C-OBE case studies
C-OBE · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The C-OBE credential is a professional certification in outcome-based education - the practice of designing programs, courses, and assessments around what learners should demonstrably be able to do, rather than around content coverage or seat time. It is aimed at faculty members, instructional designers, curriculum developers, program heads, and quality-assurance or accreditation officers in higher education and post-secondary training settings who are responsible for writing learning outcomes, aligning instruction and assessment to those outcomes, and evidencing improvement to reviewers. The C-OBE case studies are 5 cases and about 4,315 words.
1The Paperwork Conversion: When OBE Is Adopted in Form Only
A regional state university has committed to outcome-based education to satisfy its accreditor. The dean circulates a memo: every course must have five course learning outcomes uploaded to the LMS by Friday.
889 words, about 4 min2Fourteen Program Outcomes, Twelve Course Outcomes: Cutting Without Losing Coverage
An undergraduate Information Systems program is preparing for accreditation. Its 14 program outcomes were written by a five-person committee over two meetings.
871 words, about 4 min3Ninety-Two Percent: A Materials Course Where the Exam Cannot See the Outcome
Engineering Materials (3 credits, 48 students) states three CLOs: (1) design an experiment to characterise a material's mechanical behaviour; (2) analyse experimental data and justify a material selection; (3) communicate findings in a technical report. Assessment is a final exam worth 70% (60 multiple-choice items plus 4 short-answer questions) and laboratory reports worth 30%, marked by a graduate assistant on a 0-10 scale for 'neatness, completeness, and effort'.
828 words, about 4 min4Nineteen Points: Curving Two Sections and Certifying an Outcome from One Exam
Two instructors teach separate sections of the same statistics course to the same program. Section A (n=40) has a mean of 81, SD 9; Section B (n=42) has a mean of 62, SD 14.
824 words, about 4 min5Fifty-Eight Percent for Three Years: A Loop That Never Closes
For three consecutive cycles a Mechanical Engineering program reports PO3 (design within realistic constraints) attainment at 58%, 61%, and 57% against a 70% target. Each cycle's continuous-improvement form reads, in substance, 'students are weak in design; instructors will provide more examples and encourage more tutorials.' No owner, date, or measure is recorded.
903 words, about 5 min