Dr. Barbara Wheeling
Coordinator for Institutional Assessment
Montana State University Billings
October 18, 2010
 The
learning objectives should clearly state
what the learner should be able to do.
 The assessment should measure if they can,
in fact, do that.
Patti Shank, "Online Teaching Fundamentals: To Plan Good
Instruction, Teach to the Test", Online Classroom, June,
2006, P. 4.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Learning Objectives have two parts: a verb
and a content area.
Keep statements short and focused.
Avoid verbs that are vague or cannot be
objectively assessed.
Learning objectives should be studentfocused.
http://captain.park.edu/facultydevelopment/writing_learn
ing_objectives.htm.
 1.

Is it specific?
An objective is written too broadly if


It cannot be reasonably assessed with just one or two
assessments
It covers several different elements of the subject
matter from a course or semester
 2.

Examples, not measurable:



Is it observable and measurable?
“Students will understand how to divide two-digit
numbers.”
“Students will develop an appreciation of cultural
diversity in the workplace.”
Example, measurable:


“Students will correctly divide two-digit numbers.”
“Students will summarize in writing their feelings
about cultural diversity in the workplace.”

Avoid phrases such as,


“have an understanding”, “have an appreciation for”,
“be knowledgeable about”
Be careful of modifiers such as,


“will effectively”, “can accurately”, “should
completely”
These can make measurement impossible
 3.

Is it actually a teaching outcome?
Avoid phrases such as:

“will be taught”, “will learn how to”, “will be
evaluated on”
 4.


Does the objective include action verbs?
Overt behavior that can be observed and
measured
Examples: compile, create, plan, revise, analyze,
design, select, utilize, apply, prepare, use,
compute, discuss, explain, predict, assess,
compare, rate, critique.
 The
taxonomy provides a useful structure in
which to develop learning objectives.

Primarily useful for deciding on action verbs
Assurance of Learning Blackboard site: The Assurance of
Learning Initiative
 Step

1: What should students be able to do?
These are the objectives.
 Step
2: What indicates students have met the
objective?

These are authentic tasks.
 Step
3: What does good performance on the
task look like?

These are the criteria to assess.
 Step


4: How well did the students perform?
Use a rubric with the criteria or
Compile a score for each objective
 Step
5: How well should most students
perform?

The minimum level at which you would want
students to perform is a benchmark.
 Step
6: What do students need to improve
upon?

Information from the rubric will provide
feedback and ideas for improving instruction.