Learning objectives are explicit statements that provide a context for what will be learned.  They are based on measureable goals or outcomes.  In the absence of a test to measure what learning occurs during an educational activity, providers of education cannot legitimately claim that attendees will learn or understand the information present. 

There are discipline-specific (knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors) and non-discipline-specific (communication and presentation skills, moral values, ethics) objectives.  Objectives can help students clarify their personal goals for a course and give them a framework against which to measure their success.  Articulated objectives can reduce student anxiety and improve a student's studying effectiveness.  Objectives need to be organized so they are useful to the students and the instructor. To accomplish this, objectives need to be written as student outcome statements. 
 
Within the ADDIE model for professional development (Analysis/Design/Development/Implementation/Evaluation) writing the learning objectives is where the design and development of educational program begins.  Once the designer established the desired outcomes, he or she can begin the development of a meaningful educational experience.

According to Bob Diamond in Designing and Improving Courses and Curricula in Higher Education (p. 131), objectives must be written to answer the question, "What must the student do to prove that she/he has succeeded?" or "What should a student be able to do as a consequence of instruction"?  This means writing statements that are clear, concise, and concrete (open to limited interpretation.)

When objectives are written in this way, they can be used to evaluate whether student outcomes are met and whether the instructor successfully taught the material.



Use Verb(s) that Describes an Observable Action
A description of the conditions under which this action takes place ("When given x, you will be able to...")

The level of acceptable performance (i.e., what percentage of correct answers will be considered acceptable, how many errors will be permitted, how many and which examples must be included, and so on)

Click here to find a page of sample action verbs.



Writing the Learning Objective
Based on Robert Magar’s behavioral objectives, write the learning objective in outcome-based language:

• Performance to be completed (2)
• Under what condition (1)
• Against what criterion (3)

Preparing Instructional Objectives Fearon, 1961.



Sample Learning Objective
“Using1 the ANSI A108/A118/A136-1999 American National Standard Specifications for the installation of ceramic tile, the participant will be able to research, evaluate, and select appropriate2 bonding and grouting materials for successful3 tile installation.”



Your Turn!  Write a Learning Objective

Performance to be completed:


Under what condition:


Against what criterion:

NEXT: Learn to write more advanced learning objectives.