B4 - Defining Learning Objectives and Outcomes

These guidelines will help you in developing appropriate SMART learning objectives for your educational activity.

Learning outcomes specify the intended endpoint of your learning activities. They are written in the future tense (i.e. ‘will be able to’) and should clearly indicate the nature and/or level of learning required to achieve them successfully. They relate to explicit statements of achievement and always contain verbs. They should use language that learners (and other teachers) can easily understand. Avoid ambiguity or over-complexity

Individual outcomes should relate to one of the three domains described by Bloom (1956): 

• cognitive (knowledge and intellectual skills)
• psychomotor (physical skills) affective (feelings and attitudes).

SMART stands for 

Specific: Use clear language to tell the learner exactly what he or she should learn or be able to do after the activity. Don’t be vague, unclear, or misleading.

Measurable: The point of setting a learning objective is to determine if the learner can meet, perform, or satisfy it. You can only do that if the objective is something you can measure. It must be an action that you can observe. A common mistake is using words like “know” or “understand,” which cannot be objectively observed. The objective must be written so that an observer could watch the learner’s performance or ask the right questions and agree if the objective has been satisfied or not.

Achievable: Your objective must be something your learners have a chance of completing/satisfying. It must be set at the right level for the learner, they must have enough preexisting knowledge, time, and resources. E.g. You wouldn’t create a learning objective that asks an Intern to carry out complex surgery. –it’s not achievable (or safe!). However, make sure your learning objective isn’t too easy, either.

Relevant: The objective should be something the learner sees the value in learning, relevant to their practice. Don’t teach material that’s not important or won’t be used. Remember that your training should matter to your learners

Timely and time-bound: First, make sure your objective is something your learner will have to use in a timely fashion–like tomorrow or next week instead of next year. Second, explain if there are time-constraints. E.g. in many cases, they should be able to complete the objective “at the end of this training.” And finally, the learner may need to perform the action described by the objective within a given amount of time–for example, “to perform an ECG within 10 minutes.

SMART objectives describe the behavior of the learner, are stated clearly to define or describe an action. Avoid vague verbs such as ‘understand’ or ‘know’. How would you measure that?It is impossible to work out whether objectives have been met unless they can be measured Be more specific e.g. At the send of this session participants will list 5 causes of…

Example of a not SMART objective: by the end of the course participants will understand vascular localization.

Example of a good SMART objective: By the end of the course participants will be able to explain (or demonstrate) 2 ultrasound-based methods of vascular localization. 

Some useful action words to consider instead of ‘understand’ or ‘know’!:

Recall, identify, recognize, acquire, distinguish, state, define, name, list, label, reproduce, translate, extrapolate, convert, interpret, transform, select, indicate, illustrate, represent, formulate, explain, classify, apply, sequence, carry out, solve, prepare, operate, plan, repair, explain, predict, demonstrate, instruct, use, perform, implement, employ, solve, estimate, compare, observe, detect, classify, discriminate, explore, distinguish, catalog, investigate, order, determine, differentiate, dissect, contrast, examine, interpret, write, plan, integrate, formulate, propose, specify, produce, organize, design, summarize, restate, argue, discuss, derive, relate, conclude, produce, evaluate, verify, assess, test, judge, rank, measure, select, check, judge, justify, determine, assess, participate, adjust, repair, measure, perform, operate, use, move, be aware of, become acquainted with, gain knowledge of, realize ….

Other questions to ask yourself about learning objectives before you finalize them:

Does your learning objective stem from the target audience learning needs?

Does your learning objective target one specific aspect of expected performance?

Is your learning objective learner-centered? Is it measurable?

Does your learning objective use an action verb that targets the desired level of performance?

Do your learning objectives measure a range of educational outcomes? 

Does your learning objective match the activities and assessments of the learning? 

Does your learning objective specify appropriate conditions for performance? 

Is your learning objective written in terms of observable, behavioural outcomes? 

Reference:
Bloom, B. S.; Engelhart, M. D.; Furst, E. J.; Hill, W. H.; Krathwohl, D. R.(1956). Taxonomy of educational objectives: The classification of educational goals. Handbook I: Cognitive domain. New York: David McKay Company.

Mandernach, B. J. (2003). Writing Quality Learning Objectives. Retrieved 2008/10/03, from Park University Faculty Development Quick Tips.

MEASURABLE VERBS TO DEFINE LEARNING OUTCOMES

Please use the words in the list below to construct the learning outcomes of your activity.

Example: Learning Outcomes

Activity Title: HMC Workshop for Educational Activity CPD Accreditation
Learning Outcomes: At the end of this activity audience will:

• Have an overview of Qatar's new arrangement for CPD accreditation and HMC’s role in activity approval for DHP CPD hours
• Be able to follow through a planning pathway to develop quality activities
• Have a thorough understanding of key planning considerations for CPD as they arrange their local activities
• Be able to locate resources to help with accrediting activity
• Be able to assess applications and notifications received from others against DHP standards
• Have resources to help them disseminate such information to others