Writing Program Assessment Objectives
Tips from the Teaching/Learning Center
When writing program assessment objectives, ask:
1. What does your department want the students to be able to do by the time they complete
your program? List types of performance, skills, or other outcomes.
2. What will the students need to do to demonstrate that they have accomplished those
outcomes? See verb suggestions below; The verb you choose can help you select an
appropriate measurement strategy.
3. At what level of expertise should the students be able to perform? If you have access to
benchmark data from an external source (e.g., ICCB, professional organizations,
certification criteria) or tracking data of your own (e.g., performance data you have
collected over the last couple of years), they may help you determine the criteria you
build into rubrics or other measurement instruments.
Descriptions/Verbs for Various Types of Desired Outcomes
The first several descriptions are based on “Bloom’s Taxonomy” of cognitive abilities. The last
two represent affective and psychomotor abilities. Collectively, they can help you differentiate
between various ways that students can reveal performance. Verbs and examples have been
added to assist you in seeing the potential relevance of each type to the desired outcomes you
identify for your program outcomes.
Knowledge: recall learned material such as specific facts, terms, methods, concepts, principles,
theories (memorize).
Objective verbs: Knowledge objectives can be identified by key verbs such as define,
identify, list, match, select, state, put in order, and label.
In other words, don’t use “understand” or “know” or “appreciate” or “be aware of” as
the verb because these terms are not specific enough or measurable in themselves; better
to have your audience do something that shows you they understand or know or
appreciate, such as “list the five scales of the CCSSE survey.”
Note: This level of desired outcome is usually used at the course level, not at the program
level. By the time a student has completed a certificate or degree, one would expect that
he/she can do more than list facts, but use them to employ higher order thinking or
performing skills as cited in the higher levels of Bloom’s taxonomy.
Comprehension: ability to grasp the meaning of facts, principles, charts, graphs, etc.
(understand).
Objective verbs: Comprehension objectives can be identified with key verbs such as
translate, describe, convert, explain, transform, select, indicate, illustrate, represent,
formulate, summarize, predict.
In other words, don’t use “understand” or “know” as the verb; better to have your
audience do something that shows you they understand or know, such as “describe each
of the five scales of the CCSSE survey.”
Teaching/Learning Center; March, 2006
Note: Again, most program assessment desired outcomes would likely be at a higher
level. Comprehension outcomes are more commonly associated with course outcomes.
Application: ability to use learned information or ideas (concepts, principles, laws, theories) in
novel and often practical situations (apply knowledge).
Objective verbs: Application objectives can be identified with key verbs such as apply,
compute, sequence, carry out, solve, prepare, operate, generalize, plan, repair, explain,
predict, demonstrate, instruct, determine, use, perform, demonstrate, implement, modify,
employ, solve, determine, demonstrate, modify, operate, prepare, produce, and show.
In other words, don’t use “understand” or “know” as the verb; better to have your
audience do something that shows you they can apply what they understand or know,
such as “determine one potential teaching activity that could be implemented in a BHC
classroom which could improve student ratings on the ___________ scale of the CCSSE
survey.”
Note: Application-oriented outcomes are often used for program outcome statements, as
are the next levels of Bloom’s taxonomy.
Analysis: ability to break down large pieces of information in order to examine the structure and
interrelationships among its component parts, recognizing unstated assumptions, logical fallacies
in reasoning, irrelevant data, organizational structure, facts vs inferences.
Objective verbs: Analysis objectives can be identified by key verbs such as analyze,
estimate, compare, observe, detect, classify, diagram, discriminate, differentiate,
distinguish, catalog, investigate, breakdown, order, dissect, contrast, examine, interpret.
analyze, diagram, differentiate, illustrate, infer, outline, point out, relate, and subdivide.
In other words, don’t use “understand” or “know” as the verb; better to have your
audience do something that shows you that they understand how something is put
together or how the parts are interrelated, such as “outline the main characteristics of the
5 CCSSE scales and how each might be addressed differently in the college classroom.”
Synthesis: ability to combine various elements or parts into a new structural whole such as a
new communication, plan of operations, classification system…in other words, the formulation
of a new pattern.
Objective verbs: Synthesis objectives can be identified by key verbs such as write, plan,
integrate, formulate, propose, specify, produce, organize, design, build, systematize,
combine, summarize, argue, discuss, derive, relate, generalize, conclude, produce,
categorize, devise, formulate, reorganize, create, and plan.
In other words, don’t use “understand” or “know” as the verb; better to have your
audience do something that shows you they can create something new using their
knowledge about several different things, such as “develop a lesson plan template that
incorporates key elements from each of the 5 CCSSE scales” OR “create a plan for one
potential BHC activity that would improve scores on one of the 5 CCSSE scales.”
Evaluation: ability to make a judgment about the value of something for a given purpose, based
on definite criteria such as judging conclusions based on data, judging the value of art works
Teaching/Learning Center; March, 2006
using internal criteria or external standards of excellence. The audience may be given the criteria
or develop it themselves.
Objective verbs: Evaluation objectives can be identified by key verbs such as evaluate,
verify, assess, test, judge, rank, measure, appraise, select, check, justify, determine,
support, defend, criticize, compare, critique, and weigh.
In other words, don’t use “understand” or “know” as the verb; better to have your
audience do something that shows you they can make judgments about something based
on their understanding, such as “effectively judge course redesign proposals for minigrant funding, based on the “best practices” research of the CCSSE survey.”
Note: These six categories are progressively inclusive. In order for your audience to achieve the
objectives from the higher categories, they must have the ability to perform the lower order
categories too, whether or not you plan to measure them.
Affective performance: ability to recognize or be aware of something, form or change an
opinion/attitude about it, or express ones’ belief through concrete actions.
Objective verbs: Affective objectives can be identified by key verbs such as recognize,
agree, avoid, support, participate, cooperate, praise, help, offer, join
In other words, don’t use “understand” or “appreciate” as the verb; better to have your
audience do something that shows you they have acquired or changed their feelings or
attitudes about something, such as “volunteer to participate in a new initiative selected by
the CCSSE survey strategy team.”
Psychomotor skills: ability to carry out a physical action based on learned skills (not to be
confused with general physical movement)
Objective verbs: Psychomotor objectives can be identified by key verbs such as adjust,
repair, taste, bend, measure, perform, operate, use, demonstrate, carry out, install,
construct, bathe, massage, or other physical action.
In other words, don’t use “understand” or “know” as the verb; better to have your
audience do something that shows you they can carry out a physical activity using a
psychomotor skill, such as “demonstrate the correct form of a tennis serve” or “correctly
install cabling for a network drop.”
Teaching/Learning Center; March, 2006