TVETipedia Glossary

Learning outcomes

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The totality of information, knowledge, understanding, attitudes, values, skills, competencies or behaviours an individual is expected to master upon successful completion of an educational programme.

Source:
UIS, ISCED 2011 (International Standard Classification of Education), 2012
UIS, ISCED 2011 (International Standard Classification of Education), 2012
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As national education systems vary in terms of structure and curricular content, it can be difficult to benchmark performance across countries over time or monitor progress towards national and international goals. In order to understand and properly interpret the inputs, processes and outcomes of education systems from a global perspective, it is vital to ensure that data are comparable. This can be done by applying the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED), the standard framework used to categorise and report cross-nationally comparable education statistics.

Intended learning outcomes are written statements and expressions of intentions / desired targets of learning. They describe what learners are ‘expected to know and be able to do and understand having completed a learning sequence, a module, a programme or a qualification’ (Cedefop, 2022, p. 18). Such statements are used in qualifications frameworks, qualification standards and curricula.

Intended learning outcomes are ‘delivered’ in teaching and learning processes and assessed to confirm achievements. Thus, achieved learning outcomes are the outcomes that an individual learner demonstrates at the end of a learning process. These outcomes are determined as part of student assessment. They may or may not fully align with the intended outcomes, depending on factors like teaching effectiveness, learner engagement and assessment methods.

Source:
Cedefop, 2026, The influence of learning outcomes. Cedefop research paper, page 18

Results of what a learner knows, understands and is able to do upon completion of a learning process.

(Comment: Learning outcomes are mainly formulated using either behaviourist or constructivist approaches.)

Source:
UNESCO, Level-setting and recognition of learning outcomes: The use of level descriptors in the twenty-first century, 2015
UNESCO, Level-setting and recognition of learning outcomes: The use of level descriptors in the twenty-first century, 2015
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Description of the report:
"The aim of this research is to support a broader initiative that will explore the possibility of developing international guidelines on quality assurance for the recognition of qualifications based on learning outcomes, including a set of world reference levels to facilitate the international recognition of qualifications."
Description of the glossary (pp 189 ff):
"The definitions of this glossary are provided by the authors, drawing on a wide range of literature in the field, and in particular the cited references for this publication. They do not necessarily coincide with official positions of UNESCO."

The 2017 EQF recommendation defines learning outcomes as ‘…statements of what an individual should know, understand and/or be able to do at the end of a learning process, which are defined in terms of knowledge, skills and responsibility and autonomy’.

Source:
Cedefop Projects, Learning outcomes (accessed April 2024)

Knowledge, know-how, information, values, skills and competences an individual has acquired and/or is able to demonstrate after completion of a learning process, either formal, non-formal or informal.

Comment: In the context of the European Qualifications Framework for lifelong learning (EQF), learning outcomes are defined in terms of knowledge, skills and responsibility / autonomy.

Source: Cedefop; Council of the European Union, 2017

Source:
Cedefop, Glossary. Terminology of European education and training policy, (last accessed 10/2024)
Cedefop, Glossary. Terminology of European education and training policy, (last accessed 10/2024)
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This revised and expanded multilingual glossary defines 430 key terms used in European education and training policy. Building on the Terminology of European education and training policy – A selection of 130 key terms, published in 2014, this latest version, which draws on the experiences of Cedefop’s experts, gives new definitions and covers the latest European Union policy priorities, particularly on skills intelligence and employment.
Terms are provided in 8 languages: German, Greek, English, Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch and Portuguese. Definitions are available in English, German and French.

The set of knowledge, skills and/or competences an individual acquired and/or is able to demonstrate after completion of a learning process.

Source:
UNESCO-UNEVOC/NCVER, TVET glossary: some key terms, 2009
UNESCO-UNEVOC/NCVER, TVET glossary: some key terms, 2009
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This glossary has been published in the "International Handbook of Education for the Changing World of Work" (Vol. 1, chapter 5)
"The glossary aims to reflect the terminology found in the recent literature of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) research, policy and practice internationally. The most common and significant terms (including acronyms) are listed and, in some cases, national and regional variations have been included. To maintain an international perspective, other national and international glossaries and thesauri were consulted in conjunction with current TVET literature from around the world. Where definitions have been written by other organizations, the source of that definition is acknowledged. Unattributed definitions were created in-house at the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER). For some terms, where, for example, there are regional differences, more than one meaning has been provided."

The contextually demonstrated end-products of specific learning processes, which include knowledge, skills and values.

Source:
SAQA (South Africa), TVET Standard Glossary of Terms, 2013
SAQA (South Africa), TVET Standard Glossary of Terms, 2013
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This standard glossary of terms defines and clarifies the core terminology relating to the development and implementation of the South African National Qualifications Framework (NQF).
As a direct result of the many changes in the education and training landscape between 1995 and 2013, a wide range of terminology and definitions have emerged, often causing confusion and leading to ambiguity in the system. This glossary has been developed to bring consistency to the use of terminology in the broader education and training context, including legislation, policy and everyday usage by the public.

Learning outcomes focus specifically on intentional activities in educational processes and those that can be measured and quantified.

Source:
Ioannidou, A., & Zarifis, G. (2024). Educational governance and the construction of learning outcomes of young adults in Europe: conceptual aspects and empirical evidence. Studies in the Education of Adults, 1–18.

are clear statements of what a learner can be expected to know, understand, and/or do as a result of a learning experience. (IRR of RA No. 10968)
statements of what the individual learner knows, understands and can do on completion of a learning process. They are also used in PQF to describe the level of individual qualification. (TESDA Cicular No. 090, s. 2021)

Source:
TESDA (Philippines), TVET glossary of terms (online), (accessed 12/2022)
TESDA (Philippines), TVET glossary of terms (online), (accessed 12/2022)
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This glossary of terms intends to provide the TESDA key players, partners, and stakeholders an online and updated TVET information, concepts, to bring common understanding and clarification on the use of TESDA terminologies.

(Learning outcome)

– An intended, identifiable, and measurable learning or behaviour that is demonstrated by a learner following a sequence of learning.

Source:
Commonwealth of Learning, TVET Professional Development Toolkit for the Pacific, Commonly used terms, n.d.
Commonwealth of Learning, TVET Professional Development Toolkit for the Pacific, Commonly used terms, n.d.
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List of commonly used terms as part of the TVET Professional Development Toolkit for the Pacific