Outcomes-Based Education

Abstract

Outcomes-based education (OBE) 1s a controversial model of educational restructuring that defines learning as what students can demonstrate that they know. This document reviews four journal articles and one bulletin that reflect a range of perspectives on OBE's potential promise and problems. In Organizing for Results: The Basis of Authentic and Reform, William G. Spady contends that the time-based structure prevalent in education favors administrative custody and convenience over student mastery. He offers OBE as an alternative model, outlining the principles and premises of the system, and presenting it as a blueprint for restructuring. In Perspectives and Imperatives: Some Limitations of Jim McKernan argues that the notion of predetermined outcomes is antithetical to the nature of education, which he considers to be process-oriented and exploratory. He offers an alternative model that is more compatible with his concept of a liberal education. Gwennis McNeir, in Outcomes-Based Education: Tool for Restructuring, clarifies the concept of OBE, explores the primary objections, and identifies elements that educators believe are crucial to its successful implementation. In One District Learns About Restructuring, Charles E. Sams and Randy Schenkat describe how moving to an OBE model was the missing piece in a restructuring process in their district that included innovation but lacked a clear purpose. Kathleen A. Fitzpatrick provides an indepth account of how her district successfully implemented an OBE system, in Restructuring To Achieve Outcomes of Significance for All Students. She offers examples of how to draft visionary outcomes, develop performance indicators, and shift instructional focus to match OBE