How does OBE differ from traditional education?
Traditional Education focuses on teachers instructing students in various academic subjects during 12 years of education or its equivalent. Specific subjects must be covered to satisfy the Carnegie Units. Knowledge is determined through tests. Passing grades result in promotion. Graduation occurs when all required subjects have been passed. Outcome-Based Education focuses on what the student is, not on what he knows. It is designed for every child to FEEL successful (“Gwinnett Organizing Around Learner Success”) in school although he might not BE successful. Teachers become facilitators, coaches, or monitors (Designing Successful Learning Teacher Manual, “Performance Assessment Rationale,” Gwinnett County, Georgia.) Academic emphasis is minimal. OBE focuses on changing specific complex behaviors (Dr. Barbara Kapinus, Georgia Lieutenant Governor’s OBE Conference, May 13, 1993), to conform to predetermined outcomes. Outcomes control curriculum design. Designing curriculum to produce the
