2. What are Learning
Objectives?
• Learning outcomes are measurable statements
that articulate what students should know, be
able to do, or value as a result of taking a course
or completing a program.
• For tutoring purposes, learning objectives should
be attainable goals a student can achieve within
the constraints of session time and place. Student
input should be used to increase the value of the
objective to the student.
3. What’s the form of a
learning outcome?
• Learning outcomes often take this
form:
• At the conclusion of the session,
"Student name" will be able to
"action verb" (followed by) "learning
objective".
4. Examples of Learning
Objectives
• Robert will be able to independently
identify variables from a word
problem to solve for x.
• Sarah will be able to describe the
key leadership of both the
Confederate and Union armies during
the Civil War.
5. Now think it through…
• Looking at the previous sample learning
outcomes, imagine what course lectures
might entail, what learning activities
might be effective, and how student
learning might be measured. Use learning
outcomes as a tool; let them inform your
choice of teaching strategies, course
activities and assessments.
6. Why set Learning
Objectives?
Setting learning objectives will make it easier for
tutors to:
• Design practice assessments that allow students to
identify areas of strength and those needing
development.
• Design teaching strategies or learning activities that
will help students develop their knowledge and skills.
• Measure student learning accurately and effectively.
• Foster student independence and growth.
7. If the learning objectives
are measurable, attainable,
and relevant, the student
is able to:
• Identify what they need to do to be
successful in the course.
• Take ownership of how they
progress.
• Be mindful of what they are learning.
8. How can you develop
learning objectives?
• Ask yourself: what are the most important things a
student should know (cognitive), be able to do (skills),
or value (affective) after completing the
course/program?
• Consult a list of action verbs, which are verbs that
result in overt behavior or products that can be
observed and measured. Bloom's Taxonomy of
Educational Objectives provides some useful verbs to
write objectives for different levels of learning.
See An Introduction to Bloom's Taxonomyfrom the
University of West Florida.
9. Develop Learning
Objectives…. Continued
• Avoid verbs that are unclear and cannot be
observed and measured easily, for example:
appreciate, become aware of, become familiar
with, know, learn, and understand.
• Draft a list of possible learning outcomes. Be
realistic in considering what is possible for
students to accomplish in your course. Only keep
the most essential learning outcomes.
• Edit and review the outcomes using the Learning
Outcome Review Checklist .
10. Next Steps
Setting learning outcomes is the first step in a five-part process (Walvoord, 2010):
• Outcomes: What do we want students to be able to do
after the course?
• Identify: Where in the curriculum are the outcomes
addressed?
• Measures: How well are students achieving the
outcomes?
• Revision: What changes can be made to the course to
improve student achievement?
• Re-measure: Did the revision to the curriculum work?
Content taken from Cornell University Center
for Teaching Excellence (CTE) on October 17, 2013.
http://www.cte.cornell.edu/teaching-ideas/designing-your-course/settting-learning-outcomes.html
11. Resources
• Learning Outcomes Checklist
• Working Session on Learning
Outcomes and Assessments
• Assessment Resources
12. References
• Davis, B.G. (2009). Tools for teaching (2nd ed.).
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
• Bloom, B. S. (1956). Taxonomy of educational
objectives: The classification of educational goals.
New York: Longmans, Green.
• Walvoord, B. E. (2010). Assessment clear and
simple: A practical guide for institutions,
departments and general education. San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
