According to R. F. Mager a psychologist and author who pioneered the development of learning objectives, an objective is a description of a performance you want learners to be able to exhibit before you consider them competent. An objective describes an intended result of instruction, rather than the process of instruction itself. One important purpose of learning objectives is to explicitly state what needs to be accomplished for the learner to be competent. When objectives are clearly stated they become fixed in the minds of faculty and learners and become the measuring stick for determining competency. Assessments that measure whether learning objectives have been accomplished can only be selected or designed after learning objectives have been explicitly stated. A second purpose for learning objectives is to provide basis for the selection or design of instructional material, learning activities, and teaching/learning strategies. When faculty do not explicitly know where the class is going, it is difficult to select a suitable means for learners to get there. A third purpose of learning objectives is to provide learners a means to identify their efforts needed for their accomplishment of the learning objectives. When learners do not know where they are going, it is difficult for them to consider what they need to pack for the trip.
Components of a learning objective
Best practice components of a learning objective is for it to state an action verb, behavior, condition, standard, and why.
Example: By the end of this module, learners will be able todevelop measurable learning objectives for different levels of Bloom's Revised Taxonomy (2001) in the cognitive domain so they are able to build assessments that will measure mastery of the objective and select instructional materials and activities that support successful completion of the assessments.
The following table lists each key component of a learning objective, its purpose, and identifies it from the example. Note: While it is optimal to include a condition, standard, and why, it is not necessary or always feasible to include them in each learning objective.
Component
Purpose
Example
Action Verb
An action verb identifies the performance to be demonstrated by the learner and observed and measured by the instructor
In the example, the action verb is develop. The word develop associates with the higher order thinking skill of the "create" level of Bloom's Revised Taxonomy (2001).
Behavior
The behavior describes what learning will be gained. It specifies what knowledge or skill the learners will be expected to achieve.
In the example, the behavior is (write) measurable learning objectives.
Condition
The condition describes the tools, situations, settings, or restrictions under which the behavior will occur.
In the example, the condition is By the end of this module, learners will be able to . .
Standard
The standard defines the criterion for acceptable performance.
In the example, the standard is for different levels of Bloom's Revised Taxonomy (2001) in the cognitive domain.
Why
The why explains the purpose for acquiring the behavior (learning, knowledge or skill). Once learners understand the reason behind all of the assignment asks, they can then begin to generate intrinsic motivation for their own academic success.
In the example, the why is so they are able to build assessments that will measure mastery of the objective and select instructional materials and activities that support successful completion of the assessments.
Selecting an action verb using Bloom's Revised Taxonomy (2001)
Action verbs within the structure of learning objectives can be selected using taxonomies. In 1956, Benjamin Bloom collaborated with Max Englehart, Edward Furst, Walter Hill, and David Krathwohl to publish a framework of taxonomies for categorizing the educational goals of three learning domains: cognitive (knowledge or thinking), affective (feelings or emotions), and psychomotor (manual or physical skills) titled Taxonomy of Educational Objectives: The Classification of Educational Goals. The cognitive domain taxonomy has been a primary focus in education and is commonly known as Bloom's Taxonomy. Bloom's original cognitive domain taxonomy consisted of six major categories (nouns) with correlating action verbs presented as a spectrum of lower-order thinking skills (LOTS) to higher-order thinking skills (HOTS): knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. In 2001, Anderson and Krathwohl revised the original Bloom's Taxonomy by replacing the major category nouns with the action verbs and gerunds - remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, create. Bloom's Revised Taxonomy (2001) is the version of Bloom's Taxonomy widely used in education today.
Common mistakes
The following table provides common mistakes that hinder the effectiveness of learning objectives and provides both poorly written examples and well-written examples to illustrate the difference.
Common Mistakes
Poorly Written Examples
Well Written Examples
Unmeasurable
Learners will understand the importance of effective communication in the workplace.
"Understand" is not measurable.
Learners will demonstrate effective workplace communication skills to foster collaboration and career advancement within their chosen profession.
"Demonstrate" is measurable, for example in a mock business meeting. Includes the "why".
Too Verbose
Learners will, through the exploration and application of various theories within the field of environmental science, demonstrate their ability to apply these theories to a multitude of real-world situations related to ecological sustainability and conservation efforts.
Too wordy.
Learners will apply theories of environmental science to real-world situations, focusing on ecological sustainability and conservation efforts to meaningfully contribute to a more sustainable future.
Concise. Includes the "why".
Too inclusive
Learners will explain, implement, and evaluate the use of Bloom's Taxonomy in course design.
This objective necessitates the assessment of multiple action items - students explaining, implementing, and evaluating.
Learners will implement the use of Bloom's Taxonomy into the development of course and module learning objectives to be equipped to design effective educational experiences.
This objective only requires the assessment of one action item - students implementing. Includes the "why"
Vague
Learners will learn the concept of environmental sustainability.
Too vague.
Learners will analyze the impact of human activities on the environment using research to be enabled to make informed decisions in fostering a more sustainable planet.
Clear and specific. Includes the "why".
Misaligned
Course Learning Objective: Learners will construct sentences in French using correct grammar and punctuation.
Module Learning Objective: Learners will identify provinces in France on a map.
The MLO does not align with the CLO.
Course Learning Objective: Learners will construct sentences in French using correct grammar and punctuation to lay the foundation for effective communication in the language.
Module Learning Objective: Learners will conjugate verbs correctly in past tense.
The MLO aligns with the CLO. Includes the "why".
Tips
A good number of course learning objectives for a four to 16 week course (depending on the subject), can be four to six. It is not necessary to create a CLO for every piece of knowledge in a course.
Use one action verb per course or module learning objective. Using multiple verbs in the same objective necessitates assessing multiple action items.
Ensure module learning objectives align to but are more specific than course learning objectives. Module learning objectives should support course learning objectives by focusing on learning at lower and more detailed levels than course learning objectives.
Supplemental resources
The Bloom's Taxonomy Verbs PDF provided by Future Focused Learning provides action verbs for each category of the cognitive domain taxonomy. Some of the words in this list are action verbs not typically included in the more traditional listings.
The Learning Objectives Wheel Webpage by Stony Brook University Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) offers an interactive wheel where the darkest blue indicates the category, medium blue indicates associated action verbs, and lightest blue indicates associated teaching strategies. A side panel also offers category appropriate assessments and subject matter examples.
Revised Bloom's Taxonomy Webpage by Iowa State University Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching. This webpage offers responsive, flash, and PDF versions of Bloom's Revised Taxonomy (2001). In addition it also describes the knowledge dimension Anderson and Krathwohl added to the revised version and offers additional recommended resources.
Developing Student Learning Outcomes Statements Webpage by Georgia Tech Office of Academic Effectiveness. This webpage provides links to two free outcome generators that are designed to walk you through the process of developing measurable outcome statements. It also offers a checklist that can be used to evaluate the quality of your student learning outcomes.
The written information and resources are developed or curated by the
Faculty Development and Innovation Center
phone 217-581-7051 :: email fdic@eiu.edu :: web eiu.edu/fdic
Contact the FDIC for instructional design related questions or to schedule a consultation appointment. The FDIC staff can recommend instructional design strategies for your online, hybrid, and face-to-face courses.
