LOUIS

Learning Outcomes in Universities
for Impact on Society

LOUIS stands for Learning Outcomes in University for Impact on Society. LOUIS is one of the three components of the Aurora Competence Framework, together with SEISMIC and BEVI. The Aurora Competence Framework is meant to help achieve the Aurora Education Vision: to equip graduates with not only the subject expertise, but also the skills and mind-sets to contribute to society. LOUIS is a tool to strengthen the general academic and personal learning outcomes in subject-oriented courses and programmes. It bridges the gap between broad, generic competence descriptions in qualification frameworks and desired students’ performance and growth in the classroom.

Kees Kouwenaar introduces LOUIS

How does LOUIS work and who is LOUIS for?

LOUIS is a tool that helps academic teachers to articulate learning outcomes for general academic and personal competences and explains to students what is expected from them and how they are performing. LOUIS supports academic teachers to choose the competences that fit best with their teaching method and, for those competences, articulate learning outcomes that students understand.

LOUIS Expert & Support Centre

Aurora Expert and Support Centres bring together experts, expertise and supporting tools on a specific topic of interest to Aurora and its objectives.
The LOUIS Expert & Support centre consists of:

  • experts who are experienced users and trainers in the use of LOUIS to improve individual course modules and whole degree programmes.
  • tools like the LOUIS tool (in several languages), the LOUIS manual, the LOUIS student survey model
  • examples of succesfully adapted courses modules using the LOUIS approach.

The LOUIS Expert & Support Centre welcomes requests (see contact form) for information and advice from academic teachers and educational developers within and beyond the Aurora community. Depending on the time involved, a non-commercial fee for costs and services may be charged.

Endorsements

  • I changed from teaching many subjects and developing general competences to developing general competences using my topic as a pathway.

  • The more I explain the VALUE/LOUIS descriptors to colleagues, the more I understand and like them myself.

  • The moment we saw LOUIS descriptors, we knew that this would help our university to do what we had felt it should do for so many years already

    Resources

    LOUIS has developed tools for academic teachers who are interested. In the “Resource Centre” section of the Aurora website, you will find the tool itself (in English, German and Italian), but also a manual on how to do it yourself, as well as an overview of samples of LOUIS-adapted courses and a sample end-of-course questionnaire. In the “Resource Centre,” you may also find a 2-hour webinar on LOUIS. Aurora colleagues who already use LOUIS in practice are willing to help on a peer-to-peer basis. 

    For a sample syllabus that implemented LOUIS, please see Course Syllabus: International and European Environmental Law. 

    LOUIS is based on the VALUE approach developed by the American Association of Universities & Colleges AACU. Aurora uses LOUIS with full support of AAC&U.

    Get in touch