BLOOMS Taxonomy

By the end of this course

When you have mastered the material in this Guide, you
should be able to
write

clear objectives which define the specific outcomes or

competencies to be achieved in terms of skills, knowledge,
attitudes or values

form

the basis upon which to select or design instruction

materials, content or teaching techniques

provide

the basis for determining or assessing when the

instruction purpose has been accomplished

provide

a framework within which a learner can organize

his or her efforts to complete the learning tasks.

Learning Outcomes as the Basis

for Designing Courses
5 Questions for Instructional Design
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

What do you want the student to be

able to do? (Outcome)
What does the student need to know
in order to do this well? (Curriculum)
What activity will facilitate the
learning? (Pedagogy)
How will the student demonstrate the
learning? (Assessment)
How will I know the student has done
this well? (Criteria)

Writing Objectives
The three groups of domains identified by educational
psychologist, Benjamin Bloom are commonly used to
group objectives and learning outcomes. These are:

Cognitive domain encompasses intellectual or

thinking skills (TermedKnowledge Objectives)

Psychomotor domain encompasses physical

skills or the performance of actions. (TermedSkills
Objectives)

Affective domain encompasses attitudes and

values (TermedAttitudes Objectives)

Levels of Objectives Writing Knowledge

: encompasses intellectual or thinking skills

Table 1: Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives for Knowledge-Based Goals

LEVEL OF EXPERTISE
1. KNOWLEDGE

2. COMPREHENSION

3. APPLICATION

4. ANALYSIS

5. SYNTHESIS

6. EVALUATION

DESCRIPTION OF LEVEL

Recall, or recognition of terms,

ideas, procedure, theories, etc.
Translate, interpret, extrapolate, but
not see full implications or transfer
to other situations, closer to literal
translation.
Apply abstractions, general
principles, or methods to specific
concrete situations.
Separation of a complex idea into
its constituent parts and an
understanding of organization and
relationship between the parts.
Includes realizing the distinction
between hypothesis and fact as
well as between relevant and
extraneous variables.

EXAMPLE OF MEASURABLE
STUDENT OUTCOME

When is the first day of Spring?

What does the summer z
represent?
What would Earth's seasons be like
if its orbit was perfectly circular?

Why are seasons reversed in the

southern hemisphere?

Creative, mental construction of

ideas and concepts from multiple
If the longest day of the year is in
sources to form complex ideas into June, why is the northern
a new, integrated, and meaningful hemisphere hottest in August?
pattern subject to given constraints.
To make a judgment of ideas or
methods using external evidence or What would be the important
self-selected criteria substantiated variables for predicting seasons on
by observations or informed
a newly discovered planet?
rationalizations.

Levels of Objectives Writing Skills

: encompasses physical skills or the performance of
actions

Additive
Manufacturi
ng
CI
M

Robotic
s

CAD

CADM lab

EG

Mechatroni
cs

Table 2: Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives for Skills-Based Goals

LEVEL OF EXPERTISE

PERCEPTION

SET

GUIDED RESPONSE

MECHANISM

COMPLEX OVERT
RESPONSE

ADAPTATION

ORGANIZATION

DESCRIPTION OF LEVEL

EXAMPLE OF MEASURABLE
STUDENT OUTCOME

Uses sensory cues to guide

actions

Some of the colored samples you see will

need dilution before you take their spectra.
Using only observation, how will you decide
which solutions might need to be diluted?

Demonstrates a readiness to
Describe how you would go about taking
take action to perform the
the absorbance spectra of a sample of
task or objective
pigments?
Knows steps required to
Determine the density of a group of sample
complete the task or objective metals with regular and irregular shapes.
Performs task or objective in a
Using the procedure described below,
somewhat confident,
determine the quantity of copper in your
proficient, and habitual
unknown ore. Report its mean value and
manner
standard deviation.
Performs task or objective in a
Use titration to determine the Ka for an
confident, proficient, and
unknown weak acid.
habitual manner
You are performing titrations on a series of
unknown acids and find a variety of
Performs task or objective as
problems with the resulting curves, e.g.,
above, but can also modify
only 3.0 ml of base is required for one acid
actions to account for new or
while 75.0 ml is required in another. What
problematic situations
can you do to get valid data for all the
unknown acids?
Creates new tasks or
objectives incorporating
learned ones

Recall your plating and etching experiences

with an aluminum substrate. Choose a
different metal substrate and design a
process to plate, mask, and etch so that a
pattern of 4 different metals is created.

Levels of Objectives Writing Attitudes

encompasses attitudes and values

Table 3: Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives for Affective Goals

RECEIVING

Demonstrates a willingness to
participate in the activity

When I'm in class I am attentive

to the instructor, take notes,
etc. I do not read the
newspaper instead.

RESPONDING

Shows interest in the objects,

phenomena, or activity by
seeking it out or pursuing it for
pleasure

I complete my homework and

participate in class discussions.

VALUING

Internalizes an appreciation for

(values) the objectives,
phenomena, or activity

I seek out information in

popular media related to my
class.

ORGANIZATION

Begins to compare different

values, and resolves conflicts
between them to form an
internally consistent system of
values

Some of the ideas I've learned

in my class differ from my
previous beliefs. How do I
resolve this?

CHARACTERIZATION
BY A VALUE OR
VALUE COMPLEX

Adopts a long-term value

system that is "pervasive,
consistent, and predictable"

I've decided to take my family

on a vacation to visit some of
the places I learned about in
my class.

Blooms Taxonomy
Knowledge

Lower level
Comprehension Lower level
Application Intermittent level
Analysis Higher level
Synthesis Higher level
Evaluation higher level

Key verbs
To help you to write appropriate learning objectives for each domain we have provided a table with some key verbs you may like to consider using:

Cognitive
(knowledge)

Affective (attitudes) Psychomotor (skills)

Recognise, define,
Discuss, question, Replicate, re-create,
explain, report,
contribute, interpret,
demonstrate,
discuss, critique,
consider, debate,
perform, execute,
summarise, apply,
argue, challenge, show, solve, modify,
develop, review,
compare, contrast
master, manage
appraise, evaluate

Writing Objectives
LEVEL

LEVEL ATTRIBUTES

KEYWORDS

EXAMPLE OBJECTIVE EXAMPLE ACTIVITY

Have students
By the end of this
list, recite, define,
group up and
course, the student
Rote memorization,
name, match,
perform simple
1:
will be able to
KNOWLEDG
recognition, or
quote, recall,
experiments to the
recite Newtons
E
recall of facts.
identify, label,
class showing how
three laws of
recognize
one of the laws of
motion.
motion works.
Group students
into pairs and have
each pair think of
By the end of this
words that
describe, explain,
course, the student describe motion.
paraphrase,
Understanding
will be able to
After a few
2:
restate, give
COMPREHE
what the facts
explain Newtons minutes, ask pairs
original examples
NSION
mean.
three laws of
to volunteer some
of, summarize,
motion in his/her
of their
interpret, discuss
own words.
descriptions and
write these
descriptions on the
board.
After presenting
the kinetic energy
equation in class,
By the end of this
calculate, predict,
have the students
course, the student
Correct use of the
apply, solve,
pair off for just a
3:
will be able to
APPLICATIO
facts, rules, or
illustrate, use,
few minutes and
calculate the
N
ideas.
demonstrate,
practice using it so
kinetic energy of a
determine, model
that they feel
projectile.
comfortable with it

EXAMPLE
ASSESSMENT

Use the following

question on an
exam or
homework. Recite
Newtons three
laws of motion.

Assign the
students to write a
simple essay that
explains what
Newtons laws of
motion mean in
his/her own words.

On a test, define a
projectile and ask
the students to
Calculate the
kinetic energy of
the projectile.

LEVEL

4: ANALYSIS

LEVEL
ATTRIBUTES

KEYWORDS

EXAMPLE
OBJECTIVE

By the end of this

classify, outline,
course, the student
Breaking down
break down,
will be able to
information into
categorize, analyze,
differentiate
component parts.
diagram, illustrate
between potential
and kinetic energy.

EXAMPLE ACTIVITY

EXAMPLE
ASSESSMENT

Present the students

with different
situations involving
Give the students an
energy and ask the
assignment that
students to
asks them outline
categorize the
the basic principles
energy as either
of kinetic and
kinetic or potential
potential energy. Ask
then have them
them to point out
explain in detail why
the differences
they categorized it
between the two as
the way they did,
well as how they are
thus breaking down
related.
what exactly makes
up kinetic and
potential energy.
Tie each lecture or
discussion to the
Give the students a
previous lectures or project in which they
discussions before it,
must design an
thus helping the
original homework
students assemble problem dealing with
all the discreet
the principle of
classroom sessions
conservation of
into a unified topic
energy.
or theory.

By the end of this

section of the
course, the student
design, formulate,
will be able to
Combining parts build, invent, create,
design an original
5: SYNTHESIS
to make a new compose, generate,
homework problem
whole.
derive, modify,
dealing with the
develop
principle of
conservation of
energy.
By the end of the
course, the student
Have different
choose, support,
will be able to
groups of students On a test, describe a
relate, determine,
determine whether
solve the same
dynamic system and
Judging the value
defend, judge,
using conservation
problem using
ask the students
or worth of
grade, compare,
6: EVALUATION
of energy or
different methods, which method they
information or
contrast, argue,
conservation of
then have each
would use to solve
ideas.
justify, support,
momentum would
group present the
the problem and
convince, select,
be more appropriate pros and cons of the
why.
evaluate

Assessing achievement of aims and objectives

In the same way that it is important to chose appropriate teaching techniques, it is also vital to
ensure the assessment actually measures the learning outcome. If we consider our earlier
example of a student learning to be able to competently take a blood pressure, there is no point
in setting an essay on the correct way to take blood pressure, as we will still not know if the
student can actually perform the task after the assessment.
Below are some suggestions for assessment types that can be used to ensure a match between
assessment and learning outcome.

Cognitive
(knowledge)
Written tests
including multiple
choice questions,
short essay
questions, best
answer questions,
essays

Affective (attitudes) Psychomotor (skills)

Written and oral
OSCEs, work based
feedback from tutor, assessment
peers and possibly including Mini CEX,
patients on
DOPS, case based
individuals
discussion
contribution to class Feedback on
debates, online
simulation from
chat, reflective
tutor, peers,
diaries, role play,
simulated patients
patient
consultations
Essay