Outcome-based education

Not to be confused with Evidence-based education.

A High School class in Cape Town, South Africa

Outcome-based education or outcomes-based education (OBE) is an educational theory that bases each part of an educational system around goals (outcomes). By the end of the educational experience, each student should have achieved the goal. There is no single specified style of teaching or assessment in OBE; instead, classes, opportunities, and assessments should all help students achieve the specified outcomes.[1] The role of the faculty adapts into instructor, trainer, facilitator, and/or mentor based on the outcomes targeted.

Outcome-based methods have been adopted in education systems around the world, at multiple levels. Australia and South Africa adopted OBE policies from the 1990s to the mid 2000s, but were abandoned in the face of substantial community opposition.[2][3] The United States has had an OBE program in place since 1994 that has been adapted over the years.[4][5] In 2005, Hong Kong adopted an outcome-based approach for its universities.[6] Malaysia implemented OBE in all of their public schools systems in 2008.[7] The European Union has proposed an education shift to focus on outcomes, across the EU.[8] In an international effort to accept OBE, The Washington Accord was created in 1989; it is an agreement to accept undergraduate engineering degrees that were obtained using OBE methods.[9]

  1. ^ Spady, William (1994). Outcome-Based Education: Critical Issues and Answers (PDF). Arlington Virginia: American Association of School Administrators. ISBN 0876521839. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Donnelly was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Allais was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Austin was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference USDE was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Kennedy was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Mohayidin was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference EUComm_pressrelease_dec2012 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ "Washington Accord". International Engineering Alliance. Archived from the original on 26 January 2012. Retrieved 2 February 2012.