Educational Goals and Objectives

Educational Goals and Objectives
A GUIDE TO DEVELOPING LEARNER BASED INSTRUCTION

Educational Objectives for this Presentation
At the end of this presentation you will be able to: Compare and contrast educational goals vs. educational objectives Write an educational objective using the ABCD model Develop educational objectives that focus on the learner or participant as the intended audience List three adult learning preferences

A Brief History of Educational Goals
The development of educational goals and objectives began in WWII as a way of conceptualizing instruction and training programs in the military. Educational psychologists and educators jumped on the concept!

1956
Benjamin Bloom and his colleagues published a taxonomy of learner behaviors which was taken into the public schools and eventually adopted in the health profession schools . It has influenced curriculum development and driven the movement towards competency based instruction for health professionals.

Bloom. B. and Krathwolh,D. (1956) Taxonomy of Educational Objectives:The Classification of Educational Goals , New York,Longmans

TodayEducational goals and objectives are widely used and required for the development of continuing professional education activities that award continuing education credit.

Bloom’s original work has been revised and updated.

Educational Objectives are also called:

Learning Objectives Outcomes Terminal Objectives Enabling Objectives Performance Objectives Aims Competencies Instructional Objectives Behavioral Objectives

The use of the terms “goals” and “objectives” can be confusing! Let’s clarify the differences.

The Difference Between Goals and Objectives
GOALS OBJECTIVES

Broad statements General intentions Intangible Abstract Generally hard to measure

Specific Precise Tangible Concrete Measureable

Goal
The goal of a learning activity is like a target

Objectives
The objectives are the arrows that help the learner reach the target and demonstrate mastery

Can you identify the Goals?
A. State the definition of a complimentary medical

intervention or therapy.

B.

Provide the health professional with the latest information about over the counter (OTC) antihistamines and their side effects. Introduce the reader to a new development in the early detection of oral cancer.

C.

D. Be exposed to a new way of organizing paperwork.

Clue:
There is only one objective on the previous slide-

A.State the definition of a complimentary medical

intervention or therapy.

The rest are all broad based goals!

Common Pitfalls in Writing Goals
Focus on the instructor actions-not the learner “Provide an overview of the latest site research.” The purpose of this course is to provide the participant with print and web references regarding site research”. “Dispel common myths about hand washing.” The goal of this course is to provide the health care professional with a review of the history and origin of common myths about hand washing . Confusing a goal (broad) with an objective (specific) “How to turn just ten minutes a day into a revenue stream.” To clarify this example the author or presenter needs to decide what is the overall goal-then what specific behaviors the learners need to do to demonstrate mastery of the information or skill.

A few things to remember about goals
Every educational activity should have a goal The goal focuses on what the learner will experience, rather than what the instructor will share or do It is a broad statement of purpose

In general terms what is the overall purpose of the educational activity? What is the main intention?

Example:

The purpose of this article is to provide health care professionals with new information on MRSA screening.

Writing educational goals and objectives does not have to be a struggle.
Mastering the basic components will help you to zero in on what you want the learners or participants to gain from the experience . Goals and objectives help to focus your presentation!

Clearly written objectives help to define the outcome of the activity.

The Components of an Educational Objective
ALWAYS BEGIN WITH THE END RESULT IN MIND!

THE ABCD APPROACH

Who is this activity intended for? Be specific!

At the end of the webinar the participants will be able to…..

At the conclusion of the conference presentation the attendees will be able to…

A=Audience (the learners, readers or participants, not the instructor)

What exactly is it that you want the learner to be able to do as a result of your …

Journal article

Webinar

Self Study Module

Conference presentation

B=BEHAVIOR (what the participants will do)

Hands on Workshop

What type of behavior do you want?
Behaviors for educational objectives fall into three categories, called domains Think of them as three flavors of ice cream!

Dealing with intellectual abilities

Approximately 80% of educational objectives fall into this domain

Most familiar to both instructors, authors and learners

“Head” objectives

Cognitive Domain

Relating to the expression of feelings , including emotions, fears, interests, attitudes, beliefs, values and appreciations

Often the most difficult objectives to develop

Sometimes called “heart” objectives

Affective Domain

Motor Skills

The easiest objectives to write as the behavior is easily observed and monitored. Psychomotor skills often involve the use of tools or instruments.

“ Hands On” courses will contain psychomotor objectives

Psychomotor Domain
“Hand” Objectives

All three domains are hierarchical
More complex and higher level skills are at the top

Each level builds on itself and assumes mastery at the lower levels

Fundamentals are at the earliest levels

States what conditions the instructor will impose when the learners are demonstrating mastery of a skill. Usually a WHEN or WHILE statement

“when given a set of five unlabeled slides”

“when given a list of common over the counter drugs”

C= Condition
“while working independently”

(imposed by the instructor)

The standard or criterion for judging the behavioral performance.

What has to happen for the learner to succeed?

It might be: Speed Accuracy Quality Quantity

D=Degree What is “Good Enough”?

Putting It All Together
Getting Started First develop the overall broad goal for your educational activity. o “The purpose of this activity (lecture, article, etc) is to……..

A=Audience
Next
o Define your AUDIENCE o If possible, identify what

level they are..novice, intermediate, advanced or mixed? Remember, the audience is always the learner, not the instructor

B=Behaviors the learners will demonstrate
• What does a participant

have to do to demonstrate they have mastered the material?
• Are those behaviors

cognitive, affective or psychomotor?
• This will influence your

word choice.

Cognitive Domain
Because educational objectives frequently target the cognitive domain, examples of the levels and sample action verbs will be helpful in developing your educational objectives.
These examples are based on the revised version of Bloom’s work.

Anderson, L.W. and Krathwohl(Eds.) 2001 A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching and Assessing: A Revision of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives.New York, Longman

Level One Cognitive Domain
REMEMBERING Action Verbs match list define arrange label name order remember memorize recognize relate recall repeat reproduce

Recall of information

Level Two Cognitive Domain
UNDERSTANDING Action Verbs classify discuss express indicate recognize restate select tell describe explain identify locate report review sort translate

Interpret information in one’s own words

Level Three Cognitive Domain
APPLYING Action Verbs demonstrate dramatize apply choose employ illustrate interpret operate prepare practice schedule sketch solve use

Use knowledge or generalization in a new situation

Level Four Cognitive Domain
ANALYSING Action Verbs discriminate differentiate analyze appraise calculate categorize compare contrast criticize diagram distinguish examine inventory question experiment test

Break down knowledge into parts and show relationships among parts

Level Five Cognitive Domain
EVALUATING Action Verbs appraise assess choose defend evaluate predict score support argue attack compare estimate judge rate select value

Making judgments based on criteria and standards

Level Six Cognitive Domain
CREATING Action Verbs arrange collect construct design manage plan propose synthesize assemble compose create formulate organize prepare set up write

Bring together parts of knowledge to form a whole and build relationships for new situations

C=Condition
The condition(s )imposed on the learner Examples:
“when given a list of 20 words” “within one hour” “independently” “while working in a small group”

D=Degree
The criterion for success!
Examples: “select the correct one” “with 80% accuracy” “4 out of 5 times “three” How do you evaluate if the learner “got it”?

Examples of Objectives Using ABCD
“At the end of this webinar the participant will be able to recall the three most common types of personal protection in breaking the chain of transmission for effective infection control. Audience Behavior Condition Degree “the participant” “recall” (Level One Cognitive) “the end of this webinar” “three”

Example
“When given a list of 20 words, the learner will be able to identify correctly all the cognitive action verbs”. Audience Behavior Condition Degree “the learner” “identify” (Level Two Cognitive) “when given a list of 20 words” “all” (100%)

Common Pitfalls When Writing Objectives
Not using measurable action verbs in the educational objective “to be knowledgeable out the rates of osteoporosis” Know, learn, understand, be aware of, be exposed to are too general to be effectively measured Not listing the degree required for mastery “At the conclusion of this presentation the learner will be able to list (how many) common side effects of low dose aspirin therapy”.

Thoughts on Adult Learning Preferences
Adults seek information to solve problems-more than acquiring new knowledge Presenting solutions and potential strategies for solving problems increases the probability of success for your educational activity

Adult Learning Preferences
Adults are engaged when learning builds on real life experiences and prefer case studies, role play, simulations, hands on components and other interactive methods

Adult Learning Preferences
Adults want reference materials and “quick guides” to take away from a learning experience and use in their daily work life

Summary
Educational goals are general statements of intent and purpose Every educational activity should have a goal Educational objectives are specific, measureable and precise The cognitive domain is most frequently used in developing educational objectives The ABCD method of writing educational objectives helps to assure that all the critical components are included Adult learners select educational activities to solve problems Adult learners prefer to have interactive, real life scenarios, role play and references

For more information:

Additional resources for exploring the affective and psychomotor domains and key words are easily found on the web.

Congratulations! Good luck and thank you for completing this presentation!