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OBL Project (Faculty of Languages)
THE WAY AHEAD Outcome-Based Learning (OBL) has a long history and it is most well known as a reform tool in school sector and has been promoted as Outcomes Based Education (OBE) in countries such as the United States, Australia and South Africa. The Institute, on the one hand, aims to introduce OBL as an integral part of our curriculum, not being implemented as a top-down initiative but as an empowering means that will involve teachers and students in the process of designing learning outcomes. On the other hand, the Institute proposes to pilot run OBL at departmental level in order to prepare for the 335 curriculum. According to Prof. K. Kennedy1, Associate Vice President (Quality Assurance) of HKIEd, OBL is not a new idea, meaning that we can draw on past lessons and experiences as we move forward to create an OBL approach that will meet the ends of our students. As part of this approach, we need to recognize that: 1. Outcomes can be defined at different levels for different purposes. 2. Outcomes are complex, based on the integration of knowledge, skills and values. 3. Multiple outcomes need to be integrated and treated holistically. 4. The outcomes will provide the springboard for students to become active learners. 5. The process for creating outcomes at different levels needs to be collaborative and open. It needs to involve a broad range of stakeholders. 6. Staff development and support will be necessary to assist individuals and teams at different levels to define learning outcomes that are significant. 7. Assessment needs to be in place at different levels to monitor students' progress in their learning and provide constructive feedback. 8. Assessment's primary role is to promote learning. The aims and objectives of the FLAN OBL Project: 1. To enrich students' learning experiences by OBL through improved teaching, learning and assessment activities in line with the objectives of the 335 academic structure. 2. To cascade implementation of OBL to the delivery and frontline levels which will form an essential part of the overall quality assurance mechanism of the Institute. 3. To pilot OBL at the departmental level, namely the Chinese Department and the English Department, so as to develop teaching, learning and assessment strategies to facilitate OBL implementation in all departments. Note 1: Kennedy, K. (2009). Outcomes Based Learning: Concepts, Issues and Action. The Hong Kong Institute of Education 
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