Behavioral Objectives

Recommended Materials Guide to Accreditation

Learning Outcomes Upon completion of this instructional unit and review of additional resources, the learner shall be able to: Differentiate between a goal and objective. Identify the four components of an objective. Correct objectives to insure each is complete and measureable. Identify the three learning domains used in writing objectives. Distinguish the three levels of learning in each learning domain. Select appropriate action verbs for writing objectives. Classify objectives according to the learning domain and level of learning.

Behavioral Objectives Also known as: Learning objectives Instructional objectives Performance objectives An objective is the knowledge or skills one wants the student to be able to exhibit in order to be considered competent Objectives are related to outcomes because they detail the expected results or outcomes of instruction Behavioral objectives provide the student with a road map of how to achieve competency. While all programs strive to achieve the same competencies, the route or objectives they select to use may differ.

Behavioral Objectives Goal = a general statement that defines the major purpose of instruction Broad statement that provides a direction of content but no means of how to achieve it Must be translated into specific objectives Objective = a statement that describes what the learner will be able to accomplish after completion of instruction Very specific and detailed statements Must relate to the course and program goals Must be measurable so one can objectively evaluate the outcome or result A goal is similar to the destination of a trip while the objectives provide the road map on how to get there.

Behavioral Objectives Purpose Provides a guide for instructional content Helps instructor plan activities to enhance learning Improves communication with student on expected outcomes Helps in assessment (evaluation) of the outcomes of instruction Helps student organize the material for studying Provides the student with a self-evaluation tool Provides the student with a clearer view of what is expected The use of behavioral objectives has many advantages.

Behavioral Objectives There are 4 elements (ABCD) to an objective Audience (A) – who is the learner? Behavior (B) – what must the learner be able to do? What is the expected outcome? Condition (C) – what are the conditions, limitations or boundaries for learning? Degree (D) – how well will the learner need to perform? What defines acceptable performance? A good objective communicates exactly the intended learning outcome. If any of the elements are missing then the communication with the student is diminished or fuzzy. Behavioral objectives describe expected student behavior and not course content.

Behavioral Objectives Audience Defines who is going to perform the desired behavior Often listed as student, trainee, learner or participant It is not the instructor Behavior The specific action or behavioral verb that describes exactly what the learner is expected to exhibit to achieve competency. The choice of the action verb is very important in an objective. Must use verbs that are measurable and observable to insure a clear statement A good objective delivers the instructor's intent and leaves little room for interpretation Poor verbs such as know, be familiar with, have knowledge of, learn, understand, grasp, and show are open to many interpretations by both the instructor and student Objectives are written for the performance of the student and not the instructor. The behavior required by an objective must be clear and precise. A good test of the clarity of an objective is to determine if the behavior can be easily evaluated.

Behavioral Objectives Condition A objective should define the conditions for performance of the behavior Requirements or restrictions identified as necessary for achievement of the desired behavior or outcome Upon completion of lecture Without the use of calculator After demonstration Degree The acceptable level of performance needed to achieve the behavior and be considered competent One school of thought is if it is not stated then it is always assumed to be 100% Within 15 minutes Within 10% of the automated result Within +/- 2 standard deviations The condition and degree of a behavioral objective help to make it measurable for evaluation.

Behavioral Objectives Often a lead-in descriptor sentence prior to a listing of objectives prevents writing the same required conditions over and over Upon completion of the lecture and laboratory session, the student shall be able to: Objective #1 Objective #2 Objective #3 Additional conditions or degrees, such as time limits or % accuracy, can be listed in specific objectives as needed.

Behavioral Objectives Bloom’s Taxonomy In the mid 1950’s, Benjamin Bloom categorized learning into three domains Cognitive Deals with facts, knowledge, comprehension and critical thinking Psychomotor Involves the physical skills needed to complete tasks Affective Entails attitudes, emotions, feelings and values Bloom theorized a well rounded education should include learning across all three domains A well rounded, competent graduate enters the profession with the appropriate knowledge, skills and attitudes.

Behavioral Objectives Within each learning domain, acquiring knowledge progresses from simple to complex Learning requires the individual to begin with basic information or skills and then build to achieve higher levels of learning such as critical thinking or problem-solving The term taxonomy level is used to describe different learning levels within a learning domain Learning is developmental and progresses in a logical manner from basic concepts to complex theories.

Behavioral Objectives Learning Domain – Cognitive Taxonomy levels Initially 6 levels of learning were described using Roman numerals to designate progression (I) - Knowledge – recall of basic facts (II) - Comprehension – organize, compare and describe facts (III) - Application – use information in a new situation (IV) - Analysis – break down information into parts (V) - Synthesis – put information together in a new manner (VI) - Evaluation – make judgments and resolve issues

Behavioral Objectives Cognitive domain Others have now simplified the 6 levels into 3 Knowledge (I) – recall and comprehend information Application (II) – break down information and use in a new manner Problem-solving (III) – put information together in a new manner, make decisions based on information and resolve issues Instructors should use all three learning levels when writing cognitive behavioral objectives to show the progression in learnng.

Behavioral Objectives Cognitive domain measurable action verbs The key to determining the taxonomy level of an objective often depends on the action verb used Level I – Knowledge Cite, Choose, Compute, Describe, Discuss, Explain, Express, Give examples of, Identify, List, Label, Locate, Match, Name, Outline, Record, Repeat, Report, Restate, Review, Select, Summarize, Translate Level II - Application Adapt, Apply, Analyze, Appraise, Categorize, Compare, Contrast, Differentiate, Interpret, Modify, Produce, Solve, Relate Level III – Problem solving Assess, Construct, Correlate, Criticize, Design, Evaluate, Formulate, Judge, Justify, Predict, Prioritize, Recommend, Resolve, Revise, Support, Validate Behavioral verbs usually define the learning level of an objective. Some verbs such as interpret can cross learning levels. If the student is given all of the data need to make a diagnosis or identify a bacterium then the use of interpret as a behavioral objective verb may lend itself to a level II objective. Providing the student only minimal data, incorporating data from other clinical areas or including flawed data may allow the use of the verb interpret as a level III learning level.

Behavioral Objectives Cognitive domain examples of objectives: Level I – Upon completion of lecture, the student shall be able to list the gram stain reagents in order of use. Level II – Upon completion of lecture, the student shall be able to compare and contrast the structure and function(s) of IgG, IgM, IgA, and IgE. Level III – Upon completion of lecture, the student shall be able to correlate patient history, urinalysis results and other laboratory data to determine potential renal diseases present. Review the behavioral objectives provided as examples of each learning level in the cognitive domain.

Behavioral Objectives Learning Domain – Psychomotor Taxonomy levels Readiness (I) – observation of task or activity and ability to replicate Proficiency (II) – recognition of steps and conditions needed to perform a task correctly and ability to evaluate own skills and make corrections Adaptation (III) – application of skills, ability to adapt to new situations, creation of new skills, education of others The psychomotor learning domain is most often used in the applied education of a student.

Behavioral Objectives Psychomotor domain measurable action verbs Level I – Readiness Follow, Display, Locate, Model, Observe, Place, Prepare, React, Recognize, Reproduce, Repeat Level II – Proficiency Adjust, Build, Calibrate, Construct, Demonstrate, Detect, Distinguish, Maintain, Organize, Operate, Perform, Select Level III - Adaptation Adapt, Alter, Adjust, Change, Construct, Create, Correct, Customize, Design, Develop, Improve, Initiate, Instruct, Modify, Perform, Produce, Revise, Teach, Train

Behavioral Objectives Psychomotor domain examples of objectives: Level I – Upon completion of lecture and laboratory session, the student shall be able to prepare reagents, with 100% accuracy, using the recipe provided. Level II – Upon completion of lecture and laboratory session, the student shall be able to perform a white blood cell differential, on a stained peripheral blood smear, with results within 10% of the instructor’s results. Level III – Upon completion of lecture and laboratory session, the student shall be able to perform instrument maintenance, according to department policies and procedures, and resolve issues that may arise. Review the examples of the three learning levels of psychomotor objectives provided.

Behavioral Objectives Learning Domain - Affective Taxonomy levels Awareness (I) – aware of belief, value, or attitude, and complies and exhibits a change as a result of exposure Valuing (II) – recognition of belief, value or attitude, can attach worth to it and displays behavior Commitment (III) – recognition of importance of belief, value or attitude and internalization as part of the person’s character Behavioral objectives in the affective domain can be difficult to write due to the potential for personal interpretation by both the student and instructor.

Behavioral Objectives Affective domain measurable action verbs These objectives can be very difficult to write and measure and may appear subjective especially at the higher taxonomy levels. Level I – Awareness Accept, Behave, Comply, Cooperate, Develop, Follow, Listen, Maintain, Practice, Realize, Receive, Observe, Recognize, Respond Level II - Valuing Adapt, Approve, Believe, Choose, Criticize, Defend, Display, Exhibit, Influence, Persuade, Recognize, Seek, Value Level III – Adaptation Challenge, Change, Display, Internalize, Judge, Model, Practice, Represent, Resolve Writing behavioral objectives at a level III learning level can be done but are often difficult to evaluate.

Behavioral Objectives Affective domain examples: Level I – The student shall maintain confidentiality for all patient information. Level II – The student shall defend the value of honesty in the clinical laboratory setting and MLS program. Level III – The student shall model a “patient-oriented” attitude during clinical rotations . Review the affective behavioral objectives provided.

Behavioral Objectives Provide the framework for the assessment or evaluation of the learner’s knowledge , skills and beliefs, values and attitudes Can easily create valid evaluation tools using the expected outcomes of well written and measurable objectives across all learning domains Provide a means to insure achievement of program competencies Behavioral objectives need to revised and updated, as part of an on-going process, as new content and skills are added to the profession.

Assessment Identify the statement that demonstrates all four elements of an objective. The student can prepare a peripheral blood. Demonstrate initiative. The student shall know the four elements of an objective. The student shall perform serial dilutions with 100% accuracy while using an automated pipetter.

Assessment Select the objective that is complete and measurable. During lecture, instructor shall explain the basic principle of each biochemical test employed. The student shall demonstrate adherence to policies and procedures at all times during the MLS program. Be able to write appropriate and measurable objectives at each taxonomy level within each learning domain. Do a manual red cell count to the satisfaction of the instructor.

Assessment Identify the objective that represents the psychomotor learning domain. Following review of the manufacturer’s instructions manual, instruction and under supervision, the student shall operate each chemistry analyzer encountered. After lecture, the student shall be able to compare and contrast an automated susceptibility system and the Kirby-Bauer method. The student shall demonstrate confidentiality in dealing with patient test results.

Assessment Identify the objective which represents the affective learning domain and taxonomy level III. After lecture, demonstration and practice, the student shall be able to perform a manual WBC differential within 90% agreement of the automated system results. After graduation, the student shall serve as a role model for future MLS students. The student shall be able to list and describe the 3 taxonomy levels of objectives within each learning domain.

Assessment Practice writing objectives at each taxonomy level within each learning domain for your discipline.