett, Head, Teaching Quality Assurance & Review Office

We propose a consultative approach to designing PLOs, and programme design more broadly, that is organic and emerges from what the key stakeholders see as the key features and outcomes of the programme. This consultative approach was trialled during the School Periodic Programme Review pilot with four programme teams in 2023-24. This approach works with a single programme director driving the process or with an entire programme team and all combinations in between.

Benefits of the consultative approach to programme design 

This process involves an initial drafting stage, followed by consultation with a range of different groups, with an opportunity to revise the PLOs at each stage. Within each stage, there are optional steps that you can follow or skip based on your needs and constraints. The entire PLO drafting process is designed to be flexible so that it can be adapted to the priorities and schedules of busy PDs.

The drafting stage

Four approaches to drafting PLOs are listed below. You may choose to use all of them or a combination based on your needs and constraints. It would be a good idea to seek your department adviser’s advice on which combination to use.

• Inward-looking approach

• Outward-looking approach

• Cognitive levels approach

• Criteria-based approach

This guide PLO makeover: before and after shows before-and-after examples accompanied by brief annotations.

Creating well-articulated PLOs is not enough; they should be discussed with and explained to students throughout the programme, so that they understand how the different elements of the programme cohere and come together such that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Clear, well-defined PLOs are useful in helping students make decisions about course selection and advising them on their progress through the programme.

You should have at least five and not more than 15 PLOs at this stage. Note any issues or questions you have for the consultation meetings.

Consultation meetings

A key aspect of the consultative approach to programme design is consulting with various stakeholders. These consultation meetings are optional based on your needs and timeframe. Below we provide guidance for three types of consultation meetings:

• Consultation with a curriculum designer
• Consultation with programme/department team members
• Consultation with your students

The consultation meetings can also be used to consult on other aspects of programme design such as assessment, employability, course choice, inclusive education, student voice, fieldwork, research-rich education etc. This PLO creation process is designed not only as a valuable pedagogic tool, but also as an opportunity for rich dialogue and communication with a variety of stakeholders. The consultative approach is flexible and any of its constituent stages/approaches can be used to design new PLOs as well as review existing PLOs. An initial discussion with your Eden Centre department adviser might help you decide which stages would be the best investment of your time and effort.

• Plan ahead and identify a deadline to submit your programme’s PLOs.
• Contact your Eden Centre department adviser to schedule an informal discussion about drafting PLOs and programme design.
• Sign up to a workshop on designing PLOs (this took place on 29 October 2024)
• Register for a PGCert workshop on course design that covers related topics such as the principles of constructive alignment, course design, etc. This is only open to staff registered on the PGCert.
• Review Eden Centre resources on related topics such as the LSE Assessment Toolkit, curriculum enrichment and design, etc.