Job-Focused Objectives and Problem-Based
Learning: Promoting Skill Transfer to the
Workplace
Objectives Guidelines
Directions: This session teaches a job-focused variation of a 3-part instructional objective that Mager
(1997) popularized. Each job-focused objective consists of a job-focused performance, condition, and
criteria. Use these guidelines, the checklist, and the objectives template to create job-focused objectives for
your training.
Step 1: Specify the performance using a single action verb that describes what an
exemplary performer does on the job.
Step 2: Specify the conditions for the on-the-job performance.
Cues
What tells the individuals to perform?
Cues
Example: First responders react to an alarm.
Setting
Where will the individuals be expected to perform?
Example: Nurses might be asked to work in a clinic or a hospital ward.
People
Will the individuals have access to supervisors, team members, or other people?
Resources
Example: Managers might be asked to work as part of a project team.
Equipment
What tools, supplies, facilities, etc. will the individuals have to work with?
Example: Auditors might be able to use calculators and spreadsheet templates.
Information
What information or reference materials will be available to the individuals?
Example: Peace officers might be able to use online criminal databases.
Step 3: Specify the criteria the on-the-job performance.
Specifies the required length of the performance.
Time
Duration
Rate
Accuracy
Number of
errors
Tolerances
Example: Paramedics will maintain a steady CPR rate for at least 10 minutes.
Specifies the speed at which the performance must take place.
Example: Court reporters will record at a rate of 150 words per minute.
Specifies the maximum number of errors allowed.
Example: Flight attendants will announce preflight boarding instructions with no
more than two verbal errors.
Specifies the maximum range of measurement that is acceptable.
Example: Quality assurance analysts will calculate a mean to the nearest .01.
Job-Focused Objectives and Problem-Based Learning
Presented at the 2013 CISPI Conference, Wheaton, IL
Villachica & Stepich
1
Essential
characteristics
Specifies the features or characteristics that must be present in the performance.
Example: Salespersons will employ a consultative sales approach to identify a
customer need.
Quality
Specifies the documents or materials that will be used to judge the performance.
Source
Consequences
Example: Graphic designers will create a series of computer screens that are
consistent with established principles of screen design.
Specifies the expected results or the performance.
Example: Managers will be able to develop a response to an employee conflict
that reduces the company’s legal liability.
Objectives Checklist
Performance
Does each objective include a single performance, represented by a single verb?

Yes

No
2.
Is the performance represented by an action verb that concisely describes
performance of the task on the job?

Yes

No
3.
Does the performance focus on a problem-solving skill?

Yes

No
Does each objective include conditions that are consistent with the job?

Yes

No
5.
Do the conditions specify cues that initiate the performance?

Yes

No
6.
Do the conditions specify resources that exemplary performers use to complete the
performance?

Yes

No
7.
Do the conditions appear to be complete?

Yes

No
8.
Do the conditions appear to be appropriate?

Yes

No
9.
Do the conditions avoid mentioning the instructional setting?

Yes

No
Does each objective include relevant, measurable criteria associated with
exemplary performance on the job?

Yes

No
11
.
Do the criteria describe the standard for each time the performance is performed?

Yes

No
12
.
Do the criteria appear to be complete?

Yes

No
13
.
Do the criteria appear to be appropriate?

Yes

No
1.
Conditions
4.
Criteria
10
.
Job-Focused Objectives and Problem-Based Learning
Presented at the 2013 CISPI Conference, Wheaton, IL
Villachica & Stepich
2
Objectives Template
Directions: Use this table to write and facilitate the review of job-focused performance objectives for training.
#
Performance on the Job
Condition(s) on the Job
Criteria on the Job
1
2
3
Job-Focused Objectives and Problem-Based Learning
Presented at the 2013 CISPI Conference, Wheaton, IL
Villachica & Stepich
3
Merrill’s First Principles Job Aid
Directions: Use these five prescriptive design principles and their corollaries to create task-centered, problem-based
learning. We’ve adapted Merrill’s work to focus on performance-based training to improve workplace performance.
Principle 1—Problem-centered
Engage learners in completing whole, real-world problems (p. 45).
Teach whole problems (a.k.a. “job tasks”), rather than only components of one. Tasks should be representative of those
the learner will encounter in the workplace after completing the training.
1.1 Show Task: Rather than teaching
topics out of context, show learners
the tasks they will be able to perform
on the job as a result of completing
their training.
• Instead of relying solely on a set of abstract instructional
objectives, demonstrate the whole task that learners will be able
to perform after mastering the objectives.
• Provide worked examples show learners the type of whole task
that they will learn to complete in the workplace.
1.2 Task Level: Engage learners at the
level of the whole problem or job
task.
• Teach the whole task, rather than individual task components
(e.g., discrete operations, actions, or steps).
• Note that other ID theorists disagree with Merrill. Both Clark and
van Merriënboer recommend using part-to-whole sequencing for
procedural tasks that learners perform the same way each time.
1.3 Problem Progression: Have learners
solve a progression of increasingly
difficult job tasks
• Have learners start by completing a representative, simple
version of the whole task. Then have them complete increasingly
more complex variations of the task.
• Help learners compare each version of the task that they
complete in the progression.
Principle 2—Activation
Help learners activate relevant prior knowledge or experience (p. 46).
Help learners build a bridge between what they know and what they will be learning.
2.1 Previous Experience: Direct learners
to recall, relate, describe, or apply
knowledge from relevant past
experience that they can use as a
foundation for their new knowledge.
• Have learners interact in a way that primes what they already
know that they can apply to what they will be learning.
• Simple recall of what learners already know is typically ineffective.
• Information-oriented pre-tests are typically ineffective.
2.2 New Experience: Provide a relevant
experience that learners can use as
a foundation for their new
knowledge.
• Sharing experiences helps activate related mental models for the
person sharing and those listening.
2.3 Structure (a.k.a. “advance
organizer”): Provide learners with or
encourage them to recall a structure
that they can use to organize their
new knowledge.
• Learners rarely can construct frameworks they can use to
organize their newly acquired skills.
• Ask learners to recall & use their current mental model if one
exists.
• If they don’t have one, provide an advance organizer that the
learner can use.
Principle 3—Demonstration (Show Me)
Demonstrate tasks that learners will perform on the job (pp. 47-48).
Rather than merely telling learners about what they will be learning, demonstrate what they will be doing in the workplace.
Job-Focused Objectives and Problem-Based Learning
Presented at the 2013 CISPI Conference, Wheaton, IL
Villachica & Stepich
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3.1 Demonstration Consistency:
Demonstrate the desired
performance in ways consistent with
all components of a job-focused
instructional objective(s): behaviors,
conditions, and criteria.
3.2 Learner Guidance: Direct learners to
relevant sources of guidance.
• Kinds-of tasks: classification
• How-to tasks: procedure
• What-happens tasks: process
(how something works)
3.3 Relevant media: Employ media that
play a relevant instructional role and
don’t compete for the learner’s
attention.
Provide different kinds of demonstrations that align with the job
task, instructional objective, and its components:
• Kinds-of tasks: Show several specific examples for concepts
• How-to tasks: Show the procedure in several different situations.
This could include modeling behaviors.
• What happens tasks: Show the troubleshooting process in
several different situations.
Learner guidance is like a spotlight
• Identify aspects of the task would benefit from learner guidance
because they are critical to success and/or difficult or confusing to
the learner.
• Use text and/graphic techniques to direct learners’ attention to
those aspects and help the learners successfully perform those
aspects of the task.
• Avoid swamping working memory with “nice-to-know” information.
• Include both words and graphics as long as the graphics convey
relevant information and are not merely decorative.
• Place corresponding words and graphics near each other.
• Present words as audio narration rather than on screen text.
• Refrain from adding interesting, but unnecessary, material that
can interfere with learning.
Principle 4—Application (Let Me)
Require learners to apply their knowledge to complete real-world job tasks (p. 49).
Provide authentic practice opportunities where learners build their skills by completing real-world job tasks while receiving
the coaching and feedback they need. In creating performance-based training, Merrill’s application phase applies to both
the:


Practice exercises that prepare learners to complete a performance assessment.
Performance assessments where learners demonstrate their ability to perform job tasks per the training’s job-focused
instructional objectives.
4.1 Practice Consistency: Provide
practice and assessment
opportunities that are consistent with
the stated or implied job-focused
objectives, including their behaviors,
conditions, and criteria.
4.2 Diminishing Coaching: Provide
coaching and feedback that guides
learners in solving problems,
detecting their errors, and correcting
them. Then gradually withdraw the
coaching with each new time they
perform the task.
Job-Focused Objectives and Problem-Based Learning
Presented at the 2013 CISPI Conference, Wheaton, IL
Provide different kinds of practice that align with the job task,
instructional objective, and its components:
• Kinds-of tasks: classify new examples of each category by
labeling, sorting, or ranking the examples.
• How-to tasks: carry out each step in the task in a real or
simulated situation.
• What happens” tasks: predict a consequence of an action in a
new specific situation or, or find faulted conditions given an
unexpected consequence.
Diminishing coaching is like training wheels on a bicycle and
how you take them off
• Identify aspects of the task that would benefit from coaching
because they are critical to success and/or difficult or confusing to
the learner.
• Provide substantial tangible support during early practices.
• Systematically reduce the amount of tangible support as the
learners continue to practice and shift control to the learner.
Villachica & Stepich
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4.3 Varied Problems”: Require learners
to complete a sequence of varied
tasks (a.k.a. “problems”) that
provides an adequate representation
of what they will do in the workplace.
• Provide enough practice exercises and assessments to ensure
skill transfer to the workplace.
• Sequence the varied problems per the problem progression
corollary (1.3).
Principle 5—Integration
Encourage learners to integrate (transfer) their new knowledge or skill into their everyday life in the workplace (p. 50).
Provide opportunities for learners to consolidate what they’ve learned and skill transfer to the workplace.
5.1 Watch Me: Provide learners with
opportunities to publicly demonstrate
their new knowledge or skill.
• Provide opportunities to demonstrate to an associate, boss, or
friend.
• Being able to observe one’s own progress is motivating (e.g.
advancing through different skill levels in computer games).
• Public demonstration of new skill provides opportunities for
organizations to provide feedback about the extent to which
performance meets standards.
5.2 Reflection: Provide opportunities
where learners can reflect on,
discuss, and defend their new
knowledge or skill.
• Provide opportunities to reflect and synthesize in meaningful
discussions.
• Encourage learners to summarize what they’ve learned and
examine again how the new knowledge is related to what they
previously knew via the structure that was recalled or provided.
5.3 Creation: Provide opportunities
where leaners can create, invent,
and explore new and personal ways
to use their new skills and knowledge
in the workplace.
• Learners can work with their supervisors to create transfer plans
to help them apply what they learned in training to the workplace
• Learners can set up and participate in brown bag lunches to help
them better transfer what they’ve learned.
References
Clark, R. C. (2010). Evidence-based training methods: A guide for training professionals. Alexandria, VA: ASTD.
Mager, R. F. (1997). Preparing instructional objectives (3rd ed.) Atlanta, GA: The Center for Effective Performance.
Merrill, M. D. (2002). First principles of instruction. Educational Technology Research & Development, 50(3), 43-59.
van Merriënboer, J.J.G. (1997). Training complex cognitive skills. Englewood Cliffs: Educational Technology Publications.
Villachica, S. W., & Stepich, D. A. (2010). Surviving troubled times: Five best practices for training professionals.
Performance Improvement Quarterly, 23(2), 93-115. doi: 10.1002/piq.20083
Villachica, S. W. (2011). Doing right by your clients: Surfing the performance improvement zone. Retrieved from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RU7aCDTZSAQ
Job-Focused Objectives and Problem-Based Learning
Presented at the 2013 CISPI Conference, Wheaton, IL
Villachica & Stepich
6