"Objective-—A statement of what the learners will be expected to do when they have completed a specified course of instruction, stated in terms of observable performances; also known as performance objective, behavioral objective, and instructional objective." —Dick, Carey, and Carey (2015).
So what does this definition of objective mean? Written properly, the objective guides the instructional designer in their development of instructional strategy, content and assessments; done poorly the instructional designer will struggle to develop effective training. Benjamin Bloom developed a way to distinguish the different classifications of objectives in an attempt to assist teachers in their ability to write effective learning objectives, his development is known as Bloom's Taxonomy. For the purpose of this blog I will stay focused on the cognitive domain of Bloom's Taxonomy.
So what does this definition of objective mean? Written properly, the objective guides the instructional designer in their development of instructional strategy, content and assessments; done poorly the instructional designer will struggle to develop effective training. Benjamin Bloom developed a way to distinguish the different classifications of objectives in an attempt to assist teachers in their ability to write effective learning objectives, his development is known as Bloom's Taxonomy. For the purpose of this blog I will stay focused on the cognitive domain of Bloom's Taxonomy.
There are six levels to the cognitive domain of Bloom's; knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Teachers and instructional designers use these different domains to help determine the verbs they use when writing their objectives. Before we get into the verbs of objectives we first need to discuss the three parts that make up an objective.
The following text was taken from Dick, Carey, & Carey, "The systematic design of instruction 8th Edition" They state that an objective contains the following three major parts:
The first part [of an objective] describes the skill identified in the instructional analysis, describing what the learner will be able to do. This component contains both the action and the content or concept. [Also known as the behavior.] | The second part of an objective describes the prevailing conditions while a learner carries out the task | The third part of an objective describes the criteria to be used to evaluate learner performance. |
Examples:
Examples provided from http://712educators.about.com/od/curriculumandlessonplans/tp/How-To-Avoid-Common-Mistakes-When-Writing-Learning-Objectives.htm
Weak Objectives:
| Strong Objectives:
|
The weak objective samples above may first appear to be acceptable objectives however they each have their flaws. The first objective was not directed towards the student, which the student is who the objectives are for. The student needs to know what their expectations are, "research has found that presenting an instructional objective to the student will influence the learning and retention of information" (Veronin & Patry, 2002). In the second example no criteria is presented leaving the instructor with no way to measure the students knowledge. The third example is too wordy, "the best learning objectives consist of simple action verbs and measurable outcomes" (Kelly).
Writing effective objectives is not as simple as it appears to be, in order to be effective you first have to perform a thorough analysis (see my previous post about the analysis phase for further information), from that analysis you should have developed your learning goals, your objectives will derive from these goals. Each phase of the ADDIE model depends on the previously completed phase, if one phase is lacking in information the entire process will suffer. So don't be afraid to take your time when writing objectives, get a second opinion, revise, re-write, etc., whatever you have to do to ensure you are setting yourself (or another instructional designer) up for success in the remaining phases.
Writing effective objectives is not as simple as it appears to be, in order to be effective you first have to perform a thorough analysis (see my previous post about the analysis phase for further information), from that analysis you should have developed your learning goals, your objectives will derive from these goals. Each phase of the ADDIE model depends on the previously completed phase, if one phase is lacking in information the entire process will suffer. So don't be afraid to take your time when writing objectives, get a second opinion, revise, re-write, etc., whatever you have to do to ensure you are setting yourself (or another instructional designer) up for success in the remaining phases.
Helpful Resources:
Bloom's Taxonomy Verb Sample
How to Avoid Common Mistakes When Writing Learning Objectives
Instructional Objectives: What They Are; What They Aren't
Bloom's Taxonomy Verb Sample
How to Avoid Common Mistakes When Writing Learning Objectives
Instructional Objectives: What They Are; What They Aren't
References
14 Bloom's Taxonomy Posters for Teachers. Retrieved from: http://www.teachthought.com/learning/14-brilliant-blooms-taxonomy-posters-for-teachers/
Dick, W., Carey, L., Carey, J., (2015). The systematic design of instruction (8th Ed). Boston: Pearson
Kelly, M., How to avoid common mistakes when writing learning objectives Retrieved from: http://712educators.about.com/od/curriculumandlessonplans/tp/How-To-Avoid-Common-Mistakes-When-Writing-Learning-Objectives.htm
Veronin, M. A., & Patry, R. (2002). Instructional Objectives: What They Are, What They Aren't. Pharmacy Education, 1(4), 207-213.
14 Bloom's Taxonomy Posters for Teachers. Retrieved from: http://www.teachthought.com/learning/14-brilliant-blooms-taxonomy-posters-for-teachers/
Dick, W., Carey, L., Carey, J., (2015). The systematic design of instruction (8th Ed). Boston: Pearson
Kelly, M., How to avoid common mistakes when writing learning objectives Retrieved from: http://712educators.about.com/od/curriculumandlessonplans/tp/How-To-Avoid-Common-Mistakes-When-Writing-Learning-Objectives.htm
Veronin, M. A., & Patry, R. (2002). Instructional Objectives: What They Are, What They Aren't. Pharmacy Education, 1(4), 207-213.