Writing objectives

Misha Mazhar
Medicare CON
 Outline
I. Definition and purpose
II. Process
III. Difference between standards/goals/ objectives
IV. The four components of objectives
V. Domains of learning objective
VI. Characteristics of objective
 Key Terms
• Learning is acquiring new knowledge, skills or values or modifying them.
Learning is change in behavior.
• Learning is a cognitive mental process. Education is process by which learning
occurs
• Learning objective is a clear, concise & specific statement of observable student
behaviors that can be evaluated at the conclusion of the learning activities &
contributes to reaching the goal.
• E.g. After the session of writing objectives, the participants will be able to develop
the objectives for their own course effectively.
 Objectives
• “Objectives are specific results that a teacher aims to achieve within a
time frame and with available resources”.
• Purpose
• Well- stated objectives help teachers clarify what they want their students
to learn.
• Using objectives, teachers can evaluate whether their students have
learned and whether their own teaching has worked.
 Process
• There are four major steps:
1. Decide on the learning outcomes
2. Break down the general outcomes into more specific objectives.
3. Next, figure out how you will assess the outcomes. What evidence you
will accept that students have achieved the understanding.
4. Plan the lessons and activities that will help students achieve those
outcomes.
 Difference between standards/ goals/
objectives
1. Specificity:
• Objectives are specific
• Standards include more general outcome statements
• Goals can be general or specific
 Difference between standards/ goals/
objectives
2. Long-term or short-term
• Objectives are considered to be short-term because they describe the
learning outcome expected in days, weeks, or months.
• Goals and standards describe learning outcomes expected to occur at the
end of a longer period of time – weeks, months, or years.
 Difference between standards/ goals/
objectives
3. Uses:
Objectives are used in lesson and activity plans. Goals are also found in
units of instruction. Standards are used in state or district curricula, or are set
by professional organizations.
 What is difference between Learning
objective and outcome
Learning outcome Learning objective
• The medical education course is • By the end of presentation of
designed to help health educators writing objectives, the participants
to develop necessary skills to lead will be able to develop objectives
educational enterprise through a for their own curriculum.
rapidly changing health sciences
environment.
OUTCOME Learning Objective
The Clinical At the end of the small group session, students
Problem Solving will be able to:
course is designed • analyze a case
to help first year • evaluate historical data to determine a
students develop differential diagnosis
effective skills in • write a report with a differential diagnosis and
symptom evidence to support it
recognition and • interpret lab results to confirm diagnosis
differential • apply knowledge acquired through analysis to
diagnosis determine treatment options
An outcome has
multiple
objectives
 The four components of objectives

1. Content
• This component describes the specific subject matter to be learned.
• Teachers should be specific enough that anyone reading the objective will
understand the subject matter.
• Teachers should be clear enough that the emphasis is on knowledge and
skills that are important.
 The four components of objectives

2. Behavior
• This component states what students will do to demonstrate their learning.
Examples of behavior include: Say, write, list, define, predict, compare,
select, etc.
• Objectives should involve only one or two required behaviors. Objectives
that include many behaviors make evaluation confusing.
 Cont.
• Teachers should include alternate behaviors (write, type, or say, for example) to allow
all students, including those with disabilities, to be successful.
• Teachers have to leave out nonessential or redundant behaviors. For example, «
Students will copy the sentences and circle all nouns ». Omit « copy the sentences ».
It has nothing to do with the skill of identifying nouns.
• Omit « be able to » as in the example, « the student will be able to make a speech …
» The phrase adds words but no meaning. Remember that the performance is
important, not an assumed ability or inability. ???
• Write objectives for what the students will do, not what the teacher will do.
 The four components of objectives

3. Conditions
• It is important to describe the conditions, circumstances, situation, or
setting in which the student will perform the behavior.
• These conditions provide additional specificity about what the student will
learn.
 The four components of objectives

4. Criterion
• This component describes how well the students should perform in order
to say that they have met the objective.
 Domains of Learning Objectives
• Cognitive (knowing)
• Psychomotor (doing)
• Affective (feeling)
 Domains of Learning Objectives

1. Cognitive Learning objectives

Student performance involves factual knowledge, comprehension,
application, analysis, synthesis & evaluation.
BLOOM’S TAXONOMY
 Domains of Learning Objectives
2. Psychomotor learning objective
Student performance involves using & coordinating the skeletal muscles including
vision, hearing, speech or sense of touch.
Laboratory skills • Operate the range of instrumentation specified in the module
safely and efficiently in laboratory.
Clinical Skills • Perform physical examination of outpatient setting. • Perform
extraction under supervision.
Presentation skills • Deliver an effective presentation.
Dave’s taxonomy
 Domains of Learning Objectives
3. Affective learning objective
Student performance involves specific attitudes, beliefs, emotions or role expectations.
Example
• Greet the patient.
• Communicate the procedure of Lumber Puncture to the patient effectively.
• Counsel a patient regarding prevention of dental caries effectively on daily basis.
• Perform LP in children with meningitis in a professional manner.
Characteristics of a meaningful objective
• Specific ( Concrete, detailed , well defined)
• Measureable ( numbers, quantity, comparison)
• Achievable ( feasible, actionable)
• Realistic ( considering resources)
• Time-bound( a defined time line)
 Activity
Read the following objectives and make a tick next to the ones that are
stated in behavioral terms.

• Understand the three phases of workshop development and develop

presentation skills
• Learn various types of sampling methods for agricultural surveys.
• To identify basic requirements and assess feasibility of structuring a
statistical register system by integrating several administrative registers.
• Feel confident in their ability to facilitate a training session.
• Know the characteristics of administrative registers and be familiar with
methods for developing statistical registers.
 Writing Learning Objectives on A+B+C+D
Format
Letter Component Task
A Audience Describes the targeted students in the course

B Behavior Provides an action verb with content

C Condition Defines the requirement needed to perform the
task
D Degree Gives the criterion for assessing the
performance
 A
• A = Who will perform the learning objective?
• Identify the target audience
• Course = Title, session
• Student = 1st,2nd,3rd,4th year
• E.g.
A = Audience = final year student in surgery course
 B
• B = what will they do ?
• Behavior = Action Verb + content
• E.g.
B = Behavior = Perform physical examination
 C
• C = what do they need ?
• Conditions = Requirements for learning Small group, clinical site,
computers
• E.g.
C = Condition = small group session / OPD/ Ward
 D
• D = How well they need to perform ?
• Degree = criteria for assessing performance
• D = Degree =effectively,3 sources/reasons/causes, 100%accuracy,as per
guidelines
• E.g.
Report 2 literature sources , List 3 causes
 By the end of this
C = Condition = small group session / OPD/ Ward

A = Audience = final year student in surgery

course
Will be able to

B = Behavior = Perform physical examination

D = Degree = effectively, 3 sources/causes/reasons

100%accuracy,as per UHS guidelines
By the end of this presentation the
participants will be able to develop the
objectives of cognitive domain of their
specialties as per UHS syllabus.
 Outcome

• Moving towards a detailed, well-constructed syllabus.

• Providing students with learning objectives at start of
lectures.
• Aligning assessment with course objectives.