Introduction to Developing Student Learning
Goals
Jen Stempien and Andrea Bair
Department of Geology and the Science Education Initiative
University of Colorado at Boulder
More materials on the web at http://www.colorado.edu/sei
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
Introductions and Importance
Characteristics of Effective Learning Goals
and Objectives
Blooms Taxonomy of Learning
Suggestions for Writing Goals and Objectives
Appendices
a. Table of words associated with levels of Bloom Cognitive
Domains
Composed for interests of the Dept. of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado at Boulder. Any
questions, comments, concerns about material in this white paper should be addressed to Andrea Bair
and Jennifer Stempien, 365 Benson, or at GeoSciEd@Colorado.edu
I. Introduction and Importance
Why is it important to think about learning goals?
There are many interconnected methods, approaches and outcomes in teaching. It is beneficial
to consider the desired educational outcomes of a course first to determine the appropriate
approach to achieve them, and to communicate these ideas and goals to the students.
For the student
o
o
o
Helps student by making them aware
where they stand- self assessment
Tell student what is expected from them
and at what level – promote student
responsibility for own learning
Makes clear to student what they can
gain from a particular course/lecture
For the instructor
o
o
o
o
Plan content and appropriate
teaching/learning strategy
Design effective material (homework/ inlecture activities) by acting on a template
Set a blueprint for design and use appropriate
exams and assessments
Informs students and colleagues what a
particular course/activity is to achieve
(Modified from Jenkins & Unwin, 1996; Harden, 2002; FDI Virginia Tech, 2004)
What are Learning Goals?
A learning goal is a broad statement of the intended general outcome of an instructional unit or
program. (Arreola, 1998). For example: “Students will develop a working understanding of
earth’s dynamic nature”.
These broad statements are to communicate the concepts that you want students to take away
from your class and remember years from now.
What is the difference between a Learning Goal and Learning Objective?
A GOAL is a statement of general outcome. An OBJECTIVE is a statement referring to specific
course content and level of understanding that is expected from the students regarding that
material. A Learning objective is one of several specific statements that when achieved
contributes to achieving a general goal of the course. A learning objective has three major
components (Jenkins and Unwin, 1996; Arreola, 1998):
1. A description of what the student will be able to do – behavior.
2. The conditions under which the student will perform the task - condition
3. The criteria for performance evaluation – measurable criterion.
Objective: “Given a set of data the student will be able to compute the standard
deviation.”
Behavior – Student will be able to computer standard deviation
Condition – Given a set of data
Criterion (implied) – the number computed will be correct.
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Learning objectives are specific statements that are nested within a goal that describes what are
the means to achieve the goal, what is expected the students must do. There are typically 3-5
objectives for each learning goal.
Example:
Learning Goal: General outcomes
Learning Objectives: Specifics to achieve goal
Students will be able to define tectonic plates and name the
3 main types of tectonic boundaries
Student will examine the evidence
supporting movement of Earth’s
continents
Students will be able to explain how tectonic plates move
relative to one another
Students will be able to demonstrate how the earth’s
magnetic field can be used to define geographic location
Students will be able to determine the movement of
continents through time
II. Characteristics of Effective Learning Goals and Objectives (FDI,
Virginia Tech 2004).
Student focused rather than instructor focused.
o Should answer the following questions:
o What will my student know?
o What will they understand?
o What will they be able to do at the end of instruction?
o
Should NOT be stated in terms of what subject matter that will be presented or
covered during a course.
Stating only what subject matter that will be presented is not as helpful in designing
effective learner – centered instructional methods, strategies, and appropriate
assessments
Focus on the learning that results from an activity not the activity itself
Should state the outcome of an instructional activity not the activity itself.
For example:
o
o
“Student will compose an essay on plate tectonics” - just states an activity
“Student will compose an essay detailing the evidence used to support the theory
plate tectonics” - emphasizes the outcome of the activity in addition to the activity
itself.
Focus on the important aspects of learning – see Bloom’s Taxonomy
It can be easy to fall into writing “Jeopardy”- type questions; questions that focus only
on easy-to-measure, relatively unimportant outcomes such as recalling facts.
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Recalling facts are usually useful only when a person can them use them effectively
to make decisions and solve problems
III. Bloom’s Taxonomy for Learning
There are three aspects of learning used to define what learners think, do, and feel. In science
education the focus is on what students think, also known as the cognitive domain.
Bloom (1956) represented the cognitive domain into six taxonomic levels where lower level
represented a lower cognitive state and is a prerequisite to those above. So before an
individual can evaluate a situation (the highest cognitive level) they must (1) have factual
knowledge of the situation, (2) comprehend what that knowledge means, (3) be comfortable
enough with the comprehension so that it can applied in other situations, (4) analyze its parts,
and (5) be able to synthesize the parts into new patterns and ideas (FDI, Virginia Tech, 2004).
Bloom’s Cognitive Domain Learning Objectives
Knowledge
Lowest
Level
Comprehension
Remembering/recalling terms facts, definitions, etc.
Knowing what a term, fact, concept, statement, etc.
means.
Application
Using what has been previously learned in a new situation
Analysis
Breaking down a whole into its parts
Synthesis
Evaluation
Highest
Level
Assembling a whole from its parts
Making judgments based upon specific criteria
The implications are for students to learn/perform at higher cognitive levels, they have to be
comfortable working at lower levels. Well-constructed learning objectives for a goal should guide
students from lower cognitive levels to high ones, not just have an automatic jump to the highest
level.
Example:
Learning Goal:
General
outcomes
Learning Objectives: Specifics to achieve
goal
Student will
examine the
evidence
supporting
movement of
Earth’s continents
Students will be able to define tectonic plates
and name the 3 main types of tectonic
boundaries
Students will be able to explain how tectonic
plates move relative to one another
Students will be able to demonstrate how the
earth’s magnetic field can be used to define
geographic location
Students will be able to determine the movement
of continents through time
Introduction to Developing Student Learning Goals
Cognitive Domain
Knowledge
Lower Level
Comprehension
Application
Analysis
Higher level
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IV. Suggestions for writing
How many goals and objectives should a course have?
There is no prescribed number of learning goals and objectives for a course, the exact number
will depend on the desired learning outcomes. Below are some suggested amounts based on a
survey of science and math courses that use learning goals and objectives.
Course Learning Goals (5-10 per course)
Course learning goals are general goals that describe what are the most
important concepts/big pictures for that specific course. Think about what you
want your students to remember about this course five years from now.
Course learning goals are the first goals that students will read for the course and
need to be as “lingo-free” as possible so that they understand what can be
expected in the course without having any prior knowledge of the material.
Topic Learning Goals (1-5 per topic; 5-50 per course)
Topic learning goals are general goals that refer to certain themes/topics in a
course, for example plate tectonics or igneous rocks and the ultimate learning level
that students are to achieve in that topic. The topic learning goals should work to
achieve the broader course learning goals.
Topic learning goals should be as lingo-free as possible, though since they refer to
topics some subject terms may have to be used. There may be multiple topic
learning goals that achieve a course learning goal.
Lecture Learning Objectives (3-5 per lecture; 3-25 per topic)
Learning objectives are specific statements that refer to certain content and the
level of understanding that students need to perform at to ultimately achieve topic
and course level goals.
Learning objectives will have the most lingo, especially if it is necessary for
students to be familiar with terminology used in the course. However students/nongeologists should still be able to understand what is expected from them,
regardless of course-specific terminology
Writing learning outcomes
Step 1: Articulate your student learning goals (the broad general statements). Some
suggestions on how to think about these:
o
What are your goals for the class?
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What are the big ideas about the subject in questions that you think students
should remember a year after completing the course? For example having a
student remember that there are different magma compositions when they hear
a news story about a volcanic explosion.
A common concern is that certain goal statements are difficult or impossible to
measure. This is okay, remember that the nested learning objectives will articulate to
the students the measurable outcomes. Some people will find it easier to write the
course learning goals first, others will find it easier to write the topic learning goals first.
o
Step 2: Articulating learning objectives:
o What are measurable outcomes? (How do I plan to test for this?)
o What do I want the student to be able to do, specifically?
o If there is a learning objective that is at a high cognitive level, are there learning
objectives that cover the prerequisite lower cognitive levels?
o Does the learning objective link to only one learning goal? Is the link between learning
objective(s) and their respective learning goals clear?
Remember:
When first attempting to compose learning objectives, start with
the behavior (what you want the student to be able to do and at
what level). The other two components, condition and criterion,
relate to teaching strategies and assessments that are dependant
on the behavior specified, and will be easier to determine later.
Step 3: Revise, revise, revise!
It will take multiple revisions before learning goals and objectives will develop that best articulate
your goals as an instructor. With each revision the learning goals and objectives will become
more specific and clear, especially to individuals who are not geologists. It will also take multiple
semesters to determine the levels of cognition that students are able to achieve on certain
topics.
Suggestions:
After a day or two re-read your goals. Do they still seem clear to you? What should
students now be able to do as a result of reading it?
o Are there active words in the goal/objective? (see pg. 7)
o After you used the learning goal/objective, did the student perform to the level that was
expected of them?
o Try to write each objective/goal in ten different ways, for each iteration reduce the
amount of geology terminology and increasing the clarity of what level is expected from
student.
o Ask a colleague who is not a geologist whether they know what is expected of them
o
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TABLE OF WORDS ASSOCIATED WITH LEVELS OF BLOOM COGNITIVE DOMAINS.
Information- Oriented
Knowledge:
To remember,
recall, or memorize
terms, facts,
definition etc.
Suggested Verbs
Assess by direct questions. The object
is to test the student’s ability to recall
facts, to identify and repeat the
information provided
Acquire
Arrange
Define
Distinguish
Duplicate
Process - Oriented
Comprehension:
Knowing what a
message (term,
fact, concept,
statement) means
Application:
Applying or use
information in a
new situation
Analysis:
Examine a concept
and break it down
into it parts
Synthesis:
Assembling a
whole from parts to
solve a problem
Evaluation:
making judgments
based on specific
criteria
Identify
Label
Match
Memorize
Name
Recall
Recognize
Repeat
Reproduce
Suggested Verbs
Assess by having students’ 1) restate
material in their own words, 2) reorder
or extrapolate ideas, predict or
estimate. May provide evidence that
the students have some
understanding of what they are
saying.
Abstract
Classify
Convert
Describe
Discuss
Explain
Extrapolate
Identify
Indicate
Interpret
Locate
Recognize
Restate
Sort
Assess by presenting students with a
unique situation (i.e. not identical to
that used during instruction) and have
them apply their knowledge to solve
the problem or execute the proper
procedure
Apply
Carry out
Choose
Demonstrate
Dramatize
Explain
Analyze
Appraise
Breakdown
Calculate
Catalog
Classify
Compare
Contrast
Criticize
Arrange
Assemble
Build
Compose
Construct
Create
Generalize
Illustrate
Interpret
Operate
Plan
Prepare
Detect
Determine
Diagram
Differentiate
Discover
Discriminate
Distinguish
Estimate
Examine
Design
Formulate
Integrate
Manage
Organize
Plan
Appraise
Argue
Assess
Check
Estimate
Evaluate
Judge
Measure
Predict
Rank
Rate
Score
Assess by presenting students with a
unique situation of the same time type
used in instruction and have them
analyze the situate and describe the
appropriate procedure or solution to
the problem
Assess by presenting a unique
situation and have them solve a
problem by selecting and using
appropriate information
Assess by presenting the students
with a situation which includes both a
problem and a solution to the problem
and have them justify or critique the
solution
Introduction to Developing Student Learning Goals
Tell
Translate
Transform
Repair
Schedule
Sequence
Solve
Use
Explore
Identify
Investigate
Observe
Order
Question
Recognize
Test
Produce
Propose
Specify
Synthesis
Systematize
Theorize
Write
Select
Support
Test
Value
Verify
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References Cited
Arreola, R.A. 1998. Writing Learning Objectives. in Arreola, R.A. and Aleamoni, L.M. Assessing
Student Learning Outcomes: A Workshop Resource Document. University of
Tennessee, Memphis.
Bloom B. S. (1956). Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, Handbook I: The Cognitive Domain.
New York: David McKay Co Inc.
Faculty Development Institute, Virginia Tech (2004) Unit 2: Develop Student Learning Goals.
[https://www.fdi.vt.edu/summer/2004/Content/TrackG/Unit2/default.html] – accessed Dec
5, 2006.
Harden, R.M. (2002) Developments in Outcome-Based Education. Medical Teacher. 24(2) pp.
117-120.
Jenkins, A. and Unwin, D. (1996) How to Write Learning Outcomes.
[http://www.ncgia.ucsb.edu/education/curricula/giscc/units/format/outcomes.html] –
accessed Dec. 5, 2006.
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FCQ’s and Critisism.
1. Learning goals cannot predict what students learn.
2. Learning goals are just another what to enfore standard or social expectation on students
• ome groups in the USA object to them as aiding education as social engineering.
3. • Some instructors say, with justification, that they can't predict what students will learn.
Hence the use of the word 'intended'.
4. How do can I be sure of the effectiveness of learning goals
5. What is the best method to distribute learning goals to the students
6.
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