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Assessment
Primer: Writing Instructional Objectives
(Based on Preparing Instructional Objectives by Mager 1962
and Preparing Instructional Objectives: A critical tool in the
development of effective instruction by Mager 1997)
An objective
- Is an intent communicated by a statement describing
a proposed change in a learner
- Is a statement of what the learner is to be like when he/she
has successfully completed a learning experience
An instructional objective describes an intended outcome. A
usefully stated objective is stated in behavioral, or performance,
terms that describe what the learner will be doing when demonstrating
his/her achievement of the objective. An instructional objective
must
- Describe what the learner will be doing when demonstrating
that he/she has reached the objective; i.e.,
What
should the learner be able to do? (Performance)
- Describe the important conditions under which the learner will
demonstrate his/her competence; i.e.,
Under
what conditions do you want the learner to be able to do it? (Conditions)
- Indicate how the learner will be evaluated, or what constitutes
acceptable performance; i.e.,
How
well must it be done? (Criterion)
Course objective:
- What a successful learner is able to do at the end of the course
- Is a description of a product, of what the learner
is supposed to be like as a result of the process
The statement of objectives of a program must denote measurable attributes observable in
the graduate of the program; otherwise it is impossible to determine
whether or not the program is meeting the objectives. Tests
or examinations are the milestones along the road of learning and
are supposed to tell the teacher and the student the degree to
which both have been successful in their achievement of the course
objectives.
An advantage of clearly defined objectives is that the student
is provided the means to evaluate his/her own progress at any place
along the route of instruction; thus, the student knows which activities
on his/her part are relevant to his/her success. A meaningfully
stated objective is one that succeeds in communicating to the reader
the writer’s instructional intent and one that excludes the
greatest number of possible alternatives to your goal.
“BAD” words
(open to many interpretations) |
“GOOD” words
(open to fewer interpretations) |
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To KNOW |
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To WRITE |
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To UNDERSTAND |
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To RECITE |
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To ENJOY |
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To IDENTIFY |
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To APPRECIATE |
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To DIFFERENTIATE |
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To GRASP THE SIGNIFICANCE OF |
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To SOLVE |
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To COMPREHEND |
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To CONSTRUCT |
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To BELIEVE |
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To LIST |
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To COMPARE |
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To CONTRAST |
The idea is to describe what the learner will be doing when
demonstrating that he/she “understands” or “appreciates”.
Steps to write objectives that will describe the desired behavior
of the learner:
| [1] |
Identify the terminal behavior or performance by
name; i.e., specify the kind of behavior that will be accepted
as evidence that the learner has achieved the objective. |
| [2] |
Define the desired behavior further by describing the important conditions under
which the behavior will be expected to occur. |
| [3] |
Specify the criteria of acceptable performance by
describing how well the learner must perform to be considered
acceptable. |
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