Writing Objectives
Presented by:
Dulce Aura C. Napoles

Workshop Objectives
 Upon completion of the workshop,
participants will be able to:
 state three reasons why learning objectives
are written
 name the four parts of a good objective.
 rewrite a poorly written objective so that it
conforms to the ABCD method.

Why does a lesson need
objectives?
 Provide focus
 Provide a means for assessing student
success
 Allow for self-evaluation

Objectives not tied to the mission?
Impossible!
 Lesson objectives should always agree with
the school’s mission and philosophy
 Objectives are the vehicle for measuring
the different components of the mission
and philosophy

What is an objective?
 Objectives refer to expected or intended
student outcomes
 Specific knowledge, skills, or attitudes that
students are expected to achieve through
their college experience
CARS Website

Write objectives that specify
 Behavior or activity to be performed by the
student
 Conditions under which this behavior takes
place
 Minimum level of acceptable performance
Sax (1989), p.65

Student-Focused Outcomes
 Objectives should be worded to express what the student
will learn, know, or do as a result of instruction or how
the student will change developmentally as a result of
program – NOT what the teacher or subject will do for the
student
 BAD Objective: Provide students with knowledge
about how the library works.
 BETTER Objective: After taking the Research
Methods course, students will be able to demonstrate
their knowledge of how the library works by finding
ten sources for a research paper in the library.

Reasonable Objectives
 Objectives should be reasonable; that is, they
should reflect learning or development that the
student can accomplish in the subject.
 BAD Objective: Students will demonstrate open-
mindedness for all cultures by strongly agreeing with
all of the items on the Open-Mindedness Inventory
(OMI).
 BETTER Objective: Upon completion of the Study
Abroad program, participants will show an increase
in open-mindedness through a 10-point increase on
the OMI.

Observable, Measurable Objectives
 Student learning and development should be
assessed with an observable, measurable
objective. Objectives such as “know” and
“understand” are not observable.
 BAD Objective: Students will know about NDDU’s
alternative summer program.
 BETTER Objective: Students will be able to
describe NDDU’s summer program.
 OR: Students will be able to evaluate the impact of
the NDDU summer program.

Specific Objectives
 Objectives should specify the criterion of
acceptable student performance.
 BAD Objective: The student will learn how
to take better notes.
 BETTER Objective: Students from the study
skills course will demonstrate mastery of
note-taking techniques by correctly using at
least three different note-taking methods for
classroom lectures.

Bloom’s Taxonomy
Level Description
1. Knowledge Recognize facts, terms, and principles
2. Comprehension Explain or summarize in one’s own words
3. Application Relate previously learned material to new
situations
4. Analysis Understand organizational structure of
material; draw comparisons and
relationships between elements
5. Synthesis Combine elements to form a new original
entity
6. Evaluation Make judgments about the extent to
which material satisfies criteria
Less
complex
More
complex

Bloomin’ Verbs
Bloom’s Level Verbs
1. Knowledge match, recognize, select, compute, define,
label, name, describe
2. Comprehension restate, elaborate, identify, explain, paraphrase,
summarize
3. Application give examples, apply, solve problems using,
predict, demonstrate
4. Analysis outline, draw a diagram, illustrate, discriminate,
subdivide
5. Synthesis compare, contrast, organize, generate, design,
formulate
6. Evaluation support, interpret, criticize, judge, critique,
appraise
Trice( 2000) p. 81; Grendler (1999), p. 69

Another Example
 It may take more than one objective to get
at “a sense of social responsibility”.
 Example: Upon completion of service
learning orientation, freshmen will show a
ten-point increase on the Social
Responsibility Index (SRI).

The ABCD Method
 A = Audience
 What population are you assessing?
 B = Behavior
 What is expected of the participant?
 C = Conditions
 Under what circumstances is the behavior to be
performed?
 D = Degree
 How well must the behavior be performed? To what
level?
From “How to Write Clear Objectives”

The ABCD Method: Example
 Objective: Given the opportunity to work in groups,
students will develop a positive attitude towards working
in groups, as measured by a two-point increase on an
attitudinal survey given at the beginning and end of the
subject.
Audience Students
Behavior Develop a positive attitude
Condition Given the opportunity to work in groups
Degree 2-point increase on survey
Adapted from “How to Write Clear Objectives”

Common Mistakes
 Vague behavior
 Example: Have a thorough understanding of particle
physics.
 Gibberish
 Example: Have a deep awareness and thorough
humanizing grasp on…
 Instructor behavior
 Example: Train students on how and where to find
information.
From “Mager’s Tips on Instructional Objectives”

Summary
 Ask yourself: What is the intended result
of the subject in terms of the students?
 Objectives will answer:
 What should the students be able to do?
 Under what conditions?
 How well?

Summary
 Write student-oriented learning and
development objectives
 Use action verbs that are measurable
 ALL objectives MUST be assessed
 Be realistic
 Be specific