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LOUIS Resources

Learning Outcomes in Universities for Impact on Society

Welcome to the LOUIS resources page. If you did not come here through the LOUIS landing page: that landing page introduces LOUIS as a tool to further students’ progress in transversal competences in addition to the subject-specific of their programme.

LOUIS experts in Aurora 

Maxim Tomoszek

Palacky University  

Florian Freitag

University Duisburg Essen 

Marco Biondi

University Federico II  

Kees Kouwenaar

retired

Christina Raab

University Innsbruck

Audur Páulsdottir

University of Iceland 

LOUIS language versions 

LOUIS is an adaptation of the VALUE rubrics developed by the AAC&U. In now exists in the following language versions: 

    LOUIS in English
    LOUIS in German
    LOUIS in Italian
    LOUIS in Icelandic

    Courses, adapted using LOUIS

    Since LOUIS started late 2021, a growing number of academic teachers across Aurora universities have used LOUIS to adapt their course in order to strengthen the development of general competences among their students. 

    Adaptation may focus on explicit learning outcomes, course assignment and feedback (assessment) on students’ work. 

    We have recorded a total of 39 LOUIS-adapted courses to date; there are probably more courses that have not yet been reported to the LOUIS team. 

    In the overview. You can sort the courses by university, subject, LOUIS competence, or degree level. 

    LOUIS workshops and training sessions

    Since 2021, quite a few workshops and training sessions have been held for individual Aurora universities and for participants from various institutions – also outside the core group of Aurora. 

    Noteworthy among these are: 

    • The hybrid training course of 7 weekly sessions for academic teachers at the University of Duisburg Essen and Olomouc in fall 2023, 
    • The Blended International Programmes (one week on site, with online meetings before and after) in Olomouc (Fall 2024) and Reykjavik (Fall 2025), 
    • The LOUIS contribution to a series of workshops on flexibilization and internationalisation of curricula by the Austrian ÖAD in 2022 – 2023 
    • The next Blended International Programme on LOUIS is envisaged for June 2026, depending of approval of Erasmus+ support. 

    To know more about workshops and training sessions held at a specific Aurora university – or explore possibilities to participate in a future local training event –  please contact the local LOUIS expert (see above). 

    Supporting material for LOUIS

    Based on the various workshops on LOUIS, we produced manual which shows and explains LOUIS in detail. 

    We also produced a LOUIS Roadmap that takes you step-by-step through the process of using LOUIS to better integrate your students’ development of transversal competences into your course – choosing those competences that are most relevant to the subject-focus of your course. 

    Literature relevant for LOUIS

    Mastermind Europe

    Mastermind Europe was an ERASMUS-supported project carried out from 2013 to 2017. Its aim was to develop new approaches to admission to Master’s programmes at European Higher Education Institutions, in response to the changes caused by adoption of the three-cycle structure for academic programmes.

    Mastermind Europe advocated a distinction in admission between criteria (things applicants need to be good enough in) and assessment mechanisms (things that show if applicants meet these criteria).

    It distinguishes between subject specific, general academic, personal and linguistic competences as relevant for admission. In the later stages of the Mastermind Europe project, it identified the VALUE rubrics as a useful tool to look at both general academic and personal competences.

    MasterMind Europe Reports

    1. Mastermind Europe report 1: Introduction to the paradigm shift: Changing paradigms in admission to master’s programmes in Europe.
    2. Mastermind Europe report 2: Admission to English-taught programmes (ETPs) at Master’s level in Europe.
    3. Mastermind Europe report 3: Restrictions: real or perceived? Legal obstacles to Master’s admissions in Europe.

    Mastermind Europe Guiding Tools:

    1. Mastermind Europe Guiding Tool 1: Coherent Admission Framework.
    2. Mastermind Europe Guiding Tool 2: Subject-related Knowledge & Skills.
    3. Mastermind Europe Guiding Tool 3: General Academic Competence.
    4. Mastermind Europe Guiding Tool 4: Personal Competencies & Traits .
    5. Mastermind Europe Guiding Tool 5: Language Requirements.
    6. Mastermind Europe Guiding Tool 6: Managing Graduate Admission.

    Other literature related to graduate admission

    1. Posselt, Julie R. Inside graduate admissions: Merit, diversity, and faculty gatekeeping. Harvard University Press, 2016.

    VALUE

    The VALUE (Valid Assessment of Undergraduate Learning) approach was developed by the American Association of Colleges and Universities between 2007 and 2009 with teachers and educators from across the US, tested at nearly 150 higher education institutions. The VALUE approached is used by over 2 900 HE institutions within and beyond the USA.

    The LOUIS adaptation – which is open access and non-commercial – of the VALUE rubrics has the full consent of AAC&U.

    1. Acheson, Kris, et al. “Interdisciplinary innovations in formative and summative assessment: The Beliefs, Events, and Values Inventory; VALUE rubrics; and the Cultural Controllability Scale.” (2021).
    2. Gray, Julie S., and Glenn Allen Phillips. “Assessing a High‐Impact Practice in Higher Education Using VALUE Rubrics: What Do Undergraduate Research Posters Tell Us About What Students Know and Can Do?.” Assessment Update 31.6 (2019).
    3. McConnell, Kathryne Drezek. “Rubrics as catalysts for collaboration: a modest proposal.” European Journal of Higher Education 3.1 (2013): 74-88.
    4. Rhodes, Terrel, and Ashley Finley. “Using the VALUE rubrics for improvement of learning and authentic assessment.” Peer Review 15.2 (2013): 32-33.

    Other literature, relevant to general competences and learning outcomes

    1. Allais, Stephanie. The implementation and impact of National Qualifications Frameworks: Report of a study in 16 countries. Vol. 3. Geneva: ILO, 2010. 
    2. Allen, Jim, and Rolf Van der Velden. “The flexible professional in the knowledge society: General results of the REFLEX project.” (2007). 
    3. Ashton, Michael C., and Kibeom Lee. “The HEXACO model of personality structure and the importance of the H factor.” Social and Personality Psychology Compass 2.5 (2008): 1952-1962.  
    4. Cedefop (2016). Application of learning outcomes approaches across Europe: a comparative study. Luxembourg: Publications Office. Cedefop reference series; No 105. http://dx.doi.org/10.2801/735711. 
    5. CEDEFOP: National Qualifications Frameworks (NQFs), https://europass.europa.eu/en/europass-digital-tools/european-qualifications-framework/national-qualifications-frameworks accessed October 6th, 2025. 
    6. Europass: The European Qualifications Framework, https://europass.europa.eu/en/europass-digital-tools/european-qualifications-framework, accessed October 6th, 2025. 
    7. European Education Area: ECTS Users’ Guide 2015, 
      https://education.ec.europa.eu/sites/default/files/document-library-docs/ects-users-guide_en.pdf,  
      accessed October 6th, 2025. 
    8. Forehand, Mary. “Bloom’s taxonomy.” Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology 41.4 (2010): 47-56. 
    9. McClarty, Katie Larsen, and Matthew N. Gaertner. “Measuring mastery: Best practices for assessment in competency-based education.” American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research. https://bit. ly/2MN1m04 (2015). 
    10. OECD (2025), Survey of Adult Skills 2023 Technical Report, OECD Skills Studies, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/80d9f692-en. 
    11. Purvis, Alison, and Bridget Winwood. “A guide to writing learning outcomes in higher education.” (2023). https://shura.shu.ac.uk/32056/1/A%20Guide%20to%20Writing%20Learning%20Outcomes%20in%20Higher%20Education%20-%20NTR%20.pdf  
    12. Wagenaar, Robert. “Competences and learning outcomes: a panacea for understanding the (new) role of Higher Education?.” Tuning journal for higher education 1.2 (2014): 273-302. 
    13. Wagenaar, Robert. “Towards a robust approach for evidencing quality in higher education learning: The new CALOHEE model.” Journal of International Cooperation in Education 26.1 (2024): 67-84.