Slides adapted from a training provided by St John’s Medical College,
Bangalore, India
By the end of this session, the learner will be
able to:
 Define educational objectives
 Describe the qualities of learning objectives
 Define specific learning objectives (SLO)
 Recognize components of SLO accurately
 Formulate SLO incorporating the 3 domains
What students should be able to do at the
end of a learning period that they could not
do before-hand.
Planned Outcome of training
 Result rather than procedure


Also called Learning Objectives, not Teaching
Objectives

Defines what the student, not the teacher,
should be able to do
General Objectives
Professional Functions
Intermediate
Objectives
Professional Activities
Specific
Objectives
Tasks
General Institutional
Objectives
Intermediate
Departmental
Objectives
Specific Learning
Objectives

Professional FUNCTIONS

Providing preventive, care and treatment of
the pregnant women in our community
towards a reduction of Maternal and Neonatal
Mortality Rates

Professional ACTIVITIES

Planning and carrying out a blood sampling
session for a group of pregnant women in the
community for screening of Anemia

Professional PRECISE SPECIFIC TASK

Using a syringe to take a 5 ml blood sample
from the cubital vein of an adult in the absence
of a hematoma, the amount of blood being
within 10% of the required amount and not
more than 2 attempts.
Population’s
Health Needs
and Resources
Medical
Education
Objective

Relevant

Feasible

Objective

Observable

Specific

Measureable

Result oriented


Focused on essential
need
Indicate minimum level
of performance
acceptable
TASK
CRITERIA
SLO
TASK
ACT
+
CONTENT
+
CONDITION
CRITERIA
SLO

ACT:
 Do?
 Active verb
 Describes what can be
observed

CONTENT
 What?
 Subject in relation to
which the act is to
performed

CONDITION
 With what?
 Description of the
resources available for
carrying out the act
 Tools, Supplies, Data,
Equipment


Acceptable level of
performance expected
Selected in close
relationship with the
active verb (Act)




What standards apply
Time limits
Degree of Accuracy
Level of Performance

Measures
 Expected outcome
following the act
 Process adopted to
achieve it

Outcome is preferred
 Better measure of
relevance (only if it is
entirely in the student’s
control)

At the end of the teaching session the
student should be able …….
………. to identify lung opacities more than
2 cm given a Chest X-Ray (PA) in 80% cases.

At the end of the teaching session the
student should be able …….
………. to identify lung opacities more than
2 cm given a Chest X-Ray (PA) in 80% cases.

At the end of the teaching session the
student should be able …….
………. to identify lung opacities more than
2 cm given a Chest X-Ray (PA) in 80% cases.

At the end of the teaching session the
student should be able …….
………. to identify lung opacities more than
2 cm given a Chest X-Ray (PA) in 80% cases.

At the end of the teaching session the
student should be able …….
………. to identify lung opacities more than
2 cm given a Chest X-Ray (PA) in 80% cases.

At the end of the teaching session the
student should be able …….
………. to identify lung opacities more than
2 cm given a Chest X-Ray (PA) in 80% cases.

At the end of the teaching session the
student should be able …….
………. to identify lung opacities more than
2 cm given a Chest X-Ray (PA) in 80% cases.

At the end of the teaching session the
student should be able …….
………. to identify lung opacities more than
2 cm given a Chest X-Ray (PA) in 80% of
cases.

At the end of the teaching session the
student should be able …….
………. to identify lung opacities more than 2
cm given a Chest X-Ray (PA) in 80% of cases.

At the end of the teaching session the
student should be able …….
………. to identify lung opacities more than 2
cm given a Chest X-Ray (PA) in 80% of cases.

Action Verb (Act)?

Content?

Is it the Learner who is
expected to perform
the act?

Is it an act that a
health provider needs
to be able to perform?

Condition of execution
stated?

Criteria stated?

Does the criteria
correspond to the
principal domain of
the task?

Always begin a Learning Objective with the
words:
At the end of the session,
the student will be able to …………..
TASK
CRITERIA
SLO
TASK
ACT
+
CONTENT
+
CONDITION
CRITERIA
SLO

SLO Group Activity

C to explain the principles of BP
measurement

P to take BP readings using a
sphygmomanometer accurately 80% of time

A to explain to the patient the benefit of
having BP measurements taken and reassure
patient while performing the procedure

C to list 5 indications for antibiotic
prophylaxis in Paediatric dental patients

P to perform a rapid HIV test using a
Determine test kit

A to offer psychosocial support to 5 serodiscordant couples in the CC clinic

C to correctly identify patients with
clinical/immunological ARV treatment failure
given a case scenario at least 90% of time

P to perform a mandibular block on an adult
patient correctly 90% of times given LA and a
syringe

A to defend the need to minimize number of
animals used in in vivo experimentation using
the 3 ethical principles of human animal
experimentation

C to correctly quantify the drug needs of a
district hospital given the monthly drug
consumption for the previous year 95% of the
time

P to accurately perform urine analysis given a
sample of urine and uristicks in 90% of the cases

A to handle with care urine samples for urine
analysis to avoid contamination in 95% of
samples




Educational objectives are divided into three
domains: cognitive, psychomotor and
affective
Each domain has several levels
SLO should be SMART
The components of SLO = task + criteria
 Task consists of act, content and condition