Learning goals (or outcomes) indicate what students should know and be able to do after a learning period. By regularly discussing the learning outcomes with students and linking them to learning and assessment activities, students better understand what they need to do when learning. Their level of self-regulation and self-analysis also increases, and you create conditions for effective feedback. Regularly revisiting the learning outcomes serves as a compass for learning. It should not be information that is only found in the study guide. Additionally, it is advisable to continuously (implicitly) address the (success) criteria in the discussion about the learning outcomes. How can students demonstrate that they have mastered a particular learning outcome? What are the criteria for a good presentation, for example? What should not be missing in their report? In this way, it becomes clear through small steps what is needed to master learning outcomes. The use of learning outcomes and success criteria can be traced back to the Goal Setting Theory about setting goals. According to this theory, challenging, specific, and achievable goals provide motivation and offer a basis for giving feedback. Other research shows that student engagement is highly dependent on how important, interesting, and relevant they find certain goals. As teachers, you can make a significant contribution to this by clearly explaining to students the usefulness of learning outcomes. When the end goal is very extensive and far away, it helps to set sub-goals.
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