How to Write Learning Objectives with Bloom's Taxonomy

Summary of Main Ideas and Concepts

The video, presented by Tim Slade from the e-learning designers Academy, emphasizes the significance of writing clear and measurable learning objectives in instructional design. It addresses common pitfalls and provides a structured approach to crafting effective objectives using Bloom's Taxonomy.

Key Points:

• Importance of learning objectives:
  • learning objectives are crucial for defining the goals of training programs.
  • They help maintain the scope of the project and measure the success of the training.
• Definition of learning objectives:
  • A learning objective is a statement that outlines the expected outcomes of a training experience, detailing how learners will be transformed and what they will be able to do differently.
• Timing of Writing Objectives:
  • learning objectives should be crafted during the design phase of the ADDIE instructional design model, following the needs analysis.
• Anatomy of a Learning Objective:
  • A well-written learning objective consists of three elements:
    • Action: What the learner will do (observable behavior).
    • Condition: The context in which the learner will perform the action.
    • Standard: The criteria for measuring the learner's performance.
• Example of a Learning Objective:
  • "After completing this training program, sales employees will be able to demonstrate effective sales and customer service strategies when interacting with new customers while increasing sales by 10% and maintaining a customer service satisfaction score of 80% or more."
• Terminal vs. enabling objectives:
  • terminal objectives: High-level goals that describe the overall outcome of the training.
  • enabling objectives: Specific skills and tasks that support the terminal objective, broken down into smaller components.
• Using Bloom's Taxonomy:
  • Bloom's Taxonomy helps in writing learning objectives by providing action verbs that correspond to different levels of learning (e.g., apply, assess, demonstrate).
  • Focus on performance-based outcomes rather than merely understanding concepts.
• Documentation and Next Steps:
  • Once learning objectives are defined, they should be documented as part of the design document and serve as a guide during the development phase of training.

Methodology for Writing learning objectives

• Identify the Audience: Specify who the learners are.
• Define the Action: Use action verbs to describe what learners will do.
• Specify the Condition: Describe the context or conditions under which the action will occur.
• Establish the Standard: Set measurable criteria for success.
• Differentiate Objectives: Create both terminal and enabling objectives to cover the breadth of the training content.

Featured Speaker

• Tim Slade: E-learning designer and instructor from the e-learning designers Academy.

This summary encapsulates the key teachings from the video on writing effective learning objectives using a structured approach.