The Office of Faculty Relations and Professional Development.

Guide Objectives

As a result of completing this guide, you will be able to:

• Differentiate a learning goal from a learning objective
• Recognize the purpose for writing learning objectives
• Identify the components of a learning objective

A goal is a broad statement of learning outcomes (knowledge, skills, behaviors and
attitudes) that students are expected to exhibit.

• A goal has multiple learning objectives.
• A goal statement should start with "The purpose of this course is..." or " The aim of this course is.."

 For example:
The purpose of the human anatomy course is to help first-year students develop foundational knowledge
of the general anatomy and development of the human body.

An objective is:

• A clearly written, specific statement of observable student knowledge comprehension, application, analysis, skills or behavior that can be measured.
• Objectives help reach the overall learning goal.
• A well-planned program/course/session will have objectives, assessment and instructional strategies aligned.

Learning objectives help learners to,

• Identify your expectations of the learners
• Clarify desired outcomes that will be measured

• Program Objectives - Overall statement of the knowledge, skills, behaviors and attitudes that students are expected to exhibit as a result of participating in a particular degree program (i.e MD program, PharmD program)
• Course Objectives- Overall statements of the knowledge, skills, behaviors and attitudes that students are expected to exhibit as a result of completing a course (i.e. Physiology, Neurology, Human Values in Medicine)
• Session Objectives - Overall statements of the knowledge, skills, behaviors and attitudes that students are expected to exhibit as a result of attending a teaching interaction (i.e. a lecture, a workshop, a lab)
• Remember, Program Objectives should guide the Course Objectives. Course Objectives should guide the Session Objectives.

Instructional Objectives reflect what the instructor intends to accomplish

Example:

In today’s lecture, I will,

• Review the basic embryological processes associated with the development of the various components and systems of the human body using anatomical models.

Learning Objectives reflect what the learner should know or be able to do at the end of a learning experience.

Example:
At the completion of this lecture, students will be able to:

• Define the basic embryological processes associated with the development of the various components and systems of the human body.

Before you decide the course content:

• Define your learning objectives
• Plan your assessment strategies (i.e. measurement strategies to ensure learning has occurred)
• Identify instructional strategies to help foster student learning

Start with the stem:
By the end of the course, students will be able to...

Follow with the statement:

• Use an action verb (helps with measuring the outcome) followed by content
• If multiple objectives list them as bulleted list

Example:
At the conclusion of today's lecture, students will be able to,

• Explain the pathophysiological symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of a patient with chronic kidney disease.

Follow the ABCD Model:

• Audience - Define your target Learners
• Behavior - Use an action verb to explain that the learners would do as a result of the course
• Condition - Define the required conditions to​ perform the task
• Degree - Define the criteria for assessing​ performance

Bloom's taxonomy of cognitive domains describes different levels of learning. It provides a simple framework to guide educators write learning objectives.

Bloom's Taxonomy: Cognitive Domains

• Appreciate
• Approach
• Become
• Believe
• Grasp the significance of
• Grow
• Improve
• Increase
• Know
• Learn
• Think critically
• Understand

• Learning objectives are not learning activities (i.e. what occurs during the instruction)
• When writing learning objectives, ask, "Is this what I want the students to be able to do at the end of my teaching?"
• If you are delivering a one hour lecture, keep your learning objectives to maximum of 3 or 4 objectives
• Keep your objectives simple, specific, and, measurable