This document discusses learning objectives and how to write effective ones. It begins by defining learning objectives as statements of what students should be able to do after instruction. Objectives must be specific and measurable. The document then reviews Bloom's Taxonomy and its cognitive processes as a framework for writing objectives at different levels. It provides guidelines for constructing objectives and reasons for using them in course and lesson design. It also discusses potential issues with overusing objectives and how to align them with criteria like ABET outcomes. Finally, it instructs students to write objectives for their own lesson to use in a microteaching assignment.

1. Learning Objectives:
The Backbone of Instruction
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
• define learning objectives
• identify ways to use learning objectives in course and
lesson design
• formulate appropriate learning objectives for a course in
your discipline
ESED 8200: TEACHING UNDERGRADUATE
ENGINEERING
SUMMER 2015

2. Learning Objectives
Statements of what students should be able to do
after receiving instruction in your course, plus
(optional):
 Conditions under which they carry out the specific action
 How well they have to do it
Must be SPECIFIC and MEASURABLE
ESED 8200 Online Summer 2015

3. Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy
The Knowledge
Dimension
The Cognitive Process Dimension
Remember Understand Apply Analyze Evaluate Create
Factual Knowledge
List Summarize Classify Order Rank Combine
Conceptual Knowledge
Describe Interpret Experiment Explain Assess Plan
Procedural Knowledge
Tabulate Predict Calculate Differentiate Conclude Compose
Meta-Cognitive Knowledge
Appropriate Use Execute Construct Achieve Action Actualize
From Bloom’s Taxonomy, Mary Forehand, University of Georgia
http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Bloom%27s_Taxonomy
ESED 8200 Online Summer 2015

4. Bloom’s Cognitive Processes
 Remembering: Retrieving, recognizing, and recalling relevant knowledge from long-
term memory.
 Understanding: Constructing meaning from oral, written, and graphic messages
through interpreting, exemplifying, classifying, summarizing, inferring, comparing, and
explaining.
 Applying: Carrying out or using a procedure through executing, or implementing.
 Analyzing: Breaking material into constituent parts, determining how the parts relate to
one another and to an overall structure or purpose through differentiating, organizing,
and attributing.
 Evaluating: Making judgments based on criteria and standards through checking and
critiquing.
 Creating: Putting elements together to form a coherent or functional whole;
reorganizing elements into a new pattern or structure through generating, planning, or
producing.
From Anderson, L. W., & Krathwohl, D. R. (Eds.). (2001). A taxonomy for learning, teaching and assessing:
A revision of Bloom's Taxonomy of educational objectives: Complete edition, New York : Longman.
ESED 8200 Online Summer 2015

5. Constructing Learning Objectives
“By the end of this [section, week, lecture], the
student will be able to…”
This is followed by an action word
Use action words grouped by Bloom’s taxonomy as a
guide
Typically each lesson will have about 2 – 4 objectives
Be fair; if you are testing at Bloom’s “evaluate”
level, you must teach at that level (i.e. model how
to do it, have students practice it, and give
feedback on how well they are doing it)
ESED 8200 Online Summer 2015

6. Bloom’s Knowledge Dimensions
 Factual Knowledge: knowledge that is basic to specific disciplines; essential facts,
terminology, details or elements students must know or be familiar with in order to
understand a discipline or solve a problem
 Conceptual Knowledge: knowledge of classifications, principles, generalizations,
theories, models, or structures pertinent to a particular disciplinary area
 Procedural Knowledge: information or knowledge that helps students to do
something specific to a discipline, subject, area of study; methods of inquiry, very specific
or finite skills, algorithms, techniques, and particular methodologies.
 Metacognitive Knowledge: awareness of one’s own cognition and particular cognitive
processes; strategic or reflective knowledge about how to go about solving problems,
cognitive tasks, to include contextual and conditional knowledge and knowledge of self.
From Anderson, L. W., & Krathwohl, D. R. (Eds.). (2001). A taxonomy for learning, teaching and assessing:
A revision of Bloom's Taxonomy of educational objectives: Complete edition, New York : Longman.
ESED 8200 Online Summer 2015

7. Non-Learning Objectives
 Know
 Learn
 Appreciate
 Understand
These are important course goals,
but they are not measurable.
ESED 8200 Online Summer 2015

8. Reasons for Writing Objectives
Identify key material for the lesson
 Organize presentation
 Allot appropriate time for concepts within the lesson
Provide the basis for a study guide for students
 Specific learning objectives for each lesson help students
identify with they need to know and do prior to tests
 Can be self-assembled by students – they review objectives as
they construct their own study guides
 Can be created by the instructor (study guide = compiled
learning objectives)
ESED 8200 Online Summer 2015

9. Reasons for Writing Objectives
Identify and delete extraneous material and activities
 Especially important for classes that use active learning
approaches
 Create more time for activities that promote learning
Facilitate construction of in-class activities, out-of-
class assignments, and tests
 Assure comprehensive instruction (exercise all Bloom’s levels)
 Assure that assessments match instruction
ESED 8200 Online Summer 2015

10. Try it!
Individually, identify learning objectives for a lesson
in a course you would like to teach in your discipline,
using 4 different levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy.
Find classmates who are in the same or similar
disciplines as yours. In groups of 2 - 4, review each
other’s learning objectives and critique based on
guidelines presented in introduction.
ESED 8200 Online Summer 2015

11. Can learning objectives be over-used?
Too much of a good thing?
 Read excerpt from Robert Boostrom’s “Levels of thinking” in
The Foundation of Critical and Creative Learning in the
Classroom (on “Boostrom” handout for today’s class)
 Discussion points
 Revisit the reasons for using learning objectives
 Reflect on your goals for teaching (think of the messages you are
hearing from our “ideal” professors)
 What uses of learning objectives support our reasons for teaching?
 What uses of learning objectives are in conflict with our reasons
for teaching?
ESED 8200 Online Summer 2015

12. Can learning objectives be aligned with other
educational criteria?
Think back to ABET criteria in our “Educational
Frameworks” lesson
 ABET is in the process of revising its Student Outcomes
(Criterion 3 a-k)
 Read through proposed revisions and review current criteria
(See “ABET Revisions” handout.)
 Discussion points:
 How do revised criteria differ from current criteria?
 Do revised criteria help address limitations of formulating
learning objectives? If so, how?
 What other observations would you want to share with ABET
about the proposed revisions?
ESED 8200 Online Summer 2015

13. Learning Objective Assignment
Identify the course and lesson you plan to use as the
basis for your final project in this class
(microteaching session and report).
Write 2 – 4 learning objectives for that lesson, taking
into consideration the guidelines and in-class
discussions about learning objectives. Also consider
ways to help student achieve each objective.
Submit to the “Learning Objective” assignment on
Blackboard (within Module 3, Lesson 1)
ESED 8200 Online Summer 2015