Tips for Writing Clear and Measurable Learning Objectives

Student Using Computer

One of the foundations when designing a course, is the learning objectives. Learning objectives aren’t just a list of what you plan to cover in the class, rather what you want your students to learn or achieve by the end of the course. If your students don’t know the end goal and if the course doesn’t have measurable learning objectives, your students could get lost along the way.  

Learning objectives are the heart of your course. When learning objectives are well-written and in measurable terms, they will help identify course content, structure the lecture, and guide the selection of meaningful and relevant activities and assessments. Furthermore, by writing clear and measurable learning objectives, you enable your students to understand what they should learn and exactly what they need to do. Learning objectives are narrow and discreet observable intentions of student performance. Educators from a wide range of disciplines follow a common learning objective ABCD model developed by Heinich (as cited in Smaldino, Mims, Lowther & Russell, 2019). 

The ABCD Model of Learning Objectives 

Audience: Who will be doing the behavior? 

Behavior: What should the learner be able to do? What is their intended performance? 

Condition: Under what conditions do you want the learner to be able to do it? 

Degree: How well must the behavior be done? What is the degree of mastery? 

Examples of the ABCD Model of Learning Objectives 

  1. After reviewing the instructional video (condition), the learner (audience) will be able to accurately list (behavior) at least five of the seven (degree) lab safety rules. 
  2. After reviewing the chapter (condition), the student (audience) will be able to identify the four stages if mitosis (behavior) with 100% accuracy (degree). 

After you have written your learning objectives, identifying each behavior you wish to measure is a good instructional practice. By using the ABCD Model of Learning Objectives, you will be able to break down the more complex objectives into smaller, discrete objectives.  

Action Verbs 

The key to landing measurable learning objectives is to use an action verb from one of the six levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy to describe the behavior you intend the students to perform followed by the content reference – that is, what content the objective is addressing. The six levels of Bloom’s taxonomy include Remembering, Understanding, Applying, Analyzing, Evaluating, and Creating.  

Remembering– Retrieving, recognizing, and recalling relevant knowledge from long-term memory 

Understanding– Constructing meaning from oral, written, and graphic messages through interpreting, exemplifying, classifying, summarizing, inferring, comparing, and explaining 

Applying– Carrying out or using a procedure for executing, or implementing 

Analyzing– Breaking material into constituent parts, determining how the parts relate to one another and to an overall structure or purpose through differentiating, organizing, and attributing 

Evaluating– Making judgments based on criteria and standards through checking and critiquing 

Creating– Putting elements together to form a coherent or functional whole 

Using action verbs in your learning objectives such as factor, calculate, explain, transcribe, and identify, describe a behavioral change. Verbs such as understand and know are “fuzzy” and difficult to measure. Therefore, they might not be the best word choice for a clear learning objective. 

Examples of Measurable Learning Objectives 

Oftentimes, the action verb and the content reference are adequate in communicating your objective. The other parameters such as condition and degree are useful when the goal is to meet a specific minimum level of outcome or proficiency. Here are some examples that include the action verb followed by the content reference. 

  1. The learner will compare and contrast  Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet in terms of plot, character, and social-political themes.  
  2. The learner will differentiate between potential and kinetic energy.  
  3. The learner will describe Newton’s three laws of motion.  

Notice how all three learning objectives are using action verbs that are written in measurable terms and students will know exactly what they must do.  

Examples of Non-Measurable Learning Objectives 

  1. The learner will understand the Pythagorean theorem. 
  2. The learner will demonstrate their appreciation for the work of Da’Vinci.    
  3. The learner will become familiar with the process of photosynthesis.

Notice how the three learning objectives are using action verbs in non-measurable terms. Here are some questions to ask yourself: 

  • What exactly do I want my students to be able to do?  
  • What behavioral change do I expect from these objectives?  
  • Finally, how can I assess these objectives?  

Once your objectives are written, you should move on to making sure that your content is aligned to the objectives. The following article from the LEC can help you along that journey. 

The Importance of Alignment in Your Course 

Now, it’s your turn! 

Here are a few examples of some learning objectives. Decide if the learning objective is measurable or non-measurable and how you might revise them. 

Learning Objective 1 

The learner will understand immigration policy. 

Learning Objective 2 

The learner will describe and create a marketing plan for your business.  

Learning Objective 3 

The learner will become familiar with the elements of editing. 

Learning Objective 4 

The learner will formulate a management plan for each of the above.  

Come back to this article next week for the LEC’s recommendations.  

Summary 

Using the ABCD Model for writing measurable learning objectives is one of the main ingredients of a successful course. When learning objectives are written in measurable terms, they will assist you in identifying course content, help structure your lecture, and allow you to select meaningful activities and assessments that are relevant and time-based for your course. As you continue to develop your course, make sure that you always check your learning objectives are aligned with your program goals, content, and learning activities.  

References 

Gronlund, N.E., & Brookhart, S.M. (2009). Gronlund’s writing instructional objectives (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.  

Smaldino, S.E., Lowther, D.L., Mims, C., & Russell, J.D. (2019). Instructional technology and media for learning (12th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.