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What is a learning objective?
A learning objective is an outcome statement that captures
specifically what knowledge and skills learners should be able to
exhibit following instruction. A common misapplication
of objectives is for the teacher/presenter to state what he/she
is going to do (e.g., "My plan this morning is to talk about…"),
rather than what the student is expected to be able to do (e.g.,
"After this session, you should be able to…").
Why have learning objectives?
Creating clear learning objectives during the planning process of
a teaching session or presentation serves the following purposes:
- Helps learners integrate new material with existing knowledge.
- Serves to connect content, assessment, and learning.
- Gives learners a clear picture of what to expect and what's expected
of them
- Forms the basis for evaluating teacher, learner, and curriculum
effectiveness
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What are the key components of a
learning objective?
Learning objectives should be "SMART:"
Specific
Measurable
Attainable for target audience
within scheduled time and specified conditions
Relevant and results-oriented
Targeted to the learner and
to the desired level of learning
How do I create a useful
learning objective?
To create specific, measurable, and results-oriented objectives:
- It's helpful to finish the sentence, "After
this session, you should be able to…"
- Start with an observable action word that
captures what the learner should be able to do (see examples in
Table 1 of ).
- Avoid ill-defined terms that are open to
variable interpretation (e.g., understand, learn, grasp); use
instead terms that describe directly observable behaviors (see
Table 1 of ).
- When necessary, specify criteria concerning
expected standard of performance (e.g., "Describe a mechanism
in support of your patient management plan from the organ system
down to the level of cells and molecules.").
To create attainable learning objectives:
- Consider the beginning
level of understanding/skill of your learners and craft your objective
to move them to the next level.
- Consider and specify
the conditions under which the performance will take place (e.g.,
"On a written exam, describe…" or "With an
actual patient, demonstrate…")
- Limit number of objectives
to major learning points you would like learners to walk away
with.
To create objectives targeted to the audience
and desired level of learning/thinking:
- Ask yourself whether you want learners to be able to know, comprehend,
apply, analyze, synthesize, or evaluate. These outcomes represent
progressively higher levels of thinking.
- Match your action verb to the desired level (see Table 3 in
the ).
- Match learning objective with appropriate presentational strategy
(see Table 2 in the ).
©Teacher & Educational Development,
University of New Mexico School of Medicine, 2002 |
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