Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
objectives
There are well documented andragogical guidelines for setting measurable
learning objectives. The most useful references for this purpose are the original
Bloom’s Taxonomy of 1956 and the revised version of 2001; both of these can be
leveraged to produce clear, measurable, and meaningful statements that define the
learning objectives.
These theories, which are equally applicable for setting eLearning objectives,
are based on a set of cognitive learning levels that training aspires to produce in
a learner. These include:
• Knowledge = Remembering previously taught materials
• Comprehension = Grasping, interpreting and translating taught material
• Application = Using learned concepts in concrete new situations
• Analysis = Breaking down material learned into component parts to facilitate
understanding of inter-relationships
• Synthesis = Putting parts of analyzed material back together again to create
new concepts or constructs
• Evaluation = Using specific criteria to make judgments about material being
taught
Central to the concepts mentioned above are what Bloom and his colleagues called
“Action verbs”. These verbs are used to describe a particular cognitive level when
writing corporate learning goals. Some examples of such verbs include:
• Knowledge-related: Recognize, Identify, Match, List, Define
• Comprehension-related: Associate, Define, Explain, Summarize, Describe
• Application-related: Apply, Distinguish, Operate, Utilize, Perform
• Analysis-related: Analyze, Classify, Determine, Inspect, Recognize
• Synthesis-related: Arrange, Build, Create, Design, Produce, Rewrite, Specify
• Evaluation-related: Appraise, Choose, Conclude, Describe, Judge, Rate, Score,
Evaluate
When paired together with certain other elements, which we shall delve into in
greater detail shortly, these Action verbs help trainers to produce succinct
learning outcome statementsthat spell out the learning that trainees should have
demonstrably acquired upon completing the prescribed course of study.
While on the face of it this theory for setting measurable learning outcomes may look
complicated, it really isn’t! That’s because the andragogy is based on logic, and
understanding that logic is key to our ability to produce well-defined learning
objectives.
The logic of learning objectives
In its simplest form, the logic of producing learning objectives that are meaningful and
measurable can be explained as follows:
• Since the learner is at the heart of it all, the objectives being set must be
learner-focused, and not trainer focused
• Since learners are taking the course to be able to do something after they
complete it, the objectives should obviously highlight what skills they acquired
• Since the objectives of employee training involve teaching the employee to do
something, the training objectives being set out must clearly define what will be
done
The subtle difference between “able to do” and “what will be done” will become clear
shortly. Viewed in this context, the act of setting and writing measurable learning
objectives becomes more clear.