EDU 704-Assessment and Evaluation Taxonomy of Educational Objectives: Objectives, Learning Outcomes , Table of Specification Week 6 Lecture Fereal Ibrahim

What is a learning objective? A learning objective is an outcome statement that captures specifically what knowledge, skills, attitudes learners should be able to exhibit following instruction.

Why do we have to use learning objectives/outcomes? 1. To be sure our teaching methods and techniques are working – Students are learning 2. Learning objectives define learning outcomes and focus teaching. They help to clarify, organize and prioritize learning.

The Debate about Using Behavioral Objectives (cont’d) Arguments for keeps teaching learner-centered communicates plan to others helps learners stay on track organizes educational approach ensures that process is deliberate tailors teaching to learner’s needs focuses attention on learner orients teacher and learner to outcomes

The Debate about Using Behavioral Objectives Arguments Against superfluous time-consuming pedagogic stifles creativity interferes with freedom to learn impossible to be inclusive

Common Mistakes When Writing Objectives A common misapplication of objectives is for the teacher to state what he/she is going to do (e.g., “My plan this morning is to talk about…”), rather than what the student is expected to be able to do (e.g., “After this session, the student should be able to…”). Including more than one behavior in a single objective Forgetting to include all three characteristics Using performance terms subject to many interpretations and that are not action-oriented

Common Mistakes (cont’d) Writing an unattainable, unrealistic objective Writing objectives unrelated to stated goal Cluttering an objective with unnecessary information Making an objective too general so that the outcome is not clear

What are the key components of a learning objective? Learning objectives should be “SMART” Specific Measurable/Observable Attainable for target audience within scheduled time and specified conditions Relevant and results-oriented Targeted to the learner and to the desired level of learning

Writing Lesson Objectives At the end of the lesson students should be able to …..(stem) Identify the major parts of a leaf Calculate the area of triangle ABC Create a model of a Fijian Bure Differentiate between imports and exports in Fiji with the use of examples Compose a poem about pollution in their school Work cooperatively with group members

Blueprint A blueprint of examination also known as the table of specifications (TOS) provide examination strategy of an institution at a glance. Blueprint is the matrix or chart reporting the number and type of test questions represented across the topics in content area, consistent with learning objective and relative weight on test given to each topic. A blueprint also identifies the % weighting of cognitive dimensions as the level of competence tested in each knowledge domain.

Creating a Table of Specifications (TOS) A document called terms of specifications (TOS) helps you plan out your exam. You can also call the document, table of specifications. It will make your test creation process more methodological and organized. Creating a solid terms of specification will increase the likelihood of you creating a test that is valid and reliable.

Step 1- Determine the coverage of your exam The first rule in making a table of specification is to make sure the coverage of your exam is something that you have satisfactorily taught in class. Select the topics that you wish to test in the exam.

Step 2- Determine your testing objectives for each topic area Bloom’s Taxonomy has six categories: (starting from lower level to highest) - (1) Knowledge, (2) Comprehension, (3) Application, (4) Analysis, (5) Synthesis and (6) Evaluation

Step 3- Determine the duration for each content area The next step in making the table of specifications is to write down how long you spent teaching a particular topic.

Step 4- Determine the weighting for each content area Based on time spent on each topic, allocate marks for each topic.

Step 5- Polish your terms of specification After your initial draft of the table of specifications, it’s time to polish it. Make sure that you have covered in your terms of specification the important topics that you wish to test. The number of items for your test should be sufficient for the time allotted for the test. After their approval, it’s time to put into action your blueprint by creating your exam