This document discusses writing effective performance objectives for instructional design. It defines what a performance objective is and explains that it identifies the skills to be learned and criteria for mastery of a lesson. It breaks down the three main parts of a performance objective: behavior/content, conditions, and criteria. An example performance objective is provided. Guidelines are given for writing objectives, such as using observable tasks and defining accuracy levels. Students are assigned to write their own objectives and provide feedback on peers' objectives.

1. Writing Performance Objectives
Emily Mross

2. Objectives
 Students will be able to write their own
performance objectives, which describe
behaviors, conditions and criteria, for hypothetical
lessons and post them to the discussion forum.
 Students will be able to critique and discuss the
performance objectives of their peers with
constructive feedback in the discussion forum.

3. Performance Objectives
 Performance objectives create guidelines for
instructional designers, students, or both – it
identifies the skill(s) to be learned, and the criteria
for mastery of a given lesson.
 It may also be called a behavioral
objective, learning objective, and instructional
objective.
 Writing performance objectives engages the
previous steps of the instructional design
process: instructional goals, instructional
analysis, and learner/context analysis. All have
bearing on the performance objectives.

4. Breaking down the Performance
Objective
 Performance objectives describe three main
things:
 Content/Behavior – What skill(s) will be
demonstrated?
 Conditions – What will the learner need to
demonstrate the skill? How/where will it be
demonstrated?
 Criteria – How will the skill be evaluated? What
constitutes success?

5. The Performance Objective
Using EBSCOHost, students will be able to conduct
a search and locate two peer-reviewed articles
published within the last five years on a topic of
one’s choice within a five-minute period.
Green -- Conditions
Blue – Behavior/content
Red - Criteria

6. Writing Effective Objectives
 Stick to tasks that can be observed. “Knowing”
and “understanding” can’t truly be observed (Dick
and Carey, 116). Design criteria that can be
measured, such as the ability to define given
terms, describe a process, or label a chart.
 Remember to include any materials necessary to
the tasks to be performed.
 Define the amount of accuracy required to
constitute success. How often will the student
need to perform the task correctly? Is there a
specific time frame?

7. Try it out!
 Please visit the discussion board to try writing a
few objectives of your own, for a topic/lesson of
your choice.
 Remember to identify the three parts of the
objective.
 Read the performance objectives written by your
classmates. Respond to at least two other
objectives with constructive feedback for
improvement.