Beth Overman
4-1-09
Reflection Assignment: Writing Learning Outcomes
Part 1: Describe
I recently attended the online workshop, “Writing Learning Outcomes,” that occurred from
Monday, March 23rd to Friday, March 27th. This workshop consisted of two readings, including
“Writing Learning Outcomes,” by the Learning Resources Unit at the British Columbia Institute
of Technology, and an online learning module provided by Maryland Faculty. Online, students
discussed these readings, developed their own learning outcomes with the ABCD method, and
critique syllabi containing differing learning outcomes. This workshop was developed to
introduce participants to the process of writing effective learning outcomes. As they are the
basis for structured teaching, assessment, and instruction, learning outcomes help to define
teacher expectations for students within the curriculum. Well defined learning outcomes not
only give students something to ‘aim’ for, they also promote making and reaching classroom
goals. In this workshop, we discussed the importance of learning outcomes in the classroom
and learned how to design successful learning outcomes based on course objectives. At the end
of the workshop, we were able to define and explain the importance of learning outcomes in
teaching, define and apply the three learning outcome domains, describe the ABCD method,
and complete a learning outcome grid that could be a tool for planning.
Part 2: Analyze
Two sections of this workshop were particularly helpful for me. It is incredibly easy, as a
teacher, to write an objective without any thought to how the objective is worded or assessed.
“The student will understand photosynthesis” says absolutely nothing about how, what, why,
where, and when the student will truly learn and understand the process of photosynthesis.
Well written learning objectives will allow the student to know exactly what is expected of
them, from conception of idea to assessment of learning. Learning objectives are specific, goal
oriented, and involve many different types of learning as described by “Writing Learning
Outcomes,” including thinking, knowledge (cognitive domain), doing, skills (psychomotor
domain), and feeling or attitudes (affective domain). All of these domains have different verb
sets and skill sets that the objective is directed towards achieving. For example, some verbs that
would recommend a high level of evaluation in learning with cognitive domain would include
assess, conclude, or evaluate while affective domain verbs would include defend, exemplify, and
indicate while psychomotor verbs would include design, combine, or compose. Listing these
verbs and separating them into these categories really helped me understand how to direct my
learning outcomes towards a certain knowledge set and skill level.
I think it was also important for me to differentiate between goals and objectives. Goals
are broad, nonspecific, expected outcomes of learning that can represent philosophical
statements. Relying on the goal for the measurable outcome and learning assessment is a
learning objective ‘trap,’ as my earlier statement of “The student will understand
photosynthesis” is more of a goal than an objective. Objectives are similar to goals and use
specific information that allows them to be measured to determine if learning has taken place. I
think the overall goal of “The student will understand photosynthesis,” when supported by
objectives specifying “Given a plant leaf diagram, the student will be able to draw the pathway
of photosynthesis through the strata of the leaf” is a strong assessment of learning.
The ABCD method of learning objective construction is, I believe, a foolproof method of
writing objectives. I think this is a great way to make sure that I am doing a good job of
describing exactly what I need to teach and exactly what my students should be able to do after
my lesson. This method breaks up the objective into several key parts that every objective
should have, including Audience (who is the learner?), Behavior (what will the student be able to
do?), Condition (what will they need?), and Degree (how well will they be able to do it?). With
this system, the teacher can really just fill in the blanks to make a specific, well defined learning
objective for the lesson. These learning objectives, if written well using the ABCD method, are
clear, describe specific assignments, are observable and measurable, are quantitative and
qualitative, are written in terms of performance, results oriented, and successful at
communicating learning to the students.
I really enjoyed being paired with other CoAT students and reviewing each other’s
learning objectives. My partner, Robert Watson, wrote some really successful learning
objectives. His first objective, “Given a scenario, desired information, and a model, the student
will be able to apply mathematical relations and critical thinking skills to find the desired
information, for all models being of the function types taught in the first half of the course
(listed in the syllabus),” is very broad, but it is a great objective because it can be used for so
many learning situations. Whether this objective is meant to discuss calculus, advanced
functions, or algebra II, this objective should and can be met by students. This is the kind of
objective that a student, if they can complete it successfully, will be successful on the final or
midterm. His other objectives, including “Given a single or multi-variable function, the student
will be able to perform all calculations involving the differentiation of the given function, for all
function types listed,” or “Given the description and solution of a problem, the student will be
able to communicate clearly the mathematical ideas which are related to the solution, to others
who may not have had Calculus” are much more specific. I love the idea of students being able
to communicate clearly math to other students who are not comfortable with the subject as an
assessment of learning. These students will truly understand the material, as the highest form
of assessment is being able to teach the information. I cannot wait to try this out on my
students in a similar way, as it is a fun way to make sure they understand the objective.
Learning how to write learning objectives is incredibly important for students and
teachers at this level in education. In the public school system and the high school setting, huge
emphasis is placed on goal/objective writing, as each and every lesson objective must
correspond with a particular goal from that grade level’s Standard Course of Study. So, when
students come to college, they are very used to having clear, clean, measurable objectives for
every class that they are expected to successfully complete. When they come to college and
receive little to no guidance or constructed organization in the class syllabus and course
objectives, it’s no surprise they struggle to succeed. I am planning to start each class with an
opening discussion question that is built upon the previous class learning objective. For
example, I can place a PowerPoint slide on the projector screen with an EKG and ask them to
describe the different events causing the waves, and those students will have successfully
reviewed “Given an electrocardiogram, the student will be able to describe the different events
occurring at each wave, as well as potential heart problems for all patients.” At the end of each
unit, then, they can take each of these opening questions and have a great study guide and
review for the exam, as well as successfully completed each of the learning objectives for the
class.
I think this kind of structure really helps students and teachers succeed in presenting
and receiving information for a higher degree of learning, and ensures that students have the
materials necessary to succeed in the course. Being able to write and assess objectives in this
manner is critical to being a successful teacher, and I look forward to writing objectives and
learning outcomes with the use of all the information I learned in this workshop.