Writing learning objectives as the first step in the course development process will help ensure that the course content addresses performance gaps.
For course developers struggling to determine what content should be included in training sessions, writing learning objectives as the first step in the course development process can help. In her article “Jump Start Your Learning Objectives,” Deborah Laurel writes, “Learning objectives create the framework on which many other training design decisions are based” because they define what learners will be able to accomplish after the course and the types of knowledge and skills needed to get them there.
Defining Learning Objectives
In his work, The Instructional Design Principles, Robert Gagne writes that “What will these learners be able to perform after the lesson that they couldn’t (didn’t) do before?” or How will the learner change after the lesson?’ The replies to these questions serve as the foundation for developing learning objectives, which explicitly identify the desired change in the learner.
Objectives should be, according to Laurel, “specific, observable, and measurable” and specify what the learner must be capable of doing after the particular unit, lesson, course or program. Well-written objectives go beyond outcomes that suggest students will “know” or “understand” a broad overview of a topic. Instead, goals start with action verbs to specify how the students will demonstrate that they understand the material. For example, the only way to see that a student understands how mail merges work in MS Word is to either have the student explain the process or perform a mail merge from beginning to end without reference material.
Conducting a Needs Assessment
Several pieces of information about the need, the learners, the content, and general logistics must be gathered, analyzed, and validated before writing objectives. During this process, typically called a needs assessment, the ultimate goal is to identify the subject matter, the knowledge and skill level the learners currently have, and the knowledge and skill level the learners need to have. The learning objectives should address the gap between your learners and where they should be.
There are several sources from which the course developer can get the information they need, but it’s never an easy process. Focus on the required information rather than the people. For example, when developing customer service training, talking to the team’s manager may not be the best strategy because they may be too far removed from the day-to-day frustrations of his team to provide the information needed. Instead, going directly to the team for information may be the best option.
Classifying Objectives
A variety of learning outcomes are needed to increase knowledge and skill. In their book, Designing Effective Instruction, Morrison, Ross, and Kemp write that learning objectives are typically grouped into three categories:
- Other intellectual goals are in the cognitive sphere.
- The psychomotor domain encompasses tasks like performing, manipulating, and building that require skeletal muscular usage and coordination.
- Assertions in the emotional realm include: enjoying, preserving, and respecting.
The objective’s domain dictates what can reasonably be accomplished in a class and, therefore, how the aim itself is structured.
Writing Objectives
There are many formulas for writing learning objectives. However, most of the models include at least two primary elements:
- Action verb: Describes the action required the learner – recite, name, describe, compare.
- Subject content: Describes the content manipulated by the act – Recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
For objectives in the psychomotor domain (and some in the cognitive part) where the level of learner achievement can be measured against a performance criterion, the learning objective should also include:
- Level of achievement: Standard or benchmark for the minimum level of performance – in proper order, at least 8 out of 10
- Conditions: what equipment is required – using Microsoft Word 2007
For objectives in the affective domain, it may be difficult to quantify a level of achievement or conditions – difficult, but not impossible.
Once all of the information is gathered, write the learning objectives and secure agreement from your subject matter experts. Here’sHere’s a sample objective for each domain:
- Cognitive: Describe the purpose of styles in Microsoft Word.
- Psychomotor: Create three heading styles using the Organize Styles feature in Microsoft Word.
- Affective: Agrees to use classes instead of modifying text when possible.
Objectives are Essential to Course Development
When creating learning objectives, focus on the learning outcomes and the learner’s information to achieve those outcomes. Here’sHere’s a summary of the processes needed to ensure learning objectives are focused and effective:
- Assess the targeted learning outcomes.
- Determine the domain for each purpose to ensure that the goals are written in the proper format.
- Write learning objectives that contain at least an action verb and subject content.
While writing learning objectives can be challenging, reasonable goals based on a solid needs assessment makes the rest of the course development process more straightforward because the learning outcomes shape the content of the course. Also, because the objective’s domain specifies the type of actions the learners will need to complete when the system is over, identifying the field helps developers determine the types of activities included in the course. Writing practical learning objectives is a powerful tool for any course designer’s toolkit.