How to Write Learning Objectives with Blooms Taxonomy

Summary

Learning objectives are crucial to instructional design, guiding decisions around content, activities, and assessments. This video explains how to write strong objectives by using measurable and meaningful action verbs, particularly from Bloom’s Taxonomy. It highlights the importance of clarity, specificity, and alignment with real-world applications. The video also covers common mistakes, such as confusing activities with objectives and setting unrealistic expectations. Practical examples are provided to demonstrate the difference between weak and strong objectives, with a focus on what learners should be able to do on the job after completing the learning experience.

Takeaways

• 🎯 Learning objectives act as the blueprint for instructional design, ensuring every element of the learning experience aligns with what learners should achieve.
• 🧩 Alignment is crucial—content, practice activities, and assessments should all directly support the defined learning objectives.
• 📝 A strong learning objective includes a clear stem such as 'By the end of this lesson, learners will be able to…'.
• 📚 Bloom’s Taxonomy provides a hierarchy of action verbs to create measurable, cognitive learning objectives that progress from basic to advanced skills.
• 🚫 Avoid vague verbs like 'understand', 'learn', or 'know' because they are not measurable—use specific, observable action verbs instead.
• 📏 Objectives should be measurable—designers should be able to determine clearly whether learners achieved them through performance or assessment.
• 💡 Objectives should also be meaningful—learners should gain skills or knowledge applicable to real-world or on-the-job performance.
• ⚙️ A complete learning objective can include three parts: the condition (under what circumstances), the performance (what learners do), and the criteria (how well they must do it).
• 🙅‍♂️ Common mistakes include confusing activities with objectives, using non-measurable language, displaying formal objectives to learners, and setting unrealistic goals.
• 🔍 Realistic, specific objectives help avoid overpromising—focus on what learners can truly achieve within the scope of the learning experience.
• 💬 When presenting objectives to learners, use simple and conversational language instead of formal instructional design phrasing.
• 🧠 Effective learning objectives guide content creation, practice design, and assessment writing, resulting in cohesive and outcome-focused learning experiences.

Q & A

What are learning objectives and why are they important in instructional design?

Learning objectives act as a blueprint for instructional design. They guide content creation, practice activities, and assessments to ensure everything aligns with the intended learning outcomes.

What does alignment mean in the context of instructional design?

Alignment means ensuring that all elements of a learning experience—content, activities, and assessments—are directly tied to the learning objectives. If something doesn’t support an objective, it shouldn’t be included.

What is the purpose of the 'Stem' in writing learning objectives?

The Stem serves as the starting phrase for learning objectives, typically written as 'By the end of this lesson, students will be able to…'. It sets up the action or behavior that learners are expected to perform.

How does Bloom’s Taxonomy assist in writing effective learning objectives?

Bloom’s Taxonomy provides a hierarchy of cognitive skills and corresponding action verbs, helping instructional designers choose precise, measurable verbs that match the level of learning they want to achieve.

Why should instructional designers avoid using verbs like 'understand' or 'know' in learning objectives?

These verbs are not measurable. They make it difficult to determine whether learners have truly achieved the objective. Instead, measurable action verbs such as 'list', 'identify', or 'explain' should be used.

What makes a learning objective measurable and meaningful?

A measurable objective can be directly assessed through observable performance or responses. A meaningful objective is relevant to real-world application or supports skills learners will use on the job.

What are the three components of a complete learning objective?

A full learning objective includes the condition (under what circumstances), the performance (what the learner must do), and the criteria (how well the learner must perform to be successful).

What are common mistakes when writing learning objectives?

Common mistakes include writing objectives that are not measurable, confusing activities with objectives, showing formulaic objectives to learners, and setting unrealistic expectations based on the scope of the training.

How can you distinguish between a learning activity and a learning objective?

A learning activity is something learners do during training (e.g., discussing in small groups), while a learning objective describes what learners should be able to do after training in real-world situations.

Why is realism important when writing learning objectives?

Objectives should match the learners’ existing skill levels and the time available. Overly ambitious objectives—like designing an entire course in one hour—can lead to ineffective instruction and unmet expectations.

How can learning objectives be written in a way that engages learners without overwhelming them with formal language?

While designers use structured objectives internally, they should present objectives to learners in a conversational and motivating way, such as saying, 'Today we’ll learn how to identify the nucleus in a cell.'

What is an example of a strong learning objective using all three components?

An example is: 'Given a microscope, identify the nucleus with 90% accuracy.' Here, 'given a microscope' is the condition, 'identify the nucleus' is the performance, and '90% accuracy' is the criterion.