Instructional Objectives and Learning Outcomes

What are Instructional objectives?

1. INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES OBJECTIVES AND LEARNING OUTCOMES Learning definition. Valid reasons for stating objectives. Define and contrast educational goals, informational objectives, and instructional objectives. Components of instructional objectives. The three domains of learning. Classification of objectives. Informational objectives and instructional objectives at different levels of cognitive, affective, and psychomotor

2. Instructional objectives Learning can be defined as change in a student’s capacity for performance as a result of experience. (Kenneth D. Moore) The intended changes should be specified in instructional objectives. Viewed in this context, an objective can be defined as a clear and unambiguous description of your instructional intent. An objective is not a statement of what you plan to put into the lesson (content) but instead a statement of what your students should get out of the lesson.

3. Goal and objective Goals are extremely broad statements that are used to describe the purpose of schooling or a course . . Objectives , on the other hand, are narrower statements of the intended learning of a unit or specific lesson (Gronlund, 1970). Generally goals and objectives are written at three different levels (Kryspin & Feldhusen, 1974). Here I label these three levels in descending order of specificity. Educational goals Informational objectives and Instructional objectives (written for specific lessons and exercises)    

4. SMART SMART goals were developed by George Doran, Arthur Miller and James Cunningham in their 1981 article  in Journal Management Review. SMART" is an easy way to remember how to set goals or plans that are more likely to succeed. Each letter stands for something important:

5. SMART Goals: S - Specific: Make your goal clear and specific. Instead of saying "I want to exercise more," say "I want to walk for 30 minutes every day." M - Measurable: Make sure you can track your progress. This means you should be able to see how you're doing. For example, "I will keep track of the number of miles I walk each week." A - Achievable: Make your goal something you can actually do. It should be realistic for you. If you've never run before, setting a goal to run a marathon next month might not be achievable. Start with smaller steps !

6. SMART R - Relevant: Your goal should matter to you. It should fit with what you want to achieve overall. For instance, if you want to improve your health, setting a goal to eat more vegetables is relevant. T - Time-Bound: Give yourself a deadline or a time frame to achieve your goal. This helps keep you focused and motivated. For example, "I will walk for 30 minutes every day for one month." So, when you make a SMART goal, you're making a plan that's clear, tractable, realistic, important to you, and with a deadline. This makes it easier to stay on track and reach what you want to achieve !

7. Instructional Objectives According to Dick and Carey (1990), a performance objective is a detailed description of what students will be able to do when they complete a unit of instruction. It is also referred to as a behavioral objective or an instructional objective . Robert Mager (1984), in his book Preparing Instructional Objectives, describes an objective as "a collection of words and/or pictures and diagrams intended to let others know what you intend for your students to achieve" (pg. 3 ). An objective does not describe what the instructor will be doing, but instead the skills, knowledge, and attitudes that the instructor will be attempting to produce in learners .

8. Instructional Objectives Instructional objectives are specific, measurable, short-term, observable student behaviors. They indicate the desirable knowledge, skills, or attitudes to be gained . An instructional objective is the focal point of a lesson plan. Objectives are the foundation upon which you can build lessons and assessments and instruction that you can prove meet your overall course or lesson goals . Think of objectives as tools you use to make sure you reach your goals. They are the arrows you shoot towards your target ( goal) When writing instructional objectives, focus on the learner, not the teacher !

9. Why we need Instructional Objectives The purpose of a behavioral objective is to communicate . Therefore, a well-constructed behavioral objective should leave little room for doubt about what is intended . Objectives communicate and guide development of assessment, instructional methods, and content materials . Objectives communicate the focus of learning that enables instructors and students to work toward a common goal . The teacher can use objectives to make sure goals are reached .

10. Why we need Instructional Objectives Students will understand expectations. Any skill is learned more effectively if the learner understands the reason for learning and practicing it . Objectives communicate the assessment and grading. Objectives provide a means of measuring whether the students have succeeded in acquiring skills and knowledge . Objectives communicate and allow students the opportunity for self-evaluation .

11. Instructional objectives must be written to communicate realistic, measurable, and learner centered outcomes . Realistic objectives can be achieved by the learners within your time frame and in your given environment . Measurable objectives enable you to observe and determine how well learners have acquired skills and knowledge .

12. How to develop Instructional Objectives? Learner centered objectives state what the learner can do at the end of training. They always start with action verbs . Specify intended results or outcomes, and not the process Teaching and lecturing is part of the process of instruction, but it isn't the purpose of the instruction. The purpose is to facilitate learning . Instructional objectives contain four components: the Audience, the Behavior, the Condition, and the Degree. (Section 4 of this tutorial fully describes these components .)

13. When Objectives should be developed? Before a lesson or course is developed (by designer ). Before a lesson or course is taught ( by instructor ). Objectives should be reviewed with students at the beginning of the course/lesson.

14. Thanks