Edit the text with your own short phrases. To change the sample image, select the picture and delete it. Now click the Pictures icon in the placeholder to insert your own image. The animation is already done for you; just copy and paste the slide into your existing presentation. Learning Objectives vs. Learning Goals Difference between Objectives and Goals Importance of Learning Objectives Writing quality Learning Objectives Brandy Close, M. Ed. Office of Educational Development

Learning Objectives: what we already know A Learning Objective describes a direction for a student acquiring the new skills or knowledge Learning involves students acquiring new skills and knowledge Objectives provide an aim or direction for the learning

As a result of attending this session, you will be able to: Differentiate a learning goal from a learning objective Identify the components of a learning objective Recognize the purpose for writing learning objectives Create well-constructed learning objectives Learning Objectives vs. Learning Goals

What is a Learning Objective? A Learning Objective is a clearly written, specific statement of observable student behaviors that can be measured and contributes to reaching the learning goals. Example: At the conclusion of the CPS small group session, students will be able to: Explain the pathophysiological symptom, diagnosis, and treatment of a patient with asthma

Why are Learning Objectives Important? Providing students with Learning Objectives: Describes what you value and expect them to be able to do (content selection) Specifies your desired outcomes that will be measured (instructional strategy) Assesses the student’s performance as well as the course instruction (evaluation connection)

The Difference: Goal, Instructional Objective, Learning Objective? GOAL: broad statement of learning outcomes Instructional Objective: specific statement of teacher-centered performance Learning Objective: specific statement of student-centered performance The Clinical Problem Solving course is designed to help first year students develop effective skills in symptom recognition and differential diagnosis. In the CPS small group sessions, the first year student will be asked to analyze and discuss a case, the evidence of symptoms, and provide a diagnosis. Given a set of clinical data, the first year student in CPS small groups will be utilize a hypothesis to compose research questions.

What is the difference between a Learning Objective and a Goal? A Goal is a broad statement of expected learning outcome of a course A Learning Objective is a specific statement of observable student behaviors that can be measured and contributes to achieving the goal. The Clinical Problem Solving course is designed to help first year students develop effective skills in symptom recognition and differential diagnosis. Given a set of clinical data, the first year student in CPS small groups will be able to state a hypothesis and compose research questions.

A Goal has multiple Learning Objectives GOAL The Clinical Problem Solving course is designed to help first year students develop effective skills in symptom recognition and differential diagnosis. Learning Objectives analyze a case evaluate historical data to determine a differential diagnosis write a report with a differential diagnosis and evidence to support it interpret lab results to confirm diagnosis apply knowledge acquired through analysis to determine treatment options At the end of the small group session, students will be able to:

Writing Your Course Goal A Goal is a broad statement of expected learning outcome of a course. Name of your course: ______________________________________________ Your goal should start with: “The purpose of this course is…” or “The aim of this course is…” At the conclusion of this course, what overall knowledge or skills will the student have gained? ____________________________________________________________________________ Write the goal of your course: ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________

How to Write a Learning Objective Focus on student behavior- identify the concept you want the students to learn and how they will perform or demonstrate their understanding Identify the level of knowledge (Bloom’s Taxonomy) at which you expect students to preform- align with how a assessment methodBloom’s Taxonomy Choose an action verb that is measureable and observable to describe the student behavior Indicate the condition under which the action will be observed- ex: given a certain environment…

The Format of a Learning Objective The Stem: “By the end of this course students will be able to: ” The Statement: bulleted statements beginning with an action verb followed by content Example: By the end of this course students will be able to: Differentiate a goal from a learning objective Recognize the reasons for writing a learning objective Identify components of a learning objective

Writing Your Learning Objectives A Learning Objective is a specific statement of student-centered performance. By the end of this course, the student will be able to:____________________________________________________________________________ Complete this statement for your course with one learned behavior: Make a list of three learned behaviors they need to accomplish the above learned behavior: ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________

How to Write Learning Objectives Follow the ABCD model: A.Audience- describes the targeted students (students in the course) A.Behavior- provides an action verb with content (What will they do?- Verbs such as “know & understand” do not describe a performance)-Bloom’s TaxonomyBloom’s Taxonomy A.Condition- defines the requirements needed to perform the task (What do they need in order to perform the objective?-materials, class setting-small groups, clinical site, etc.) A.Degree- gives the criteria fro assessing performance (How well will they need to perform the behavior)

How are Learning Objectives Linked to Assessment? Assessment measures the learning objective Design - evaluations to measure the performance of the LO Develop- measurement criteria and methods based on what is written in the LO’s Select- evaluation tools that best serve your methods (tests, quizzes, essays, small group activities, etc.) Choose- data collection procedures and analyze results. Modify/Re- Implement- revise assessment based on analysis and re-implement new assessment

Summary Writing learning objectives allows the instructor to select the content, develop the instructional strategy, assess the student performance, and evaluate the instruction. A Learning Objective is a clearly written, specific statement of observable student behaviors that can be measured and contributes to reaching the learning goals. Learning objectives combine action verbs with content to describe a desired student behavior The ABCD formula for writing learning objectives provides an easy model to follow for effective learning objectives

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