After participating in the Visible Learning Trajectories Programme, Byron Adams, Assistant Professor in Work and Organizational Psychology in the Bachelor’s programme in Psychology, shares his experience with integrating the Visible Learning Trajectories tool into his courses.
Byron uses the tool to guide students in understanding the learning objectives throughout their Bachelor’s.

More information on the Visible Learning Trajectories Programme

Insight for students into the learning objectives and learning trajectories of their degree programme

At the start of the Work and Organization course, Byron introduces the Visible Learning Trajectories tool by providing students with the link to the tool and explanations in the course materials. “The tool gives students a clear overview of what they’re learning in the course and what they are working towards. They see how each learning outcome connects to the learning trajectory objectives, giving them a sense of the objectives of the entire degree programme,” he explains.

“We also introduce the tool at orientation sessions for Bachelor’s students to support them in deciding on their specialisation, and each relevant learning trajectory can be found in the course manual. I think students should have access to the tool at any time.”

“The tool shows students how what we do in class connects to the broader outcome of the course and the whole degree programme.”

Improved communication and targeted assessment

Using the tool, as well as participating in the Visible Learning Trajectories Programme, has influenced Byron’s teaching approach. Previously, he also listed learning outcomes in the course manual, but now, following the Bloom taxonomy within the programme, he can better communicate requirements to the students.

Byron: “For example, in the Master’s course Conflict and Cooperation, students are assessed on the Evaluating level, but they need foundational knowledge from the Remembering and Analysing levels to succeed. It clarifies for students how they can get to the level they need.”

The tool also helps to evaluate and measure what level the students are at. Byron: “For bigger assignments that take more time, I assess my students at the Evaluating or Creating level, but for exams, the assessment might take place at a combination of levels. I use the learning outcomes and learning trajectories to make clear at which level the students are supposed to be.” This helps students understand the steps required for higher-level assignments and exams.

Assistant professor Byron Adams, Ph.D.:

“As a teacher, the Visible Learning Trajectories Programme has helped me in formulating exam questions that align with the learning trajectories.”

Collaboration within the team

Participating in the Visible Learning Trajectories Programme has sparked valuable discussions within Byron’s teaching team. “As the coordinator of the Work and Organization Content learning trajectory, my colleagues and I often discuss how we can define and assess learning outcomes for students more effectively.

To ensure that everything stays up to date, teachers continuously review their course objectives and bring up any changes they want to implement. Bloom’s taxonomy offers us a common language, making it easier for the team to discuss the learning outcomes, but assessing at the right level remains a challenge,” Byron shares.

Engaging students and areas for improvement

While Byron hasn’t received any direct feedback on the tool from students himself, he believes it would be beneficial to include questions about it in course evaluations to gauge student understanding of the learning outcomes in relation to the learning trajectories and the exit qualifications of the programme as a whole. One of Byron’s students, Aprajita, shares: “The tool proved to be most valuable during my exam preparation. Knowing what was expected of me allowed me to engage more effectively with the study material, as I learned how deeply I should study the literature and the types of questions that may arise in the exam.”

Student Aprajita:

“By using the tool, I was able to steer my self-study in a direction that aligns with the proficiency levels in the learning objectives.”

Gaja, another student of Byron, adds: “By mapping the objectives to the specific domains, I was better able to understand the course’s requirements and which type of abilities or skills I would be putting into use. This made a big difference for me: instead of trying to simply memorise information, I learned to apply it in a way that corresponded with the objectives. For example, in an exam, I would normally struggle with understanding what exactly my answer should look like and “dump” a lot of unnecessary information. Using this tool, I was not satisfied with just knowing the information, which would previously cause me to move on to another topic, but had to be able to explain, relate, compare, substantiate or create – depending on the objective.”

Tips for teachers

		“Students tend to focus on immediate tasks and individual courses rather than the bigger picture, so as a teacher, it’s important to encourage students to think about how each course connects to the overall learning trajectory.” “To improve the impact, introduce the tool consistently in every first-year course. If students see the tool at the start of every course, they’ll understand the connections between the different courses better. This helps them visualise what they need to work on to meet programme requirements. If they struggle, they’ll know it’s likely because they haven’t mastered certain objectives.” “Share your experiences with and insights on the tool with your colleagues and across departments. This would increase collaboration and improve how departments implement and benefit from the Visible Learning Trajectories tool.”

Teacher Story: Byron Adams on using the Visible Learning Trajectories tool