How do you identify learning objectives? (2023)

If goals describe your hopes, wishes, and aims for a course (that is, the instructor perspective), then learning objectives articulate the specific, measurable things students will know and be able to do upon leaving your course (that is, the learner perspective).

If goals describe your hopes, wishes, and aims for a course (that is, the instructor perspective), then learning objectives articulate the specific, measurable things students will know and be able to do upon leaving your course (that is, the learner perspective).

Learning objectives should use action verbs.

Sample learning objectives for a math class might be: “State theorems” (implies memorization and recall) “Prove theorems” (implies applying knowledge) “Apply theorems to solve problems“ (implies applying knowledge)

Components of Learning Objectives

The most known components are those identified by an educational theorist Robert Marger. The major components are audience, condition, standards and behavior.

When displayed to students, learning objectives set student expectations, guide their learning processes, and help them focus their study time for the upcoming exam(s).

A well-constructed learning objective describes an intended learning outcome and contains three parts: 1) conditions under which the resulting behavior is to be performed, 2) an observable student behavior (such as a capability) that is attained, described in concrete terms, and 3) a criterion that shows how well the …

An effective learning objective should include the following 5 elements: who, will do, how much or how well, of what, by when. The mnemonic SMART—Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound—can be used to describe the elements of a well-written learning objective.

A well-written objective will have four parts, it will state the audience (students), provide a measurable and observable behavior, and describe the circumstances, and describe the degree in which students will perform.

Learning objectives or targets are statements that define what students are expected to learn. Since the early 1990s the term standards has been used to designate what students should learn at different grade levels in each subject.

A good learning objective, for example, seeks to demonstrate the actions that learners successfully perform – List (Remember), Classify (Understand), Use (Apply), Categorize (Analyze), Appraise (Evaluate), and Produce (Create) – upon completing a unit of learning.

The revised Bloom’s taxonomy is one of the most helpful tools for framing learning objectives. It divides the learning process into six categories: remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, create.

The ABCD method of writing objectives is an excellent way to structure instructional objectives. In this method, “A” is for audience, “B” is for behavior, “C” for conditions and “D” is for degree of mastery needed.

Learning goals and objectives generally describe what an instructor, program, or institution aims to do, whereas, a learning outcome describes in observable and measurable terms what a student is able to do as a result of completing a learning experience (e.g., course, project, or unit).

Objectives should be specific, concise, observable, and measurable. Each learning objective should target one particular aspect of student performance and be expressed with a single action verb. There is a specific order according to which learners process information in a course.

What is clear is that three learning objectives is the minimum, but there can be as many as seven learning objectives per lesson. These objectives should be clear for the students and able to be evaluated following the lesson to ensure an understanding of the materials being taught.

Displaying learning objectives for your students can be done in different ways. Most teachers dedicate a section of their whiteboard for displaying the objectives for the lesson. They can be written in with a whiteboard marker or be printed on posters or strips.

Include: (a) who is involved, (b) what the desired outcomes are, (c) how progress will be measured, (d) when the outcome will occur and (e) the proficiency level. Then, put the pieces together into a sentence. Finally, use the provided checklist to ensure that the objectives contain all necessary components.

For example, the terms student learning objective, benchmark, grade-level indicator, learning target, performance indicator, and learning standard—to name just a few of the more common terms—may refer to specific types of learning objectives in specific educational contexts.

Objectives should be inspirational and easy to remember

Instead, start with improve, create, increase, maximize, grow, build, leverage, etc. Frame an Objective in positive language. For example, do “more” of something beneficial rather than cutting back on something negative.

The distinction between “learning goals” and “learning objectives” is actually pretty commonsensical: in this context goals generally refer to the higher-order ambitions you have for your students, while objectives are the specific, measurable competencies which you would assess in order to decide whether your goals …

For example, if you want to lose weight, your objective should be clear – like dropping 10 pounds in a week or maintaining your current weight for six months – while your outcome could be dropping 10 pounds in a week or maintaining your current weight for six months.