How To Write Measurable Learning Objectives

From UNC Charlotte

From ECLearn.

Objectives, unlike goal statements, are detailed descriptions of what students will be able to do by the end of a learning activity.

• They are related to intended outcomes, rather than the process for achieving those outcomes.

• They are specific and measurable, rather than broad and intangible.

• They are concerned with students, not teachers.

Writing Objectives

A learning objective contains three major components:

1. The skill or behavior to be performed.

This component of the objective should contain an action verb relevant to the domain of the activity (cognitive, psycho-motor or effective). It’s important to stay away from generic verbs such as “understand” or “know” in your objectives. These aren’t measurable, no one can really create an assessment tool that measures “understanding” or “knowing,” but an assessment tool can measure whether a student can "explain, list, define, outline, paraphrase, differentiate," etc.

An example:

Course Goal: "Students will develop and demonstrate proficiency in writing and verbal skills."
Course Objective: "Write and produce a historical analysis video."

1. The conditions under which the student will perform the skill/demonstrate knowledge.

In addition to including an action verb, you must indicate the conditions under which the student will need to demonstrate their knowledge or skills.

Course Objective: "At the completion of the Battle of Gettysburg module, students will write and produce a 3-minute historical analysis video."

1. The Criteria used to Measure Performance

We still need to add information to our objective because we haven't yet told the student how we are going to measure success.

Course Objective: "At the completion of the Battle of Gettysburg module, students will write and produce a 3-minute historical analysis video with a rubric rating of 80 out of 100."

Objectives for learning can be grouped into three major domains: cognitive, psychomotor, and affective. Benjamin S. Bloom and his associates developed a six-level taxonomy for cognitive domain from the lowest level knowledge to more complex intellectual levels comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. A newer version of Bloom's Taxonomy puts creating as the most complex learning activity that can be performed to show one's learning mastery.

Cognitive domain:

The domain that receives the most attention in instructional programs is the cognitive domain. It includes the objectives related to knowledge or information, naming, solving, predicting, and other intellectual aspects of learning. 

Sample Verbs For Learning Objectives

Psychomotor domain:

The second category for grouping instructional objectives is psychomotor domain. It encompasses the skills that require the use and coordination of skeletal muscles. Psychomotor behaviors are easier to observe, describe, and measure than cognitive or affective behaviors.

Skills Verbs 

Affective domain:

The third category of affective domain encompasses attitudes, appreciations, values, and emotions – although highly important in education, the hardest to assess the student. The levels of affective domain form a continuum from simple awareness and acceptance to internalization, as attires become part of an individual’s practicing value system.

Attitudinal Verbs

MORE INFO: 

• Bloom’s Taxonomy for a list of action verbs (Links to an external site.)

• Action Verbs by Skill Categories

• Developed by Arizona State University: Objective Builder Tutorial (Links to an external site.) on how to create course learning objectives.