Skip to Main Content

Instructional Design Toolkit

This content tab is also found on the Creating Effective Research and Writing Assignments: Designing Assignments libguide

Why Write LOs?

The point of a learning objective is to set forth clear, measurable goals for student learning. Writing LOs will help keep your lesson on track.  An LO gives definition of what you expect from the lesson, what the learner should be able to accomplish and what to take away from the session.

​Learning objectives work in tandem with your assessment methods and instructional activities to create a structured class. From CMU's Eberly Center, "Aligning these three components is a dynamic process, since a change in one necessarily affects the other  two."

Eberly Center, "Articulate Your Learning Objectives", Web accessed Feb. 28th, 2018, https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/designteach/design/learningobjectives.html

Developing Objectives and Relating them to Assessment - See more at: http://teaching.uncc.edu/learning-resources/articles-books/best-practice/goals-objectives/developing-objectives#sthash.0zZvSV2X.dpuf
Remember, objectives should:
  • define specific outcomes or competencies to be achieved in terms of skills, content mastery, attitudes or values
  • form the basis upon which to select or design instruction materials, content or techniques
  • provide the basis for determining or assessing when the instruction purpose has been accomplished
  • provide a framework within which learners can organize their efforts to complete the learning tasks
- See more at: http://teaching.uncc.edu/learning-resources/articles-books/best-practice/goals-objectives/developing-objectives#sthash.qMFIhM9y.dpuf
Remember, objectives should:
  • define specific outcomes or competencies to be achieved in terms of skills, content mastery, attitudes or values
  • form the basis upon which to select or design instruction materials, content or techniques
  • provide the basis for determining or assessing when the instruction purpose has been accomplished
  • provide a framework within which learners can organize their efforts to complete the learning tasks
- See more at: http://teaching.uncc.edu/learning-resources/articles-books/best-practice/goals-objectives/developing-objectives#sthash.qMFIhM9y.dpuf

How to Write LOs?

Start by writing down one or two things you expect your students will learn after your lesson. Then, consider the below questions, adapted from CIDDE's "Practice with Objectives" document (2013):

  • Consider the Verb
    • Is it measurable (Can it be assessed?)
    • Does it reflect what you want your students to be able to demonstrate following your instruction?
    • How will you know if your students can do what you want them to do? (How will you assess the objective?)
  • Clarity
    • Is the objective clearly written?
    • Does it tell the students what they will be required to do? (Use Bloom's to find appropriate verbs)
  • Outcome Based (learner centered)
    • Does it describe an outcome of instruction rather than a student activity?
    • Does it describe the students' outcome and not what you will be doing?
  • Taxonomy Level
    • What is the thinking skill level? (Are there lower levels of learning that must be mastered before meeting this objective?)
    • Is the objective at an appropriate level for your teaching session? For the level of your students?

Are your outcomes SMART?

Specific Measurable Attainable Results-focused Timely

What are Learning Outcomes/Objectives?

Having a clear concept of what you eventually want your students to know, through their own process of onboarding what you give them is a Learning Outcome. Learning Outcomes or Learning Objectives (interchangeable) have been described as the specific knowledge and skills your students are expected to gain from the instruction. Learning Objectives, when written effectively, communicate to your students a specific, observable, and measurable goal and provide checkpoints in assessing learning.

Definition of Learning Outcomes

Learning outcomes are statements that describe significant and essential learning that learners have achieved, and can reliably demonstrate at the end of a course or program. In other words, learning outcomes identify what the learner will know and be able to do by the end of a course or program.

Lesch, S. Learning Outcomes and Samples.

Bloom's Taxonomy

Click above for larger image.

Bloom's Taxonomy, published in 1956 by Benjamin Bloom and updated in 2001 by Anderson and Krathwohl, is a hierarchical taxonomy of learning and thinking, beginning with lower order thinking skills and rising to higher order thinking skills. It can be a useful tool to help you write learning objectives that are attainable, specific, and measurable. In the above image, you can see some example verbs to use when writing your learning objectives, based on what specific type of learning you want your students to be able to do. (There are many more lists of verbs to use--see below, or just do a Google search for "Bloom's Taxonomy verbs".)

SMART goals

To make sure your goals are clear and reachable, each one should be:

  • Specific (simple, sensible, significant)
  • Measurable (meaningful, motivating)
  • Achievable (agreed, attainable)
  • Relevant (reasonable, realistic and resourced, results-based)
  • Time bound (time-based, time limited, time/cost limited, timely, time-sensitive)

Professor Rubin also notes that the definition of the SMART acronym may need updating to reflect the importance of efficacy and feedback. However, some authors have expanded it to include extra focus areas; SMARTER, for example, includes Evaluated and Reviewed.

https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/smart-goals.htm