Learning outcomes are what people have "learnt" as a result of an experience, programme or event. They can be 

• Very specific (10 key facts about the Ancient Greeks) and very broad (the development of a more positive attitude to learning)
• Set by organisations or by the learners themselves
• Used to assess and describe the learning which has taken place.

In formal education, outcomes are often decided independently of the learner. In non-accredited programmes, learners often set their own outcomes.

In museums, archives and libraries we are interested in understanding the learning that takes place in informal settings, where people may not have consciously set out to "learn" something, and where their learning takes surprising and often unexpected directions.

Learning outcomes in museums, archives and libraries

Although many museums, archives and libraries run formal, targeted, learning programmes they primarily offer informal environments for learning.

It is unlikely that someone will be thinking specifically about learning in the following everyday situations,

• Borrowing a music CD from a library or browsing round an art exhibition
• Joining a reading group or finding out more about their family or locality

In spite of this people often describe these experiences in ways which show that "learning" has taken place and we have gathered many statements that illustrate how powerful this learning can be.

However, until now it has been far harder to demonstrate the overall impact that museums, archives and libraries have on people's informal, lifelong learning.

This section of the web site and the Generic Learning Outcomes have been developed to help you do just that.

'My 7 year old son is about to be statemented as he is dyslexic and can't read. The Reading Maze is giving him a belief in himself that he can be the same as other children and still enjoy the pleasure books can bring'
Parent, Summer Reading Challenge 2003