As learning progresses it becomes more complex. SOLO, which stands for the Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome, is a means of classifying learning outcomes in terms of their complexity – a useful tool for implementing constructive alignment. At first we pick up only one or few aspects of the task (unistructural), then several aspects but they are unrelated (multistructural), then we learn how to integrate them into a whole (relational), and finally, we are able to generalised that whole to as yet untaught applications (extended abstract).


For using SOLO in establishing constructive alignment see Teaching for Quality Learning at University, Buckingham: Open University Press/McGraw-Hill, Biggs (2003) or Google “SOLO Taxonomy”.