Quality Learning Objectives
Obviously, devising high-quality learning objectives is crucial to both building your course and its effectiveness for students. A high-quality learning objective is specific, measurable, and valid.
SMART Objectives
The SMART model for writing objectives is simple to remember and useful. SMART refers to objectives that are:
Specific objectives use clear and direct language describing what your students will learn and do.
Measurable objectives are those with actions and/or products you can observe and assess. The most common mistake with learning objectives is using verbs like "know" or "learn," which are not measurable.
Achievable (or Attainable) objectives are those a student has a reasonable opportunity to complete with their given knowledge, time, and resources.
Relevant (or Realistic) objectives are clearly connected to the course outcomes and content as well as the discipline.
Timely (or Time-bound) objectives are those that are in the right place in the sequence of the course, have understood time limits or expectations, and (where possible) contribute to the field or workplace of the student.
For example, thinking back to the bread baking example from the previous page, here are some example objectives that are SMART and not-so-SMART:
| not-so-SMART | SMART |
| Know how leavened baked goods rise |
Identify common leavening agents Document the advantages and disadvantages of different leavening agents
|
| Learn how to bake basic French bread | Bake a loaf of no-knead French bread |
| Understand the difference between French and Italian bread | Distinguish French from Italian breads using a table or an infographic |
| Know the basics of common baking equipment | Describe common baking equipment used to produce leavened bread |
Bloom's Taxonomy
Bloom's Taxonomy Links to an external site. is a highly regarded model for classifying learning objectives into different types and levels of complexity. There are other models, even some that are arguably better for thinking about your course overall (such as Fink's Taxonomy of Significant Learning Links to an external site.), but Bloom's is sensible and has the added benefit of being an explicit part of the Quality Matters approach to quality.
As you write your SMART learning objectives, consider how they fit into Bloom's taxonomy. This will not only give you some ideas for the action verb part of your objectives, but will also assist you in considering whether your module and course contain an appropriate breadth of objective types.
A quality module will contain objectives of multiple (but rarely all!) types; a quality course will typically address all types at some point.
Below, see a nice visualization of the taxonomy along with some action verbs that are typically, but not strictly, associated with each part of the taxonomy (helpful as you compose your learning objectives):
For an extensive list of action verbs often associated with each type, see this Bloom’s Taxonomy Verb Chart. Links to an external site.