Writing Objectives
Presented by:
Hilary Kissel, B.J. Miller, & Hollie Young
What is Assessment?
 Assessment is the systematic
basis for making inferences
about the learning and
development of students.
 Assessment is one component
of program evaluation
Why Assess Learning & Development
in Student Affairs?
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Demonstrate importance of Student Affairs
to higher education community
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“We are committed to preparing students to
become educated and enlightened citizens who
will lead productive and meaningful lives.” –
JMU Mission Statement
Promote student development
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Developmental goals related to academic goals
Make Assessment Meaningful
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Think about why you go to work everyday.
How do you want your students to be
transformed as a result of your program?
Expand your conceptualization of your
program’s goals and objectives beyond the
cognitive domains.
Include complex constructs, orientations,
values, and attitudes.
Establishing
Objectives
Stages of the Assessment Process
Selecting/
Designing
Instruments
Collecting
Information
Analyzing/
Maintaining
Information
Using
Information
Establishing Objectives
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This is the hardest step!
In order to create a successful assessment
program, clear program goals and objectives
must be established and agreed upon.
Objectives drive the assessment process;
assessment methods are based on the
objectives that are being measured
Workshop Objectives
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Upon completion of the workshop,
participants will be able to:
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Write the correct definition of objective.
State three reasons why objectives are written
for courses or programs.
Name the four parts of a good objective.
Rewrite a poorly written objective so that it
conforms to the ABCD method.
Why Does My Program Need
Objectives?
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Provide focus
Provide a means for assessing student
success
Allow for self-evaluation
Objectives not tied to the mission?
Impossible!
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Program objectives should always agree
with the program’s mission and philosophy
Objectives are the vehicle for measuring
the different components of the mission
and philosophy
Since mission statement and philosophy
should highlight the most important aspects
of a program, they are natural focuses of
assessment
Using Objectives to Design Assessments
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Objectives dictate the type of assessment to
conduct
Looking at the action verb in the objective should
indicate the appropriate means of measuring that
objective
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Example: “recognize”: may indicate matching,
multiple choice, etc.– lower-level thinking
Example: “demonstrate”: may indicate a performance
assessment, or higher-level demands
Assess ALL Objectives
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EVERY objective MUST be measured
Data must be available to show evidence
that each objective has been measured
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Data can come from standardized objective
measures, performance assessments,
checklists, or other methods
Assessing Objectives
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All of the objectives need not be assessed
each year
Decide which objectives to assess in a
given year based on program needs or
decision-making
Some objectives may be assessed more
than others
What is an objective?
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Objectives refer to expected or intended
student outcomes
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Specific knowledge, skills, or attitudes that
students are expected to achieve through
their college experience
CARS Website
Goals vs. Objectives
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General expectations of
student outcomes
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Can be broad and vague
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Example: Students will
understand the General
Education requirements
at JMU.
Trice (2000) pp. 21-22
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Statement of what students
should be able to do, or how
they should change
developmentally, as a result
of instruction or program
More specific; measurable
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Example: Upon completion
of orientation, students will
be able to list the five
General Education clusters.
Goals and Objectives
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Goals can be seen as the broad, general
expectations for the program
Objectives can be seen as the means by
which those goals are met
PROBLEM: Some program objectives are
written as broad and unmeasurable
Goals and Objectives: Example
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Goal: Understand the concepts that contribute to
career decision-making.
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Objective 1: Upon completion of the career and life
planning course, students will be able to match a list
of JMU majors to appropriate career choices.
Objective 2: Upon completion of the career and life
planning course, students will be able to state their
own “work personality” as measured by the Work
Abilities, Values, and Interests (WAVI) Inventory.
Write objectives that specify
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Behavior or activity to be performed by the
student
Conditions under which this behavior takes
place
Minimum level of acceptable performance
Sax (1989), p.65
Student-Focused Outcomes
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Objectives should be worded to express what the student
will learn, know, or do as a result of instruction or how
the student will change developmentally as a result of
program – NOT what the instructor or program will do for
the student
 BAD Objective: Provide students with knowledge
about how the library works.
 BETTER Objective: After taking the Research
Methods course, students will be able to demonstrate
their knowledge of how the library works by finding
ten sources for a research paper in Carrier Library.
Reasonable Objectives
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Objectives should be reasonable; that is, they
should reflect learning or development that the
student can accomplish in the course or program.
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BAD Objective: Students will demonstrate openmindedness for all cultures by strongly agreeing with
all of the items on the Open-Mindedness Inventory
(OMI).
BETTER Objective: Upon completion of the Study
Abroad program, participants will show an increase
in open-mindedness through a 10-point increase on
the OMI.
Observable, Measurable Objectives
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Student learning and development should be
assessed with an observable, measurable
objective. Objectives such as “know” and
“understand” are not observable.
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BAD Objective: Students will know about JMU’s
alternative spring break program.
BETTER Objective: Students will be able to
describe JMU’s ASB program.
OR: Students will be able to evaluate the impact of
the ASB program.
Specific Objectives
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Objectives should specify the criterion of
acceptable student performance.
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BAD Objective: The student will learn how
to take better notes.
BETTER Objective: Students from the study
skills course will demonstrate mastery of
note-taking techniques by correctly using at
least three different note-taking methods for
classroom lectures.
Subject Matter vs. Developmental Objectives
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Subject Matter:
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Discipline-related subject
matter that students are
expected to learn such as
vocabulary, principles,
and theories
Erwin (1991), pp. 37-39
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Developmental:
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Cognitive developmental
objectives – higher-order
thinking skills
Affective developmental
objectives – attitudinal,
personal and social
dimensions nurtured
through the college
experience
Developmental Objectives
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Can be difficult to assess
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Measured only indirectly – through behavior
that represents the attitude or value
Usually takes longer than one semester for
people to change developmentally
Terms or constructs may be vague
Erwin (1991), p. 43
Bloom’s Taxonomy
Less
complex
More
complex
Level
Description
1. Knowledge
Recognize facts, terms, and principles
2. Comprehension
Explain or summarize in one’s own words
3. Application
Relate previously learned material to new
situations
4. Analysis
Understand organizational structure of
material; draw comparisons and
relationships between elements
5. Synthesis
Combine elements to form a new original
entity
6. Evaluation
Make judgments about the extent to
which material satisfies criteria
Bloomin’ Verbs
Bloom’s Level
Verbs
1. Knowledge
match, recognize, select, compute, define,
label, name, describe
2. Comprehension
restate, elaborate, identify, explain, paraphrase,
summarize
3. Application
give examples, apply, solve problems using,
predict, demonstrate
4. Analysis
outline, draw a diagram, illustrate, discriminate,
subdivide
5. Synthesis
compare, contrast, organize, generate, design,
formulate
6. Evaluation
support, interpret, criticize, judge, critique,
appraise
Trice( 2000) p. 81; Grendler (1999), p. 69
Verbs for Developmental Objectives
acclaims
agrees
argues
attempts
avoids
challenges
cooperates
defends
disagrees
disputes
engages in
helps
joins
participates in
praises
resists
shares
volunteers
Example: Upon completion of service learning orientation,
freshmen will volunteer for community service at least 10
hours per semester.
From “Mager’s Tips on Instructional Objectives”
Another Example
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It may take more than one objective to get
at “a sense of social responsibility”.
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Example: Upon completion of service
learning orientation, freshmen will show a
ten-point increase on the Social
Responsibility Index (SRI).
The ABCD Method
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A = Audience
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B = Behavior
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What is expected of the participant?
C = Conditions
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What population are you assessing?
Under what circumstances is the behavior to be
performed?
D = Degree
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How well must the behavior be performed? To what
level?
From “How to Write Clear Objectives”
The ABCD Method: Example
Audience
Students
Behavior
Develop a positive attitude
Condition Given the opportunity to work in groups
Degree
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2-point increase on survey
Objective: Given the opportunity to work in groups,
students will develop a positive attitude towards working
in groups, as measured by a two-point increase on an
attitudinal survey given at the beginning and end of the
course.
Adapted from “How to Write Clear Objectives”
Common Mistakes
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Vague behavior
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Gibberish
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Example: Have a thorough understanding of particle
physics.
Example: Have a deep awareness and thorough
humanizing grasp on…
Instructor behavior
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Example: Train students on how and where to find
information.
From “Mager’s Tips on Instructional Objectives”
Summary
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Ask yourself: What is the intended result
of the program in terms of the participant?
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Objectives will answer:
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What should the participant be able to do?
Under what conditions?
How well?
Summary
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Write student-oriented learning and
development objectives
Use action verbs that are measurable
ALL objectives MUST be assessed
Be realistic
Be specific