Writing Learning Outcomes: Use Appropriate Verbs!

VALERU VNIL training, module 3 – “Learning Outcomes and Assessment”
Writing Learning Outcomes:
Use Appropriate Verbs!
Verbs to avoid
Following verbs should be avoided because they are input-orientated or imprecise:
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Know
Learn
Understand
Be aware of
Appreciate
Become familiar with
Master
Achieve
Remember
Acquire
Examples for verbs to use: Key verbs for the cognitive domain 1
Remember(1)
Reproduce
Deduce
Recall
List
Enumerate
Identify
Rephrase
Name
Recognize
Repeat
Define
Understand(2)
Generalize
Prove
Describe
Report
Classify
Explain
Exemplify
Extrapolate
Conclude
Arrange
Illustrate
Categorize
Clarify
Contrast
Rephrase
Match
Predict
Represent
Translate
Sub-divide
Summarize
Apply(3)
Apply
Conduct
Determine
Operate
Execute
Implement
Transfer
Demonstrate
Employ
Analyse(4)
Separate
Analyse
Determine
Illustrate
Differentiate
Divide
Identify
Integrate
Relate
Organize
Structure
Distinguish
Connect
Evaluate(5)
Evaluate
Argue
Choose
Assess
Rate
Discuss
Estimate
Survey
Interpret
Criticise
Prioritize
Examine
Test
Judge
Create(6)
Design
Diagnose
Compose
Develop
Invent
Establish
Induce
Generate
Create
Hypothesize
Construct
Plan
Produce
Note: Some verbs may be applicable within more than one category!
1
Anderson, Lorin W.; Krathwohl, David R.; Airasian, Peter W.; u. a. (Hrsg.) (2000): A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching, and Assessing: A
Revision of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. Longman Publishing Group. — ISBN: 0321084055
Writing Learning Outcomes: Use Appropriate Verbs! by Baumgartner, P., Grundschober I.
is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
A statement of a learning objective contains a verb (an action) and an object (usually a noun).
• The verb generally refers to [actions associated with] the intended cognitive process.
• The object generally describes the knowledge students are expected to acquire
or construct. (Anderson and Krathwohl, 2001, pp. 4–5)
In this model, each of the colored blocks shows an example of a
learning objective that generally corresponds with each of the various
combinations of the cognitive process and knowledge dimensions.
Remember: these are learning objectives—not learning activities.
It may be useful to think of preceding each objective
with something like: “Students will be able to . . .”
Use
Integrate
howRecall orm
to perf
CPR.
Provide
Respond
to frequently asked
questions.
Summarize
features of a new
product.
List
primary and secondary
colors.
Check
for consistency among
sources.
Select
Classify
Recognize
Generate
a log of daily
activities.
the most complete list
of activities.
adhesives by
toxicity.
symptoms of
exhaustion.
Model created by: Rex Heer
Iowa State University
Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching
Updated January, 2012
Licensed under a Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
For additional resources, see:
www.celt.iastate.edu/teaching/RevisedBlooms1.html
high and low
culture.
advice to
novices.
a team of
experts.
relevance of
results.
Differentiate
pH tests of water
samples.
assembly
instructions.
Assemble
Determine
compliance with
regulations.
Clarify
strategies for retaining
information.
Judge
Carry out
one’s response to
culture shock.
Design
an efficient project
workflow.
efficiency of sampling
techniques.
one’s biases.
techniques that match
one’s strengths.
Identify
Reflect
on one’s
progress.
Deconstruct
Predict
*Anderson, L.W. (Ed.), Krathwohl, D.R. (Ed.),
Airasian, P.W., Cruikshank, K.A., Mayer, R.E.,
Pintrich, P.R., Raths, J., & Wittrock, M.C. (2001).
A taxonomy for learning, teaching, and
assessing: A revision of Bloom's Taxonomy of
Educational Objectives (Complete edition).
New York: Longman.
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an innovative learning
portfolio.