There are several factors affecting performance of nursing graduates. I always count  on the 4 elements of curriculum as major factors affecting students' performance: learning objective, contents, teaching strategy, and measurement and evaluation. Additionally the nature of the student as learner and learning environment are significant factors affecting performance.

Outcomes-based education demonstrates the evidence of competencies in designated learning areas upon completion of the course.

Outcomes-based education embodies the idea that the best way to learn is to first determine what learning outcome needs to be achieved. Learning outcomes refer to the knowledge, skills and attitudes to be demonstrated by the students upon completion of the course.

The adoption of the outcome-based approach to student learning drives curriculum restructuring to ensure that the graduates possess competences relevant and responsive to the needs and expectations of the local and international labor market, globally competitive, and enhance career mobility.

OBE is a tool that bridges education and labor market. The constancy of change in labor market demands investigation of employablity skills required by labor industry and determining the gap between education and labor partnership. It is therefore significant to analyze the work environment where individual is placed after completion of the course. Concomitantly generic skills readily performed upon completion of the course need to be examined for relevance and flexibility in the labor market. This is where OBE plays a vital role to bridge education and labor market. As work environment evolved, education has evolved as well.

I can speak from the fields of Administration and Public Health. So, I think we can approach the comprehension about this.

I believe that this concept can enhance and qualify not just the academic curriculum, but mostly, can improve the student's learning and their professional future. 

Nowadays, many Universities are adopting the concept of learning based in competencies, and using methodologies based in real or potencial real problems. For me, in my classes, it's being a good experience with good results, specially because they can develop a more accurated and critical sense, and more comittment in their practices.

The experience inspired from University of Dundee has shown significant improvement in 9 outcome measures. You can have a look on the summary below by Davis (2003).

http://www.jfn.ac.lk/OBESCL/MOHE/OBE-Articles/Academic-documents-articles/6.OBE-Davis.pdf

Thank you all for your insight, comments and suggestions. Shall explore further.

Dear Katherine,

The Article of Margery H Davis quoted by Abdulhafeez pretty much summarizes the whole thing! OBE definitely has very crucial advantages in terms of skill development, But all said and done, I have been part of pilot of OBE and from my short experience with OBE, was concerned about few things:

- Most learners are bit hesitant to adapt OBE, as they are used to the earlier system of content based education which is teacher-led and the learner plays a comparably passive role. (from the student point of view OBE requires them to play a very active role) The hesitation was partially also probably because of human tendency to resist change(i assume)!!

- One of my major concern was, the whole OBE depends on the so called "Outcome" and who lists or define these outcomes ??

-  And from a teacher point of view, the OBE assessment methods are extremely time consuming to implement.

Regards

Rathish