Start your course design with the end in mind. This principle, derived from backward design, emphasizes the importance of clearly defining your destination – what you want your students to achieve. Once you know where you want your students to be at the end of a lesson, module, or course, it becomes much easier to plan how to get them there and how to assess their progress. This process begins with crafting effective learning objectives.
Learning objectives, also known as learning outcomes, are specific statements that describe what students should be able to do upon successful completion of instruction. They are distinct from broader learning goals, providing concrete, measurable criteria to evaluate student achievement. Think of learning goals as the overarching aspirations for student learning, and learning objectives as the stepping stones to reach those goals. For instance:
- Learning Goal: “Students will understand the principles of effective communication.”
- Learning Objective: “Students will be able to apply effective communication strategies in written and oral presentations.”
Notice how the learning objective is more specific and action-oriented, making it easier to assess student understanding.
Revised Bloom
The Benefits of Clearly Defined Learning Objectives
Well-crafted learning objectives offer significant advantages for both instructors and students:
For Instructors, Learning Objectives Serve as a Compass: They guide the entire instructional design process. Learning objectives ensure that assessments are fair and aligned with course goals, content selection is purposeful, teaching activities are targeted, and technology integration is meaningful. By focusing on Learning Objectives Examples, instructors can ensure every element of the course contributes to student learning.
For Students, Learning Objectives Act as a Map: They provide a clear roadmap of the course, showing students exactly where they are headed and what is expected of them to succeed. Students can use learning objectives to direct their study efforts, monitor their progress, and understand the criteria for success in each lesson, unit, or semester. Seeing concrete learning objectives examples helps students understand what mastery looks like.
What Makes a Learning Objective Effective? The SMART Criteria
To maximize their effectiveness, learning objectives should be student-centered and focused on observable outcomes. A helpful prompt to ensure this student focus is: “Upon successful completion of this course/module/unit, students will be able to ____.”
Furthermore, effective learning objectives are often described as SMART:
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Specific: A good learning objective narrows down a broad topic into manageable components. It clearly defines the desired outcomes related to these specific areas. Instead of “understand marketing,” a specific objective might be “identify the key components of a marketing plan.”
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Measurable: Learning objectives must provide a basis for evaluation. While internal changes in students (like shifts in perspective or new knowledge) are important, instructors must rely on external, observable indicators to assess student progress. Therefore, learning objectives should use action verbs that describe observable behaviors. Avoid verbs like “learn,” “understand,” “know,” or “feel,” and instead opt for verbs like “describe,” “analyze,” “apply,” or “evaluate.” Thinking about learning objectives examples, consider how you would assess if a student has met the objective.
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Achievable: Objectives should be realistic and attainable given the course resources, timeframe, student background, and readiness. The cognitive level of the objective should be appropriate for the course level (e.g., introductory vs. advanced). For instance, expecting freshmen to “create a novel research methodology” might not be achievable, while “critique existing research methodologies” could be.
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Result-oriented: Objectives should focus on the outcomes of learning, not just the process or activities. Instead of saying “complete a research paper,” a result-oriented objective would be “analyze research data and draw evidence-based conclusions.” The focus is on the demonstrable result of the activity – the skills or knowledge gained. Learning objectives examples often highlight the result of the learning process.
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Time-bound: While not always necessary, specifying a timeframe can be helpful, especially in modular or unit-based courses. This helps clarify when students are expected to achieve the objective. For example, “By the end of this week, students will be able to…” This aspect is less critical for overarching course objectives but can be useful for breaking down learning into manageable chunks.
Let’s revisit our earlier example and evaluate it against the SMART criteria:
Learning Objective: “Students will be able to describe the scientific methods and provide examples of its application.”
- Specific – Yes, it focuses on “scientific methods.”
- Measurable – “Describe” and “provide examples” are observable and measurable actions.
- Achievable – Likely achievable for an introductory science course.
- Result-oriented – Focuses on the results: describing and providing examples.
- Time-bound – Implicitly time-bound to the unit or course duration.
Step-by-Step Guide: How to Write Effective Learning Objectives with Examples
Writing strong learning objectives involves a structured approach:
Step 1: Identify the Object of Learning
Begin by pinpointing the core knowledge, skills, attitudes, or abilities students should acquire. Consider:
- Example (Physics): Fundamental principles of thermodynamics.
- Example (History): Analyzing primary source documents from the Cold War.
- Example (Communication): Effective presentation techniques.
Step 2: Determine the Desired Level of Mastery
This is where Bloom’s Taxonomy becomes invaluable. Bloom’s Taxonomy outlines different levels of cognitive complexity, from basic recall (Remembering) to higher-order thinking skills like evaluation and creation (Evaluating and Creating). Choose action verbs that align with the desired level of mastery for your course.
- Example (Physics – continued): Apply the principles of thermodynamics. (Application level)
- Example (History – continued): Critique primary source documents. (Evaluation level)
- Example (Communication – continued): Deliver effective presentations. (Applying/Creating level)
Refer to Bloom’s Taxonomy (as shown in the image above) to select appropriate action verbs. For lower-level objectives, verbs like “define,” “list,” or “identify” are suitable. For higher-level objectives, use verbs like “analyze,” “design,” “evaluate,” or “create.”
Step 3: Complete the Learning Objective Statement
Combine the object of learning (from Step 1) and the action verb (from Step 2) to form a complete learning objective statement.
- Example (Physics – complete): Students will be able to apply fundamental principles of thermodynamics to solve real-world engineering problems.
- Example (History – complete): Students will be able to critique primary source documents from the Cold War, considering factors such as author bias and historical context.
- Example (Communication – complete): Students will be able to deliver effective presentations using appropriate visual aids and engaging delivery techniques.
Step 4: Refine and Review Your Learning Objectives
Use a checklist or set of guiding questions to review and refine your learning objectives. Consider:
- Is the objective student-centered?
- Is it clear and unambiguous?
- Is it measurable and observable?
- Is it achievable and realistic for your students?
- Does it focus on the desired learning outcome?
For example, you might refine:
- Initial Objective: “Students will understand essay writing.” (Too broad and unmeasurable)
- Revised Objective: “Students will be able to construct well-organized essays with clear thesis statements and supporting evidence.” (More specific, measurable, and outcome-oriented)
Implementing Learning Objectives: Alignment is Key
Even the most meticulously written learning objectives will be ineffective if they are not aligned with the course’s content, activities, and assessments. Alignment ensures that every component of your course works together to support student learning and allows you to accurately assess whether students are meeting the stated objectives.
Example of Misalignment:
- Learning Objective: Students will be able to compare and contrast qualitative and quantitative research methods.
- Assessment: Write a 500-word essay describing the features of qualitative and quantitative research methods.
In this case, the assessment only requires description, not the higher-level skill of comparison and contrast stated in the learning objective.
Example of Good Alignment:
- Learning Objective: Students will be able to analyze features and limitations of various sampling procedures and research methodologies.
- Assessment: Complete a comparison chart assignment that analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of different sampling procedures and research methodologies in given scenarios.
Here, the assessment directly requires students to use the analytical skills stated in the learning objective.
By focusing on learning objectives examples and ensuring alignment throughout your course design, you create a learning environment that is clear, purposeful, and effective for your students. Remember, starting with the end in mind – your learning objectives – is the cornerstone of effective instructional design.
References
- Anderson, L.W., & Krathwohl, D.R. (Eds.). (2001). A taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assessing: A revision of Bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives. New York: Longman.
- Melton, R. (1997). Objectives, Competencies and Learning Outcomes: Developing Instructional Materials in Open and Distance Learning. London, UK: Kogan Page.
- Wiggins, G. P., & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
