LEARNING ASSESSMENT AND
OUTCOMES-BASED
TEACHING (Learning) OBJECTIVES
Certification 130 (UPR-BT 1999-00)
Marta Colón de Toro, SPHR
Assessment Coordinator
CBA-UPRM
October 28, 2004
Our Learning Objectives
By the end of this session you will be able to:
 Identify major provisions of Certification
130
 Rewrite your course syllabus according to
Certification 130
 Rewrite course objectives to reflect learning
outcomes.
ELEMENTS OF A SYLLABUS
According to Certification 130
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Heading
Course Code and Title
Crds/Hrs
Pre/Co requisites and
other requirements
Course Description
7.
According to Official
Bulletin
11.

6.

8.
9.
10.
12.
Course objectives

Course Content with Time
Distribution
Teaching strategies and
methodology
Learning Resources
Evaluation Strategies
Grading System
Bibliography

Outcomes based
13.
(List specific topics and
sub-topics)
Not more than 5 yrs old, must
be available in GL (or MSC)
Rights of handicapped
students
Instructional Objectives…
Definition
“Are types of executions that the students can
perform after being taught in a way that they show
that they have learned what was expected.”
Norman Gronlund
------------------------------------------------------Purpose
 Express expectations of what is to be learned in a
course
 Provide a context for what will be learned
Course objectives help…

The Student




Clarify personal goals
Measure success
Reduce anxiety
Improve studying
effectiveness

The Professor



Design relevant
classroom material
Design relevant
assignments
Design tests/projects
Course Goals and Objectives
Teaching
 Focuses on the
professor’s effort, intent

“Expose the student to
recent research in
marine sciences”

“Evaluate recent research
in marine sciences”
or
Learning
 Focuses on the
student’s achievement
Hierarchy of Learning Goals
Institutional Goals
“Apply scientific inquiry methods.”
College Goals
“Think logically and critically.”
Program Goals
“…basic and applied research.”
Course Goals
“…apply data collection techniques.”
Session Objectives
“list steps in the scientific research
process.”
Complex versus Simple
Objectives

Write one complex objective for each main topic.


Write several simpler objectives within each topic.



“Given the data of a job analysis, develop a job
description that complies with EEO and ADA
guidelines”.
“Identify pros and cons of different job analysis
methods”.
“Discuss EEO and ADA provisions for writing job
descriptions”.
Write 1-2 simple objectives for each
class/assignment.


“Provide a definition of job analysis”.
“Describe the process of analyzing jobs”.
Effective Learning Objectives

Express them in terms of observable and
measurable behavior


Facilitates assessment of learning
Objectives should answer these questions:


What must students do to show that they have
learned.
What should students be able to do as a
consequence of their learning.
Good learning objectives address…
What the student is
expected to do after
learning. (performance)
2. The circumstances
under which the student
will be able to
perform.(condition).
3. The level of acceptable
performance. (standard)
1.
Basic Elements
Using Measurable Action Verbs
analyze
compare
demonstrate
discuss
identify
justify
grasp
state
compute
appreciate
direct
display
infer
list
report
synthesize
classify
contrast
derive
evaluate
integrate
understand
respond
name
collaborate
define
designate
know
interpret
organize
solicit
explain
Levels of Learning
Bloom’s Taxonomy
Compare
Evaluating
contrast,
critique, justify
Adapt,
Synthesizing
combine,
compare, contrast,
design, generate
Correlate,
Analyzing
diagram, distinguish,
outline, infer
Determine,
Applying
develop, compute,
utilize, conduct
Classify,
Comprehending
Knowing
Define,
explain, discuss, give
examples, summarize
describe, list, reproduce, enumerate
&
Let’s Practice!
Rewriting Learning Objectives
“At the end of this session you will be able to:
How to get started…


Identify each general topic of your course
Write down what you expect the students to be able
to do in regard to each topic.

These become the list of course objectives





Communicate them to students
Use them to develop assignments, exams, etc…
Make sure you will be able to measure each objective
Consider the level at which they should be able to
perform. (Bloom’s taxonomy)
Rewrite each objective based on outcomes.
Dealing with “understand”
Always ask yourself…
What would students be able to do if they
“understood”?






Give examples of …
Determine the “correct” method to use…
Discuss pros and cons…
Identify elements in a given case…
Apply the correct technique