Structure of observed learning outcome

The model

• Pre-structural – The task is not attacked appropriately; the student hasn’t really understood the point and uses too simple a way of going about it.
• Uni-structural – The student's response only focuses on one relevant aspect.
• Multi-structural – The student's response focuses on several relevant aspects but they are treated independently and additively. Assessment of this level is primarily quantitative.
• Relational – The different aspects have become integrated into a coherent whole. This level is what is normally meant by an adequate understanding of some topic.
• Extended abstract – The previous integrated whole may be conceptualised at a higher level of abstraction and generalised to a new topic or area.