Learning Objectives: Making
Sure it Links
Kimberly K. Daugherty, Pharm.D., BCPS
Assoicate Professor and Assistant Dean of Academic
Affairs and Assessment
SU Faculty Retreat
November 2012
Objectives
• Given an audience and topic, the audience will
be able to:
– Explain the difference between a goal and an
objective
– Discuss how to write learner centered objectives
and the role they plan in lesson planning
– Discuss how Bloom’s taxonomy is used to write
learner centered objectives in the following
domains: cognitive, psychomotor, and affective.
Lesson Plan
• Difference between a goal and an objective (5
minutes)
• Components of a learner centered objective
and their role in lesson planning (5 minutes)
• How Bloom’s taxonomy is used to write
learner centered objectives in the following
domains: (50 minutes)
– Cognitive
– Psychomotor
– Affective
How To Write Learner-Centered
Goals and Objectives
Goals Versus Objectives
• Goals
– Complex, multifaceted learning outcomes
– Encompasses several specific objectives
– Broadly stated
– Provides future vision
– Out of reach but attainable
Davis, B.G. (1993). Tools for Teaching. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.; Gronlund, NE (2000). How to
write and use instructional objectives. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.; Woolfolk, A. (2001).
Educational psychology: 8th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon
Goals Versus Objectives
• Objectives
– Greater specificity
– Focus is narrow and discrete
– Integration of teaching, learning, and assessment
– Focus attention
– Clearly describe what you want students to learn
Davis, B.G. (1993). Tools for Teaching. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.; Gronlund, NE (2000). How to
write and use instructional objectives. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.; Woolfolk, A. (2001).
Educational psychology: 8th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon
Example of Goal vs Objective
•
Goal
–
•
Develop and implement population-specific, evidencebased care programs based upon analysis of
epidemiologic and pharmacoeconomic data, medication
use criteria, medication use review, and risk reduction
strategies.
Objective
–
–
Define epidemiology
Explain the steps in the evidence-based public health
process.
Why Write Goals And Objectives?
• Identify what you expect to teach your audience
• Clarify your expectations in your mind and focus
preparation of the material
• Alert the audience to what is important
• Delineate what you expect people to be able to do
after your presentation
• Communication to what level you expect your
audience to have learned a skill or process
Davis, B.G. (1993). Tools for Teaching. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.; Gronlund, NE (2000). How to
write and use instructional objectives. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.; Woolfolk, A. (2001).
Educational psychology: 8th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon
When Writing Objectives
• Be REALISTIC about the number of objectives
you can really TEACH, and at what level, in the
time you have available to speak.
• Always write your objectives before you write
your speech. Your objectives should guide
your talk not the other way around.
Writing Learner-centered Goals and
Objectives
• Clear goals and objectives are the STARTING
POINT for all of your planning
• It’s not about YOU, its about THEM
Clear
Goals and
Objectives
Learning Objectives
• Learning objectives contain:
– A condition under which learning occurs
– Given a case, given a set of criteria…
– An action (based on Bloom’s taxonomy level of
learning) that will demonstrate learning
– Describe, diagram, recognize,…
– A performance criterion (when appropriate)
– With 85% accuracy, brief, appropriate for
time allotted, …
Bloom’s Taxonomy
• Classification system for writing objectives
• Affective domain
– Feeling, attitudes
• Psychomotor domain
– Doing, skills
• Cognitive domain
– Knowing, thinking
Bloom, 1956.; Anderson LW, et al. (2001). A taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assessing: A
revision of Bloom’s taxonomy of education objectives. NY, NY: Longman.
Bloom’s Taxonomy
Level of Learning
Verb to Identify the Level
(Cognitive Domain)
1. Recognition (Know)
List, state, identify
2. Understanding
Describe, diagram the components
of, show, give an example of
3. Explanation
(Use)
4. Analysis
(Examine)
5. Synthesis
(Create)
6. Evaluation
(Judge)
Explain, define, interpret, discuss,
demonstrate the relationship between
Compare, contrast, differentiate,
analyze, determine, discern
Create, set up, summarize
Choose, evaluate, rank order, show
the significance of, justify
Bloom’s Taxonomy
Level of Learning
Verb to Identify the Level
(Psychomotor Domain)
1. Perception
Detect, hear, listen
2. Set
Sit, stand, Place hands, arms, etc.
3. Guided Response
Copy, duplicate, practice
4. Mechanism
Complete with confidence, conduct,
execute
5. Complete Overt Response
Control, excel, act habitually
6. Adaptation
Adapts, reorganizes, alters
7. Organization
Designs, originates, combines
Bloom’s Taxonomy
Level of Learning
Verb to Identify the Level
(Affective Domain)
1. Receiving
Accept, acknowledge, be aware
2. Responding
Agree to, answer freely, assist, care
for
3. Valuing
Adopt, assume responsibility,
choose, commit
4. Organization
Adapt, adjust, arrange, balance
5. Internalizing
Act upon, defend, advocate
When Writing, Remember….
• Analyze your audience FIRST to guide your
decision on goals and objectives.
• Be REALISTIC about the number of objectives
you can really TEACH, and at what level, in the
time you have available to speak.
• ALWAYS write you goals and objectives FIRST
(before you write your speech).
Starting
point
Objective Activity 1
• Work in groups of to write 2-3 learning
objectives for a lecture or talk you will be
doing in the next few months. (10 minutes)
• Share objectives with audience (10 minutes)
Questions