Learning Objectives vs. Learning Goals
• Difference between Objectives and Goals
• Importance of Learning Objectives
• Writing quality Learning Objectives
Brandy Close, M. Ed.
Office of Educational Development
Learning Objectives: what we already know
• Learning involves students
acquiring new skills and
knowledge
• Objectives provide an aim or
direction for the learning
A Learning Objective describes a direction for a student acquiring the new skills or knowledge
Learning Objectives vs. Learning Goals
As a result of attending this session, you will be able to:
•
•
•
•
Differentiate a learning goal from a learning objective
Identify the components of a learning objective
Recognize the purpose for writing learning objectives
Create well-constructed learning objectives
What is a Learning Objective?
A Learning Objective is a clearly written, specific statement of
observable student behaviors that can be measured and contributes
to reaching the learning goals.
Example:
At the conclusion of the CPS small group session, students will be able to:
• Explain the pathophysiological symptom, diagnosis, and treatment of a
patient with asthma
Why are Learning Objectives Important?
Providing students with Learning Objectives:
• Describes what you value and expect them to be able to do (content selection)
• Specifies your desired outcomes that will be measured (instructional strategy)
• Assesses the student’s performance as well as the course
instruction (evaluation connection)
The Difference: Goal, Instructional
Objective, Learning Objective?
GOAL: broad statement of learning outcomes
The Clinical Problem Solving course is designed to help first year students develop
effective skills in symptom recognition and differential diagnosis.
Instructional Objective: specific statement of teacher-centered performance
In the CPS small group sessions, the first year student will be asked to analyze and
discuss a case, the evidence of symptoms, and provide a diagnosis.
Learning Objective: specific statement of student-centered performance
Given a set of clinical data, the first year student in CPS small groups will be utilize a
hypothesis to compose research questions.
What is the difference between a
Learning Objective and a Goal?
A Goal is a broad statement of
expected learning outcome of a
course
The Clinical Problem Solving course is designed to help first
year students develop effective skills in symptom
recognition and differential diagnosis.
A Learning Objective is a specific
statement of observable student
behaviors that can be measured and
contributes to achieving the goal.
Given a set of clinical data, the first year student in CPS
small groups will be able to state a hypothesis and
compose research questions.
A Goal has multiple Learning Objectives
Learning Objectives
GOAL
The Clinical Problem
Solving course is
designed to help first
year students develop
effective skills in
symptom recognition
and differential
diagnosis.
At the end of the small group session, students will
be able to:
•
analyze a case
•
evaluate historical data to determine a
differential diagnosis
•
write a report with a differential diagnosis
and evidence to support it
•
interpret lab results to confirm diagnosis
•
apply knowledge acquired through analysis
to determine treatment options
Writing Your Course Goal
A Goal is a broad statement of expected learning outcome of a course.
Name of your course: ______________________________________________
Your goal should start with: “The purpose of this course is…” or “The aim of this course is…”
At the conclusion of this course, what overall knowledge or skills will the student have
gained?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Write the goal of your course:
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
How to Write a Learning Objective
• Focus on student behavior- identify the
concept you want the students to learn
and how they will perform or
demonstrate their understanding
• Identify the level of knowledge (Bloom’s
Taxonomy) at which you expect students
to preform- align with how a assessment
method
• Choose an action verb that is
measureable and observable to describe
the student behavior
• Indicate the condition under which the
action will be observed- ex: given a
certain environment…
The Format of a Learning Objective
The Stem: “By the end of this course students will be able to: ”
The Statement: bulleted statements beginning with an action verb
followed by content
Example:
By the end of this course students will be able to:
• Differentiate a goal from a learning objective
• Recognize the reasons for writing a learning objective
• Identify components of a learning objective
Writing Your Learning Objectives
A Learning Objective is a specific statement of student-centered performance.
Complete this statement for your course with one learned behavior:
By the end of this course, the student will be able to:
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Make a list of three learned behaviors they need to accomplish the above learned behavior:
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
How to Write Learning Objectives
Follow the ABCD model:
A. Audience- describes the targeted students (students in the
course)
A. Behavior- provides an action verb with content (What will they
do?- Verbs such as “know & understand” do not describe a
performance)-Bloom’s Taxonomy
A. Condition- defines the requirements needed to perform the task
(What do they need in order to perform the objective?-materials,
class setting-small groups, clinical site, etc.)
A. Degree- gives the criteria fro assessing performance (How well
will they need to perform the behavior)
How are Learning Objectives Linked to
Assessment?
Design- evaluations to
measure the performance
of the LO
Assessment
measures
the learning
objective
Modify/ReImplement- revise
assessment based on analysis
and re-implement new
assessment
Choose- data
collection procedures
and analyze results.
Developmeasurement criteria and
methods based on what is
written in the LO’s
Select-
evaluation
tools that best serve your
methods (tests, quizzes,
essays, small group
activities, etc.)
Summary
• Writing learning objectives allows the instructor to select the content,
develop the instructional strategy, assess the student performance, and
evaluate the instruction.
• A Learning Objective is a clearly written, specific statement of
observable student behaviors that can be measured and contributes
to reaching the learning goals.
• Learning objectives combine action verbs with content to describe a
desired student behavior
• The ABCD formula for writing learning objectives provides an easy model
to follow for effective learning objectives
Questions???