Chapter 4
Step 2: Stating the Outcome
Keep These Things in Mind While Reading.




What is the definition of an objective?
How are objectives and goals different?
What does the acronym ABCD mean?
How does Bloom’s taxonomy relate to the Stating the Outcome
step?
Chapter Introduction
Figure 1
The puppeteer in Figure 1 shows the hand control with the 2 marionette
highlighted to focus our attention on Step 2: Stating the Outcome. As a
puppeteer when you are considering this step you ask yourself: who is my
audience? What do I want the audience to do? Do I want them to laugh, cry, or
think about issues in a new way? What can I do to make that happen? How do I
know if I've achieved my goal? Each of those questions are represented by the
a, b, c, d marionettes below 2. Together they represent Step 2: Stating the
Outcome.
Stating the Outcome is the same as writing an objective or series of
objectives. In the previous chapter you learned how to analyze the learner
through a variety of sources: interviews with the learner and subject matter
expert(s), pre-tests to determine prior knowledge, observations of the
learner at work, and document analysis to understand the learner, their task,
Chapter 4 --- 1
and their environment. This chapter explores ways you manipulate and consider
that objective in order to describe what you want the learner to be able to
do, think, or feel after instruction.
Chapter Outline
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Goals and objectives
Objectives and cognitive load theory
ABCD
Sample objectives for K12 and business contexts
Terminal and enabling objective
How to write objectives
a. Audience
b. Behavior
c. Condition
d. Degree
7. How objectives evolve
Goals and Objectives
Goal statements are descriptions of what a designer wants to achieve in their
instruction. They describe a general direction, intent, or aim. Objectives
are clear, precise statements describing the:




learner/audience,
performance desired,
strategy to elicit the performance,
criteria for success.
Traditional instructional design models usually cover a step called goal
analysis prior to addressing objectives. The 4-Step process skips conducting
a separate goal analysis because the process of identifying objectives is
similar to the process of identifying goals, but on a smaller scale.
A dart-to-target metaphor (see Figure 2) for goals and objectives helps
explain the relationship. Objectives are used to reach a goal, just as darts
are aimed and thrown to reach a target.
Chapter 4 --- 2
Figure 2
Objectives and goals have a similar structure and meaning, and for our
purposes if you can write an objective, you can write a goal. What is even
more promising is that if you can write an objective you can also create
instructional units, courses, and curriculums; all because the structure of
an objective repeats itself throughout the instructional design process (see
Figure 3). An objective is similar to a goal, and also to the entire
instructional design process. Once you understand the objective, you will
understand the rest. This is another example of how fractal theory applies to
instructional design.
Chapter 4 --- 3
Figure 3
Objectives and Cognitive Load Theory
Scaffolding is a term frequently used in cognitive load literature and
represents the support given to learner as they learn new information and
travel from one level of understanding to the next. Picture objectives as the
guardrails of an instructional scaffold (see Figure 4). When objectives are
thoughtfully selected and sequenced they provide learner support. In Figure 4
you see three levels of objectives (Select, Organize, and Integrate), which
represent three levels of learning, from a superficial level to a deeper more
permanent level.
If learners find themselves at an uncomfortable place, they may not have the
prerequisite skills or knowledge necessary for learning at that level.
Imagine a novice learner on the top level of the scaffold in Figure 4, but
without the scaffolding. Without adequate support the learner may feel
scared, helpless, and non-motivated. Objectives serve as a type of building
block, or chunking strategy, allowing the designer to isolate units of
instruction and then arrange or rearrange them as needed to provide the
learner with the optimal support needed.
Chapter 4 --- 4
Chapter 4 --- 5
The ABCD Model
ABCD is an easy to remember mnemonic for the four parts of an objective:
Audience, Behavior, Condition, and Degree. Objectives are deceptively
difficult, in part because ABCD makes it sound like they should be easy. They
are not easy to put together, but the elements that you use to put them
together are easy to remember. How you get the ABCD components to work
together is the challenging part.
Let’s go back to the puppeteer image. You will notice that the hand control
manages the “2” marionette, and beneath the “2” the “ABCD” marionettes. Since
everything falling from the hand control is dependent on everything else, you
can imagine the complexity of interactions taking place. If the puppeteer
raises the “3” marionette, the two is affected. If the “2” marionette is
changed, the “ABCD” marionettes change. The convolutions taking place in an
objective represent element interactivity - or intrinsic load for the
designer. Just in case you do not remember, high element interactivity
translates to high cognitive load. Once again, you see the high element
interactivity nature instructional design.
The letter A represents audience. Audience describes the learner and takes
into account their preferences, context, and task. The learner analysis
described in the previous chapter helps you identify these specifics. When
you write an objective you may use the phrase "the learner will" or the
acronym TLW. You can be more specific as in "the customer service
representative", or "the second grade student." Many objectives, however,
identify specific characteristics of the learner during the learner analysis,
making TLW a satisfactory description of audience.
The letter B represents behavior and refers to what you want the learner to
know, do, or feel. You describe observable and non-observable behaviors using
very specific words to indicate selection, organization, or integration
(mentioned in the Cognitive Load Theory chapter) levels thinking.
The letter C represents the conditions for learning. C can also be thought of
as context or catalyst. The 4-Step model equates the conditions step with
instructional strategy. What is it that you as the designer are going to
create or require of the learner that will facilitate learning? Conditions
are often written using the word "given" followed by the catalyst or
strategy. Consider these examples.
 Given a stage performance, the audience will laugh
 Given the drawings of geometric figures, circle the polygons
 Given a diagram of the instructional design process, list steps
 Given a paragraph, underline the verbs
The letter D represents the degree of learning desired. For example, if the
behavior is running, your criteria might be the distance covered in miles. We
also think of D as the question: Does the lesson work? Did the learner learn?
Was the lesson easy to use? Degree may refer to:



Accuracy (e.g., “student’s answer must be within +- 3 degrees”)
Number of errors (e.g., “with three mistakes or fewer”)
Time (e.g., “in 12 minutes or less”)
Chapter 4 --- 6

Lesson usability (e.g. the learning environment was effective,
efficient, and appealing)
Sample objectives for K12 and business contexts
A K/12 Scenario
Suppose you are creating a unit of instruction for a 5th grade science unit.
You are working on a quarter long unit in Astronomy. According to school
system standards, at the end of the academic quarter, among other knowledge
and skill requirements, students must be able to list the names of planets in
the solar system, as well as their sequential order from the sun. Given this
information you write the following ABCD objective:
Given information on the solar system and the order of the planets, and
practice using a mnemonic to help them remember, the fifth grade student will
identify all of the planets in the solar system in the correct order.
Look over the objective below to identify the ABC and D
components.
Audience: the fifth grade student
Behavior: will identify all of the planets in the
solar system
Condition: Given information on the solar system and
the order of the planets, and practice using a
mnemonic (My Very Elegant Mother Just Served Us Nine
Pizzas for Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter,
Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.) Farewell Pluto! 
Degree: will identify all of the planets in the solar
system in the correct order. Note that when the
Behavior and Degree are identical it may not be
necessary to include Degree.
A Business Scenario
Let’s look at a business scenario using the ABCD elements. The topic is
career choice for workers whose employment has been terminated. In this
scenario an instructional designer has been asked to create a unit of
instruction to help workers understand John Holland’s hexagon of career
types. The purpose of the lesson is to explain Holland’s theory and to help
learners select careers that fit their unique personalities.
Holland’s hexagon divides individuals into six basic categories:
investigative, social, artistic, entrepreneur, conventional, and realistic.
Most people will score highest in one of the six categories and the theory is
that individuals should consider a career in the area where they show a
natural ability or interest. Thus if a person scores highest in the
investigative category, they might explore a career as a scientist (or as an
instructional designer). The following objective is written.
Given a chart of Holland’s hexagon of personality types and the assignment to
think about one’s strengths and weaknesses, the displaced worker will select
Chapter 4 --- 7
the personality type that most fits their traits, listing at least three
reasons why they made the selection based upon past experience.
Take a minute and try to identify the ABCDs of this objective.
A: The displaced worker
B: will select the personality type that most fits
their traits
C: Given a chart of Holland hexagon of personality
types and the assignment to think about one’s
strengths and weaknesses
D: Listing at least three reasons why they made the
selection based upon past experiences.
The more precise you become with your objective the lengthier (and often more
and more incomprehensible) it becomes. In situations like this, you might
consider breaking the objective up into more than once sentence. For example;
The displaced worker will be given Holland’s hexagon (a chart of career
types). The worker will be asked to think about their career related
strengths and weaknesses. The displaced worker will then use Holland’s
hexagon to select a career type that matches their personal traits. The
displaced worker must list three reasons why they made this decision.
Terminal and Enabling Objectives
There are times when you must break an objective apart because you realize
you have two objectives instead of one. These objectives might be at an equal
level of importance, or, one of the objectives might need to be a subordinate
objective, and learned prior to learning the other.
In these situations, the broader objective is considered a terminal objective
and is followed by enabling objectives. A terminal objective is one that can
be broken into several sub-objectives. Likewise an enabling objective is an
objective that contributes to a terminal objective.
For example, you might decide that the displaced worker needs to perform two
activities before they identify their career match. For the first activity,
the displaced worker will take a test with a valid and reliable personality
instrument. For the second activity, the displaced worker will fill out a
worksheet and identify their most and least favorable experiences on the job.
Both of these activities lead towards the identification of a job match based
on the Holland classification scheme, therefore this makes them enabling
objectives. In this situation, you’d have three objectives: one terminal
objective and two enabling objectives. The objectives would look like this:
Terminal Objective
Given the data from two reflective activities, the displaced worker will
select the Holland career category that most matches their personal
characteristics and will be able to list three reasons why this category
is selected.
Chapter 4 --- 8
Enabling Objective One
Given a test on Holland’s career types, the displaced worker will identify
their top two scores.
Enabling Objective Two
Given a worksheet activity the displaced worker will be required to
identify their most and least proud work experiences.
Note that early on in your design, your objective will be somewhat vague.
Until you have prototyped your instruction and have observed the user
interacting with your draft copy, you remain somewhat in the dark on a number
of factors. For example, the condition you pick to elicit the performance
simply may not be appropriate for the learner and you would have no way of
knowing this prior to observation. Let’s say you pick a simulation format to
teach about food selection in a grocery store. As you observe the learner
interact with the simulation you realize that the simulation doesn’t address
the type of grocery store that the learner shops in and it does not include
the types of foods that the learner might select. For example, your learner
might live in an inner city location and shop at a number of different
stores, including fresh food markets. The traditional suburban store grocery
store will not work in this situation. Your original objectives will then
need to be reworked.
Mastery in writing objectives is important to your success as an
instructional designer. Each new design experience you have will require you
to think differently about the ABCD elements and how to make them interact
optimally.
How to Write Objectives
Many scholars have analyzed objectives
and models to help the designer create
for practical use and also as a primer
I am introducing a short cut. Consider
and have derived a number of tables
them. Because this book is designed
for other instructional design books,
this a move to reduce extraneous load.
My goal is to help you see the reasoning behind writing an objective. You
will learn the basic structure of an objective and will be able to write a
solid respectable objective, but you will not be exposed to the level of
detail presented in the traditional models. If you want to know more now,
check the "For More Information" folder in you website for the Krathwohl
reading. For the purposes of this book and class, however, you will be OK
skipping Krathwohl for now.
1. Identify the Audience that will exhibit the behavior
To write the "A" part of the objective, simply start a sentence as follows:
The learner will ...
This is all you need to write for now. Some people even abbreviate this by
using the acronym
TLW...
Chapter 4 --- 9
The
B, C, and D steps below help you complete this sentence.
2. Specify the behavior
The B part of an objective requires that you select a verb to follow "The
learner will". Following are several examples of "B".






TLW
TLW
TLW
TLW
TLW
TLW
maintain an optimal level of exertion for their body weight and age
select low sugar canned fruit
choose a variety of high fiber foods
calculate their target heart rate
identify the sugar section of a nutrition label
distinguish between high fiber and low fiber foods
If you scan the information in this B section you notice that picking a
single verb involves a lot of thinking and analysis. This is why you make big
bucks (:-), or are able to influence the direction and scope of training or
instruction).
When you select a verb to represent B, pick a verb that demonstrates the
level of thinking required. Earlier, in the Cognitive Load Theory chapter,
you learned that three parts of memory involve selection, organization, and
integration processes. Therefore, the key task in the B step is to pick a
verb that represents selection, organization or integration levels of
thinking.
Rather than starting with a listing of appropriate verbs (as suggested
throughout the instructional design literature), first ask yourself to think
of the level of thinking needed to reach the outcome desired. Think of:

learner characteristics discovered in Step 1: Sizing up the learner

learner performance in future tasks

What is most important for the learner to know, do, or feel?
If basic, prerequisite information is needed to move the learner towards a
bigger goal or objective, choose a Selection level verb.
If the learner needs experience with the information, to develop a skill or
richer understanding choose an Organization level verb.
If the learner must be able to solve similar problems using the information
or thinking strategies used in the future, choose an Integration level verb.
Ask yourself if it is most important to:

expose the learner to information, and require very little, if any,
interaction or behavior beyond reading, listening, or noticing (this
represents Selection level thinking)

involve learner practice, by asking the learner to think about the
information, create or find examples of the information, or use the
information (this represents Organization level thinking)
Chapter 4 --- 10

require the learner to commit information to memory in a meaningful and
memorable way (this represents Integration level learning)
Identifying the level of learning needed will help you pick a good verb. For
example, if



exposure to information might involve listening, reading, noticing ...
practice is needed the verb might include study, draw, write,
paraphrase
long-term memory and integration tasks are required the verbs are
likely to reflect higher level thinking, such as create, compose,
evaluate
Try to keep the process as simple and direct as possible. Do not get hung up
on selecting only verbs from an approved list or table (see Table 1).
Instead, answer the questions above and see if a verb emerges as your write
the objective. That particular verb is likely to be the most effective one
you can choose. If you need something to get you started, uses Table 1.
Below is additional information about selection, organization, and
integration verbs. If you understand the previous information, you may want
to skip ahead to identifying the "C" part of the objective.
Selection verbs represent relatively superficial learning. Cognitive load
theory describes selection as the early mental activity involved in short
term memory. When a learner selects information, they are paying
attention to something. Recognition is a selection level activity. The
ability to focus is a recognition activity.
Seeing a stop sign and knowing to stop involves selection. The ability to
choose the correct Russian word for "girl" from a list of 4 Russian names
involves selection.
Organization verbs represent working memory and deeper, or more active
learning, than selection. The learner thinks about and works with
information in ways that typically involve some level of recall from longterm memory. The organization processes in memory allow the learner to
categorize information or establish relationships between information. The
learner is able to identify and create super-ordinate, coordinate, and
subordinate status.
If a person is given a map of a city as well as a starting point and
destination location, they can figure out a travel route. The organization
part of memory helps them identify a sequence. The ability to describe the
word "girl" in Russian uses organization processes because the learner is
able to match a description from memory to a Russian word.
Integration verbs involve the deepest level of learning. Baddeley's
episodic buffer, where words and images are interpreted for meaning, is
most likely involved in integration tasks. Integration activities require
the learner to bring new information together, to create meaning, to
retrieve information in a way that allows them to solve novel problems.
Chapter 4 --- 11
If a person is asked to explore and describe different regions in a city,
they are using integration functions in memory when they use the map. If
a learner is asked to use the word "girl" during an impromptu discussion
they are using integrative memory.
Below you see a table that lists common verbs. Do not feel restricted by this
table, it is provided only to get you thinking. Many times verbs work in more
than one category. A select verb might work in an integration objective, and
vice versa. For example, the verb “Explains” can be both a Organization verb
and an integrate verb. “Explain” at the organization level would describe
understanding of newly learned, yet fairly superficial information, whereas
“explain” at the integration level would describe more deeply learned
information the learner generated or experienced on their own.
Table 1.
Select, Organize and Integrate Verbs
Select Verbs
Organize Verbs
Use words that describe
how the learner/user
attends to information.
Pattern recognition and
sensory memory are
involved at this level
of cognitive activity.
This level deals mostly
with factual content.









Acknowledges
Classifies
Determines True or
False
Hears
Intuits
Locates
Matches
Sees
Selects
Use words that describe
how the learner/user
rehearses, manages,
applies, and practices
information learned. This
level deals mostly with
conceptual, procedural,
metacognitive skills









Compiles
Distinguishes
Illustrates
Imagines
Organizes
Rehearses
Role plays
Summarizes
Practices
Integrate Verbs
Use words that describe
how the learner uses
information in reallife situations and in
the solution of novel
problems. This level
deals mostly with
conceptual, procedural,
and metacognitive
skills
 Applies
 Assesses
 Analyzes
 Appreciates
 Argues
 Calculates
 Clarifies
 Composes
 Creates
 Demonstrates
 Estimates
 Evaluates
 Explains
 Interprets
 Judges
 Performs
 Predicts
 Questions
 Reflects
Values
Keep in mind that no cognitive activity is likely to fall purely into any one
of the select, organize or integrate categories. Instead, there are little
bits of selection, organization, and integration going on all the time with
Chapter 4 --- 12
all content. When you write the objective, write to the highest level
(select, organize, integrate). Each level assumes the previous level has been
achieved. For example, an objective written at the integrate level indicates
learner experience at selection and organization levels.
At this point you may be asking, is this really a short cut to writing the B
part of an objective? Yes it is, imagine three tables like the one above: one
for cognitive content, one for affective content, and one for psychomotor
content. Then imagine six instead of three columns to represent levels of
learning, and four additional rows, each with its own set of verbs. Bloom's
taxonomy, Anderson and Krathwohl't taxonomy, Morrison, Ross and Kemp's
taxonomy, Mager's taxonomy, and more, require that level of detail.
The approach taken here follows the 80/20 rule. I am providing 20% of the
support to write objectives that are sufficient 80% of the time.
We will not address the differences in psychomotor or affective objectives
(thus we use 1 rather than 3 tables - because you can use the table above
for psychomotor and affective objectives.) For example, note the affective
verbs appreciates, and values in the integrate column. You also see
practices, a verb that can be used for psychomotor activities in the organize
column. There are many more affective, cognitive, and psychomotor verbs that
apply to the table above, these represent only a few.
3. State the instructional condition needed to elicit the
behavior
When you write the C part of the objective you typically precede it with the
word Given, as in



Given a role to play in a flight simulator ...
Given the requirement to plan a five-course meal ...
Given a list of the 5 stages of grief ....
After you do this, you typically put this phrase in front of "the learner
will <verb>." (You do not have to do this, but it makes reading the objective
easier.) For example:
Given a role to play in a flight simulator the learner will practice ...
The Given part of the sentence represents the instructional strategy, what is
for many the most creative and satisfying part of being an instructional
designer. I think of this as the step where you most approach the ART of
instructional design.
When you create an instructional strategy you do what you can to "reach out
and grab the learners mind." In doing this you facilitate learner selection,
organization, and integration. Your instructional strategy can be thought of
as the learning condition or catalyst, as well as your context.
C considerations ask you to match some type of learning activity to the verb
selected during B decisions above. For example, if
Chapter 4 --- 13
listen is the verb; the activity is probably a lecture, an audio recording, a
debate or any type of environment that requires listening
appreciates is your verb; the activity probably involves a values-oriented
story, music, a motivating lecture, reading, movie, or involvement in some
type of immersive learning experience (perhaps a simulation or internship).
When you first write out the "C" condition, be fairly general. As you work on
the ABCD and the 4-Steps you will tweak C, or change it, or adjust it in some
way. Step 3: Making it Happen, the next unit, describes this in more detail.
Initially, just write out your best guess.
Three steps, explained in detail here, help you match the verb you selected
in "B" to a learning activity
1. Identify the type of content that must be learned
2. Match the type of content to a suggested instructional strategy based upon
the level of learning desired
3. Label your objective by listing the content classification, and the level
of learning
1. Identify the type of content that must be learned.
This step asks you to determine the type of content to be learned. Is content
mainly factual, conceptual, procedural, metacognitive or problem solving in
orientation, of an affective nature? Table 2 describes common
classifications.
Table 2:
Content classification
Factual content
Bits of information that make up the basic content
a student must know. Facts most often include
specific terms, details, and vocabulary.
Conceptual content
Related information that can be categorized due to
common features is considered conceptual.
Conceptual information includes cause and effect
relationships established at the principle and
theoretical level.
Procedural content
A set of steps followed in particular ordered to
reach a specific objective such as: solving a
problem, identifying methods, and establishing
criteria.
Attitudinal content
A set of beliefs or values – (this type of
objective is difficult to write. Try to focus on
learner behaviors that might reflect an *“Approach
Tendency”. An approach tendency is behavior that
exhibits a positive attitude to a situation or
Chapter 4 --- 14
subject.
Metacognitive content
An awareness of one's thinking
2. Match type of content to a suggested instructional strategy based upon the
level of learning desired. Below are some suggestions (see Tables 3a - 3e),
but do not limit yourself to these
If working with Factual content, these are possible catalysts for
select, organize, integrate levels of thinking:
Table 3a: Factual strategies
Select
Help the learner
notice.
Organize or Integrate
Help the learner rehearse, categorize,
sequence
Make things stand out.
Show relationships.
Use novelty, create
interest or discord
Use examples
Prompt questions
Require matching, T/F,
Multiple Choice,
labeling, circling,
arrows
Require fill-in the blank, short answers,
concept mapping
Create mnemonics
Use mnemonics
(EGBDF – Every Good
Boy Does Fine
Draw representations
If working with Conceptual content, these are possible catalysts for select,
organize, integrate levels of thinking:
Table 3b: Conceptual
strategies
Select
Organize
Integrate
Highlight
dominant
features
or
relationsh
ips)
Identify examples and non-examples
from a provided list or display
Providing
examples and
non-examples
and requiring
the learner
to state the
concept
Use simple
examples
that
epitomize
the
majority
Stating a rule and having the learner
generate an example. (A primary color
plus a secondary color equals a
tertiary color. Find an example of a
tertiary color).
Create concept maps, scrapbooks
Take part in role play
Create/compos
e a story,
play, movie,
image
Chapter 4 --- 15
of cases
Stating a concept and having the
learner identify examples and nonexamples (Warm colors are those based
on yellow and red. Provide examples
and non-example of warm colors).
Generate
ideas
Differentiate
Critique
Tell a content related story (why
does red mean anger or love?)
Chapter 4 --- 16
If working with Procedural content, these are possible catalysts for select,
organize, integrate levels of thinking:
Table 3c: Procedural strategies
Select
Organize
Integrate
Identify steps in
a procedure
Sequence steps in a
procedure
Present a "special
case" procedure
Observe a
procedure
Explain steps of a
procedure
Use a procedure
correctly to
perform task or
solve problem
Label a procedure
Translate a procedure
into a drawing, or a
drawing into a
procedure
Invent a procedure
Create poem
Create a table
Practice a procedure
If working with metacognitive content, these are possible catalysts for
select, organize, integrate levels of thinking:
Table 3d: Metacognitive strategies
Select
Organize
Integrate
Employ embedded
focusing
strategies to
gain learner
attention (create
cues within text
or images)
Plan work
Compose
reflection/reaction
Paper,
(this step
involves message
design - take
ET504 or ET604 to
learn more)
Translate a procedure
into a drawing, or a
drawing into a
procedure
Journal
Create portfolio
Portfolio
reflection
Put in own words
Plan learning
projects
Create poem
Create a table
Practice a procedure
Employ mental imagery
If working with affective content, these are possible catalysts for select,
organize, integrate levels of thinking:
Chapter 4 --- 17
Table 3e: Affective strategies
Select
Organize
Integrate
Identifying/descr
ibing
feelings/emotions
/values
Classifies
feelings/emotions/valu
es
Exhibits behaviors
related to
emotion/values
Role plays/practices
Produces or creates
art, projects,
artifacts
Journals, reflects
Chooses
3. Label your objective by listing the content classification, and the level
of learning
The last "C" step is writing and labeling your objective to include the
condition. For example, if the "B" part of the objective specifies hat the
learner be able to practice calculating a target heart rate, you would do the
following (see Figure 5 below):
1. Select the procedure table above
2. Locate the learning level column
3. Select a strategy listed in the column, or create a strategy of your own
that works just as well or better (remember, these tables are used here to
give you ideas, they do not represent all strategies that are possible).
Figure 5
4. Write the "C" part of the objective :
Chapter 4 --- 18
Given the assignment to re-sequence a list of steps, the learner will
demonstrate knowledge of steps required to calculate a target heart rate
5. Label the objective using the format (Content type, Level of learning)
Given the assignment re-sequence a list of steps, the learner will
demonstrate knowledge of steps required to calculate a target heart rate
(Procedure, Organize)
Other examples include:
 Given a nutrition label, TLW identify carbohydrates by circling the
label (Fact, Select)

Given a trip to the grocery store, TLW distinguish between high
fiber and low fiber food by placing high fiber foods only into their
shopping cart (Concept, Organize)
Identify the degree of behavior achieved as a result of your
education
At this point you are probably ready for something a little more
straightforward. my opinion D level decisions are among the most easy, simply
because D decisions are directly related to B decisions.
Once you define the behavior desired, you simply describe the degree to which
you want the learner to achieve that behavior. Many people write B first, and
then directly follow the B with the D because the two are directly related.
For example, the following might be ways to indicate the degree of behavioral
achievement desired:

Follows a diet that consists of 60% fruits or vegetables (for an
objective stated “TLW eats a healthy diet”)
Following a healthy diet is an Integration level task for conceptual
content.

Routinely exercises four times a week for fifty minutes
(for an objective stated “TLW will engage in physical fitness)
Routine (consistent) exercising is an Integration level activity for
procedural content)

Chooses low fat milk or ice-cream instead of regular milk or ice-cream
(for an objective stated “TLW develop healthy shopping practices”)
Choosing among alternatives in a grocery store is an Integration
activity for either Affective or Conceptual content
Complete objectives for the topic of weight management include:

Given a demonstration of the heart rate calculation procedure TLW
identify their target heart rate with no errors (Procedure, Integrate).

Given a highlighted food label TLW identify the carbohydrate section of
a nutrition label by circling the carbohydrate section of a new and
removed nutrition label (fact, selection).
Chapter 4 --- 19

Given a trip to the grocery store TLW distinguish between high fiber
and low fiber foods by and placing only high fiber foods into their
shopping cart (concept, organize).
How Objectives Evolve
When you write objectives you’ll find that you do a lot of revising. You’ll
write the A part, then the B part, then the D part, then the C part and will
probably decide you didn’t get the B part quite right, which changes the D
and C accordingly.
Objectives will evolve. The important thing is to get started in their
evolution by writing them and don’t be discouraged if you find yourself
rewriting them. Part of the design process that you go through will be
revision. It is expected. You’ll be getting feedback from the learner as you
design. This feedback will help you understand the appropriateness of the
objective. This is the exciting part of design because you are getting closer
to the goal you want to achieve as you test your work with actual learners.
Know These Terms!
Affective – the area of learning devoted to developing attitudes, values, or
appreciations. The 4-Step process incorporates affective objectives into a
general classification scheme. Bloom's taxonomy and Krathwohl's revised
taxonomy have separate, more complex, models for classifying affective
objectives.
Enabling objective – an enabling objective is an objective that contributes
to a terminal objective.
Objectives – specific statement describing what the leaner is required to
learn or to accomplish, the condition required to facilitate understanding,
and the criteria necessary to measure success.
Psychomotor – associated with physical movement and skills. The 4-Step
process incorporates psychomotor objectives into a general classification
scheme. Bloom's taxonomy and Krathwohl's revised taxonomy have separate, more
complex, models for classifying psychomotor objectives.
Terminal objective – A terminal objective is one that can be broken into
several sub-objectives.
Summary
In the previous chapter we learned about the first of The 4 Steps for
designing self-paced learning environments: Sizing up the Learner. This
chapter moved to the second of The 4 Steps: Stating the Outcome. This second
step helps you write an instructional objective.
Chapter 4 --- 20
Objectives are precisely worded statements that define the underlying goals
of instruction. Objectives are written using four parts that are easily
remembered using the menmonic ABCD (Audience, Behavior, Condition, and
Degree). By writing an objective, the designer clarifies the scope and nature
of instruction.
A number of involved procedures describe the construction of an objective,
the most recent and notable by Krathwohl's Revised Bloom' Taxonomy. Given the
complexity of the processes described, this chapter selects a more generic
process whereby the designer focuses on the level of thinking needed to reach
the objective, selects a verb that represents a cognitive activity associated
with that level of thinking, then matches that activity to an instructional
strategy. The last step involves identifying the criteria that best indicate
that learning took place.
The next chapter of instruction moves to the third step of The 4 Step
process, Making it Happen, a step that most exemplifies the art of
instrucitonal design
References
Anderson, L. W., & Drathwohl, D. R., (2001). A taxonomy for learning,
teaching, and assessing: A revision of Bloom’s taxonomy of educational
objectives. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Bloom (1956).
For More Information
Mager, R. F. (1997). Preparing instructional objectives: A critical tool in
the development of effective instruction (3rd ed.). Atlanta, GA: Center for
Effective Performance.
Mager, R. F. (2002). Measuring instructional results (3rd ed.). Belmont, CA:
Pitman Management and Training
Sullivan, H. J., & Higgins N. (1983). Teaching for competence. New York:
Teachers College Press, Columbia University.
Chapter 4 --- 21