Developing Goals, Objectives,
and Competencies
Clark Denniston, MD
Executive Assoc Dean for GME
DIO UNC Hospitals
Apples and Oranges, or…
• Goals and Objectives are not the same
• Competencies are also different, but linked to
G and O
• Outcome-Oriented educational principles are
critical to understanding Competencies
• Use “backwards design” concept to frame the
process of developing G, O, C
• Bloom’s Taxonomy for Objectives
• SMART pneumonic for Outcomes
Definitions
Goals
• Broad and overarching statements about what
you desire to achieve with your curriculum
• May include:
– Background
– Rationale
– Philosophy
– Performance expectations
Objectives
• Clear, brief, action-verb framed specific
knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are
intended results of education
• Differ from Goals in terms of specificity
• Often a number of Objectives are defined for
each Goal
• Bloom’s Taxonomy gives a cognitive
framework to write objectives
Bloom’s Taxonomy (Revised)
Create
Evaluate
Analyze
Apply
Understand
Remember
Bloom’s
Taxonomy
(revised):
Cognitive
Process
Action Verbs
Remember Define, Describe, Identify, List, Locate, Name, Recognize, Select,
State
Understand Associate, Classify, Demonstrate, Discuss, Distinguish, Explain,
Generalize, Illustrate, Interpret, Summarize
Apply
Apply, Choose, Classify, Explain, Implement, Organize, Prepare,
Select, Use
Analyze
Analyze, Attribute, Diagram, Differentiate, Discriminate,
Distinguish, Organize, Structure
Evaluate
Appraise, Assess, Compare, Contrast, Critique, Defend, Determine,
Estimate, Evaluate, Justify, Rate, Support
Create
Compile, Create, Design, Devise, Formulate, Generate,
Hypothesize, Integrate, Plan, Propose, Summarize
Competencies
• Measurable endpoints of actual achievement
of learning
• Discrete “musts”
• Action words describing what knowledge, skill
or attitude is to be demonstrated
• Include the criterion for acceptable
performance (rubric)
Competency-based Education
Outcome-Oriented Education
Passive
Process
•Receive Instruction...
Oriented
Outcome
Oriented
•Demonstrate
Competence...
Active
“You have to know where you are
going before you can decide how to
get there”
Backwards Design
Identify Desired
Results
Determine
Acceptable
Evidence
Plan
Learning
Identify Desired
Results
Determine
Acceptable
Evidence
Plan
Learning
Define Outcomes
Choose/Develop
Assessment
Tool(s)
Choose Content &
Methods
Competency = Outcome
Order of Development
First step  Goals
Second step  Competencies(Outcomes)
Third step  Objectives
Why?
First step  Goals  provide general direction
for competencies
Second step  Competencies/Outcomes
establish final destination
“backwards design”
Third step  Objectives define actions
necessary to reach the Outcomes
SMART
• Specific
• Measureable
• Attainable
• Relevant
• Time-Sensitive
Non-medical SMART outcome
Cooking Class 101 – Knife Skills
By the end of a one- hour workshop, all
participants will be able to demonstrate 4 core
knife skills with a 9 inch chef’s knife: honing of
the blade with a sharpening steel, correct hand
position to protect fingers of the non-dominant
hand, “tip-to-tang” slicing technique to julienne
green peppers, and double hand “rocking chop”
to finely chop Italian parsley.
You have to know where you are going
before you can decide how to get
there
Outcomes
Desired
Results
Competencies
3 Steps to Educational Success
1. Understand that Competencies = Outcomes
2. Understand the different purposes of “Goals”
vs. “Objectives” in defining the path toward
Outcomes
3. Employ “backwards design” using the SMART
pneumonic to define Outcomes and Bloom’s
taxonomy to define Objectives