Developing Objectives for Learning
Main Objective
• After the completion of this module, you will be
able to develop objectives for learning
Specific Objective
• Identify the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to be
learned in your course
• Write course objectives
• Write supporting objectives
Introduction
• What are learning objectives?
• Have you ever written objectives?
• Easy to write?
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Learning objective
• Statements that describe what the students will
know and be able to do after completing your
course
• A learning objective is a statement of what the
learner will know, understand, or be able to do
as a result of engaging in a learning activity.
Look at Figure 2-1 on page 2-1.
Domains of Learning
• Know, Do and Feel each Cognitive Affective
describe a domain of
learning.
• Know: Cognitive
• Do: Psychomotor
• Feel: Affective
• Developing objectives for
each domain leads to a
more comprehensive Psychomotor
learning experience
Cognitive Domain
Facts
Concepts
Rules
Theories
Principles
Information students must know, understand, and
apply; cognitive requirements provide the knowledge
base for competent performance
Bloom’s Cognitive Taxonomy
• Knowledge
• Comprehension
Higher Order-
• Application Associated with
• Analysis Clinical Decision
Making
• Synthesis
• Evaluation
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Bloom’s Taxonomy …
Knowledge Comprehension Application Analysis Synthesis Evaluation
List Explain Solve Analyze Design Evaluate
Name Describe Calculate Organize Hypothesize Judge
Recall Discuss Use Deduce Schematize Defend
Define Differentiate Apply Compare Construct Criticize
State Classify Interpret Contrast Justify
Summarize Relate Plan
Illustrate Devise
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Learning objectives in the Cognitive
Domain
By the end of the course, students will be
able to:
• Knowledge: Name the systems of the body, signs and
symptoms of disease.
• Comprehension: Explain the difference between HIV and
AIDS.
• Application: Stage a patient according to WHO stages.
• Analysis: Determine a course of treatment; distinguish
side effects from treatment failure.
• Synthesis: Designs a counseling program based on
MOH standards.
Affective Domain
Ethical conduct
Legal issues
Standards
Attitudes
Attitudes, characteristics, and values students are expected to
display on the job.
Affective Domain
• Receiving: Attending and open to new information.
• Responding: Active pursuit of an interest.
• Valuing: Ability to demonstrate commitment.
• Organization: Ability to prioritize and organize
values.
• Internalizing values: Ability to act consistently and
predictably according to a value system or
consistent philosophy.
Objectives in the Affective Domain
By the end of the course, students will be
able to:
• Display a professional commitment to ethical
practice
• Demonstrate empathy during a counseling
session
• The affective domain is important to address
because the providers’ values, emotions,
attitudes, empathy, interest, and beliefs can
have a great impact on the care provided.
Psychomotor Domain
Soft Skills Tasks
Procedural Skills
Skills students must perform on the job.
Psychomotor Domain
• Perception: • Mechanism: Acting
Observation of without assistance
behaviors involved • Complex overt
in completing a task response:
• Set: Becoming Performing
automatically with
mentally prepared to facility and habitually
perform the task
• Guided response:
performing a task
with assistance
Objectives in the Psychomotor
Domain
By the end of the course, students will be
able to:
• Conduct a comprehensive physical exam
• Accurately take a patient’s blood pressure and
pulse
Learning objectives for the psychomotor domain identify
physical skills and task performances to be mastered.
Look at page 2-7, the list of action verbs used for KSA objectives
Identify KSA objectives?
• At the end of this course, the student will be
able to:
• Identify the signs and symptoms of pregnancy
induced hypertension (Knowledge)
• Perform a full antenatal examination on a pregnant
woman (Skills)
• Obtain a comprehensive history in a sensitive and
friendly manner assuring the woman of
confidentiality (Attitude)
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Learning Objectives
• These are usually written at two levels
• Course objectives also called main/ primary
objective, or course aim
• Supportive objectives also called secondary,
specific, instructional, or enabling objective
• Can you tell the difference between the two?
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Course Objectives #1
• Main, primary objectives, or course aim
• Describes in broad, but clear and measurable
terms what students should know and be able to
do after completing the entire course
• A course may have one or several course
objectives
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Course Objectives #2
• Course objectives often
encompass knowledge, skill,
and attitude domains
• Should relate to one or more
of the core competencies for
the overall academic program
• Let’s look at Figure 2-2.
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Parts of a Course Objective
1. When to demonstrate the knowledge or perform
the skill (After completing this course)
2. Who will demonstrate competency (the student)
3. What will be demonstrated (action verbs:
describe, assist, administer, insert).
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Sample Course Objective
• After completing this
course, the student will be
able to manage and refer a
sick child in an effective
and integrated manner
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Sample Course Objective
• At the end of the course,
the student will be able to
manage and refer
pregnant women with
pregnancy related
problems.
• See the “when”, the “who”,
& “what”?
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Parts of a Course Objective
• In addition to the three basic components,
course objective may or may not include an
objective evaluation criterion:
• This evaluation component is known as the
objective’s standard or criterion of performance
• A description of how well the performance must be
demonstrated (the standard)
• How it will be demonstrated (using checklist)
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Another Example
• After completing this course,
the student will be able to
assist with a normal birth
according to the checklist for
normal birth
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Supporting Objectives
• Secondary, specific, instructional, or enabling
objectives
• Support the main objective by describing the
specific knowledge, skills, and attitudes that
students must master to achieve the main
objective
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Parts of a Supporting Objective
• Specific action to be taken (see action verbs in
Table 2-1)
• Object of the action (the specific information,
skill, or attitude the students are expected to
know or demonstrate to meet the course
objective)
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Examples
• Label a diagram with the organs of the male and
female reproductive systems
• Describe how to counsel an adolescent about
STIs
• Demonstrate how to put a condom on a penis
model
• Counsel patients about sexual risk reduction
using non-judgmental attitude
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Organize Supporting Objectives
• Simple to complex
• Performance order
• Related objectives
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GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR WRITING
OBJECTIVES
Specific: Precisely state what the learner will be able to
do
Measurable: Can be counted or observed during or
after the training session
Action –Oriented: Uses active verb that represents a
behavior change or acquisition
Reasonable: Is appropriate to the time and scope
Time Bound: Can be attained by the end of the training
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Summary
• What are the 3 learning domains?
• What are the 2 levels of objectives we are
using?
• What are the 4 parts of a course objective?
• What are the 2 parts of a supporting objective?
• How can you order your supporting objectives?
Ready for an activity? -------------->>>
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Group Activity
• Divide into four groups
• Write course objective(s) and three supporting
objectives for the course you are
teaching/choose
• Rewrite them according to the previous
discussion
• Time: 40 minutes
• Present in the plenary (10 minutes each)
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