The workshop opened with a presentation and discussion of Cedefop’s upcoming study, Exploring the relationship between learning outcomes and vocational education and training (VET) curricula (forthcoming, spring 2010). This study examines how the shift to a learning outcomes approach affects curricula and learning programmes in vocational education and training in nine European countries.
The discussions revealed that all 20 countries represented in the workshop had undertaken reforms introducing learning outcome/competence-based approaches to VET curricula. In some, this process started in the 1980s (e.g. France, UK, etc). Others (e.g. Poland, Romania) have taken this direction mainly in the wake of European policy developments.
But though the shift to these approaches is now a policy priority in many countries, the way in which they are implemented in curriculum development is strikingly different from one country to the next, with further variations between education sub-systems (general education, initial VET, higher education) within the same country.
Defined either as general goals of VET or as the intended outcomes of a study programme, learning outcomes can carry different names (competence, objective, capacity, etc.) and fulfil different functions (teaching method or regulation) within curricula. As a result, the term ‘learning outcomes’ takes on different meanings depending on who designs the curriculum and to what end.
So who, in fact, decides on curricula? Participants noted that several stakeholders can be involved: external agencies; teachers; schools; companies; regional authorities, etc. In addition, social partners carry considerable weight in setting standards for VET curricula. In most cases, a mix of social partners and public authorities is involved in establishing VET curricula – and increasingly, so are learners.
But this is only one side of the equation. A particular difficulty of the learning outcomes/competence-based approach is in assessment, especially of soft skills and learners’ attitudes. To address this, participants proposed that countries engage in pilot studies to identify the most suitable methods.
Beyond formal methods, there is also real-life practice. In initial vocational education, especially, teachers and trainers are often guided more by learning materials than the curriculum itself. Do these accurately reflect the new curricula? The lack of research on this issue was identified as a significant knowledge gap. .
The workshop also offered a word of caution: we should not assume that curricula based on the learning outcomes approach automatically lead to learner-centred teaching. If learning outcomes are defined too restrictively they may end up stifling creativity in the classroom. To work well, a learner-centred system must give teachers, trainers and learners enough leeway to adapt and interpret learning outcomes.
Successful change is often founded on current good practice: networking and peer-learning reviews help policy-makers and practitioners improve. For instance, this workshop brought together people from 20 countries. the European Commission, the World Bank, the OECD and UNESCO. Acknowledging the importance of such contacts, and the value of the unusual format used in this workshop, a follow-up will be scheduled in the second half of 2010.