Well written objectives will…
Provide clear direction for instruction
Convey what is to be learned to students
Provide a clear guide
for assessment
What goes into an objective?
As an objective describes some aspect of learning, it must
contain both knowledge and cognitive processes.
For example, when did England win the soccer world cup? –
contains Factual knowledge and the cognitive processes
Memory.
1966
How about for types of thinking?
Types of Thinking
•
•
•
•
Analysis
Compare & contrast
Inference and & interpretation
Evaluation
Subject Content
Knowledge:
 Understand integrated
circuits
• Components of an integrated
circuit
• Types of integrated circuits
• Use and limitations of integrated
circuits
Analyse the components of an integrated circuit
Compare and contrast integrated circuits
Evaluate the use of integrated circuits
Writing objectives at different levels of
Performance
There are a number of frameworks or taxonomies that can be
used as a basis for writing objectives (e.g., Bloom, Solo)
It is useful to think of your objectives in terms of the specific
performances you want from students, these typically fall into 3
main categories:
• Recall of Knowledge (facts, concepts, principles, procedures) –
Involves the processes of Memorization
• Understanding of the connectivity of knowledge in developing
mental schemas (e.g., mental schemas – “jigsaws in our head”).
Involves active use of the types of THINKING in relation to what is
already in Long- term memory
• Demonstration of skill/competence through real world performance
(e.g., solving a real world engineering problem). Involves
integration of KSA
Educational Taxonomies
Bloom’s original taxonomy, 1956
Anderson & Krathwohl, revised taxonomy, 2001
Two ways of writing objectives
• List each specific type of
performance learners are to
exhibit at the end of the
instructional period
• State a General Learning Objective
(GLO), then provide a sample list of
the specific types of learner
performance (Specific Learning
Objectives- SLO’s) that we are willing
to accept as evidence of the
attainment of the GLO
NB – GLO’s typically identify the main topic areas of a subject domain and are
not directly measurable; whereas SLO’s are observable and measurable, providing
evidence that the learner is developing the abilities/competencies identified in the GLO
Marking Formats for performance assessments
Decide on the basis of level of
Inference in making assessment decision
Marking
Scheme
analytic
Rubric
holistic
Checklist
analytic or holistic rubric – what’s
the difference, and on what basis
would you decide?
Decide format on the basis of whether the item
involves High or Low Inference
• Low inference items are those where the performances being tested are
clearly visible and there is a widely established correct answer (e.g.,
conducting a fire drill, setting up an experiment) Here a Checklist is most
appropriate
• High inference items involve performances that are less directly visible
and/or more open to subjective judgement (e.g., creative writing,
managing a team) Here a rating scale/scoring rubric is most appropriate
A major challenge to test design is to produce tasks that require low
inference scoring systems. Unfortunately, many worthwhile student
outcomes reflecting higher order thinking lend themselves more to high
inference scoring.