Writing Goals and Objectives

If youre not sure where you are going,

youre liable to end up some place else. ~ Robert Mager, 1997

Instructional goals and objectives are the heart of instruction. When well written,
goals and objectives will help identify course content, structure the lecture and
guide the selection of meaningful and relevant activities and assessments. In
addition, stating clear instructional goals and objectives help students understand
what they should learn and exactly what to do to achieve them.

A course goal may be

defined as a broad
statement of intent or
desired accomplishment.

Course Goals
A course goal may be defined as a broad statement of intent or desired
accomplishment. Goals do not specify exactly each step, component, or ways to
accomplish the task but they help pave the way to writing good instructional
objectives. Typical course goals include a number of subordinate skills which are
further identified and clarified as instructional objectives.
For example, an English 101 goal might be to prepare students for English 103.
The goal prepare students specifies the big picture or general direction or
purpose of the course. Course goals often do not specify student outcomes or
how they will be assessed. If you are having difficulty defining a course goal,
brainstorm reasons your course exists and why students should enroll in it. Your
ideas can then generate course-related goals. Course goals often originate in the
course description and should be written before developing instructional
objectives.
Course Goal Examples:
Marketing course: Students will learn about personal and professional
development, interpersonal skills, verbal and written presentation skills,
understanding sales and buying processes, and developing and maintaining
customer satisfaction.
Physical Geography course: Students will understand the processes involved in
the interactions, spatial variations, and interrelationships between hydrology,
vegetation, landforms, and soils and humankind.
Theatre/Dance course: Students will investigate period style from pre-Egyptian
through the Renaissance as it relates to theatrical production. Exploration of
period clothing, manners, dcor, and architecture with projects form dramatic
literature.
General Goal Examples:
Students will know how to communicate in oral and written formats
Students will understand the effect of global warming.
Students perspective on civil rights will improve
Students will identify key elements and models used in education
Students will learn basic math skills
Students will understand the laws of gravity

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WRITING GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

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Comparison of Goals and Objectives

Goals are:
Objectives are:
Broad, generalized statements about what is to
Narrow, specific statements about what is to be
be learned
learned
General intentions
Precise intentions
Intangible
Tangible
Abstract
Concrete
Cannot be validated
Can be validated or measured
Long term
Short term
Defined before analysis
Written after analysis
Written before objectives
Prepared before instruction is designed
Goals should be written from the
Objectives should be written from the
instructors point of view
students point of view
Table 1. Comparison of goals and objectives.

Objectives
Objectivesare
aremeasurable
and
observable,
goals
measurable
and
are
not.
observable,
goals are

Instructional Objectives
Once you have written your course goal you can then develop your instructional
objectives. Instructional objectives are different from goals in that objectives are
narrow, discrete, intentions of student performance whereas goals provide
students with a global statement of intent. Objectives are measurable and
observable, goals are not (see Table1). Well-stated objectives clearly tell the
student what they have to do, under what conditions the performance takes place,
by following a specified degree or standard of acceptable performance. In other
words, when properly written, your learners will know exactly what you expect
them to do and you will be able to recognize when they have accomplished the
task! Generally, each section/week/unit will have several objectives (Penn State
University, 2007).
A common instructional objective model, developed by Heinich as cited by
Smaldino, Lowther, and Russell (2008) is used by educators from a wide range
of disciplines and follows the acronym ABCD: A=Audience, B=Behavior,
C=Condition, D=Degree. Table 2 summarizes these characteristics. This guide
will follow the ABCD model as a good starting point when learning how to
derive well-stated instructional objectives.

ABCD Model of Instructional Objectives

Audience
Who will be doing the behavior?
Behavior
What should the learner be able to do? What is the performance?
Condition
Under what conditions do you want the learner to be able to do it?
Degree
How well must the behavior be done? What is the degree of mastery?
Table 2. Characteristics of the ABCD model of instructional objectives. Source: Smaldino,
Lowther and Russell (2008), citing Heinich.

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WRITING GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

It is good practice to write

an instructional objective
for each behavior you
wish to measure.

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It is good practice to write an instructional objective for each behavior you wish
to measure. By using the model as illustrated in Table 1, you will easily be able
to fill in the characteristics to the right of each letter. This practice will allow you
to break down more complex objectives (ones with more than one behavior), into
smaller, more discrete objectives.
Behavioral Verbs
Key to writing instructional objectives is to use an action verb when describing
the behavior you intend the students to perform. Action verbs such as calculate,
read, identify, match, explain, translate, and prepare all can be used to further
describe the behavior. On the other hand, words such as understand, appreciate,
internalize, and value are not appropriate when writing instructional objectives
because they are not measurable or observable. Use these words in your course
goals but not when writing instructional objectives. See Verbs to Use in Creating
Educational Objectives (Based on Blooms Taxonomy), at the end of this
section.

avoid using fuzzy

phrases such as to
understand, to
appreciate, to
internalize, and to
know which are not
measurable or observable.

Overt behavior: If the behavior is covert or not typically visible when observed,
such as the word discriminate, include an indicator behavior to clarify to the
student what she or he has to be able to do to meet your expectations (as a written
instructional objective). For example, if you want your learners to be able to
discriminate between good and bad apples, add the indicator behavior sort to
the objective: Be able to discriminate (sort) the good apples from the bad apples.
What some instructors tend to forget is to write instructional objectives from the
students perspective. Mager (1997) contends that when you write instructional
objectives you should indicate what the learner is supposed to be able to do and
not what you, the instructor, want to accomplish. Also, avoid using fuzzy phrases
such as to understand, to appreciate, to internalize, and to know which
are not measurable or observable. These types of words can lead to student
misinterpretations and their lack of understanding of what it is you want them to
do.
The Link Between Instructional Objectives and Course Activities and
Assessment
After you have written your course goals and instructional objectives, it is time to
design course activities and assessments which will tell you if learning has
occurred. Matching objectives and activities and assessments will also check to
see if you are teaching what you have intended. These strategies and activities
should motivate students to gain knowledge and skills useful for success in your
course, future courses and real world applications. Table 3 illustrates objective
behaviors with related student activities and assessments.

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WRITING GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

Level of Learning
For
Knowledge

Page | 4

Student Activities and Assessments

Define
(facts, tables, vocabulary
lists)

Activity: Self-check quizzes, trivia games, word games

Assessment: Vocabulary test, matching item quiz

Solve or calculate
(concepts)
Set-up, manipulate,
operate, build, demonstrate
(rules and principles)

Activity: Have students show examples/non-examples, student-generated

flowcharts
Assessment: Equations, word problems with given set of data
Activity: Suggests psychomotor (hands-on) assessments, design projects
and prototypes, simulations
Assessment: Checklists, videotape the session

Describe or explain
(problem-solving)

Activity: Case study, small group critical thinking, teamwork, pair share
Assessment: Essays, research papers, discussion questions

Present
(synthesis, create)

Activity: Develop a portfolio, design a project

Assessment: Speech, projected presentation

Table 3. Matching cognitive domain levels of learning (Blooms Levels) with related student activities
and assessments. Source: Adapted from Penn State University (2007).

Summary Examples of Instructional Goals, Objectives and Related

Assessments
1. Instructional Goal: Know the conditions of free Blacks during
antebellum south.
Instructional Objective: In at least 2 paragraphs, students will describe
the conditions of free Blacks in pre-Civil War America, including 3 of 5
major points that were discussed in class.
Assessment: A traditional essay could be used.
2. Instructional Goal: Students will know how to analyze blood counts.
Instructional Objective: Given a sample of blood and two glass slides,
students will demonstrate the prescribed method of obtaining a blood
smear for microscopic analysis.
Assessment: Assessment could be done by instructor observation of
student demonstration in a lab. A criterion checklist of critical steps can
be used to provide objective scoring.
3. Instructional Goal: Students will interpret classic literature.
Instructional Objective: During the final exam period, students will be
able to compare/contrast Shakespeares Merchant of Venice and
Marlowes Jaw of Malta in terms of plot, character, and social-political
themes.
Assessment: A traditional essay could be used with a criterion-checklist
of key similarities and differences in these two plays.

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WRITING GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

Page | 5

Summary
Instructional goals and objectives are the heart of your instruction. When written
well, goals and objectives will assist in identifying course content, help you
structure your lecture, and allow you to select activities and assessments that are
relevant and meaningful.
Several sources are available which can be used to check the accuracy of your
instructional objectives. The sources below provide checklists and other
instruments to help you design effective and meaningful objectives.
References
Mager, R. F. (1997). Measuring instructional results: How to find out if your
instructional objectives have been achieved. (3rd ed.). Atlanta, GA:CEP Press.
[This source focuses on how to determine if your instruction is doing
what it is supposed to do. Provides the basic tools through which to
measure instructional success]
Mager, R. F. (1997). Preparing instructional objectives: A critical tool in the
development of effective instruction. (3rd ed.). Atlanta, GA:CEP Press.
[This source presents a comprehensive and detailed description of how to
write instructional objectives in an easy-to-read and witty format. This is
a must buy for anyone interested in writing effective instructional
objectives]
Penn State University (2007). Teaching and Learning with Technology unit.
Basic information about objectives.
http://ets.tlt.psu.edu/learningdesign/objectives/basicinfo
Smaldino, S. E., Lowther, D. L., & Russell, J. D. (2008). Instructional
technology and media for learning (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Pearson.
Selected Resource
Gronlund, N. E. (2004). Writing instructional objectives for teaching and
assessment (7th ed.).Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
[This source provides a checklist for evaluating objectives and a
taxonomy of educational objectives by major category with illustrative
objectives]

Northern Illinois University, Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center

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WRITING GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

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Verbs Used in Creating Educational Objectives

Remembering

Definitions

Verbs

Understanding

Applying

Remembering
previously
learned
information

Demonstrating an
understanding of
the facts

Applying
knowledge to
actual situations

Arrange
Define
Describe
Duplicate
Identify
Label
List
Match
Memorize
Name
Order
Outline
Recognize
Relate
Recall
Repeat
Reproduce
Select
State

Classify
Convert
Defend
Describe
Distinguish
Estimate
Explain
Express
Extend
Generalize
Give examples
Identify
Indicate
Infer
Locate
Paraphrase
Predict
Recognize
Rewrite
Review
Select
Summarize
Translate

Apply
Change
Choose
Compute
Demonstrate
Discover
Dramatize
Employ
Illustrate
Interpret
Manipulate
Modify
Operate
Practice
Predict
Prepare
Produce
Relate
Schedule
Show
Sketch
Solve
Use
Write

Analyzing

Evaluating

Creating

Breaking down
objects or ideas
into simpler parts
and finding
evidence to
support
generalizations

Making and
defending
judgments based
on internal
evidence or
external criteria

Compiling
component ideas
into a new whole
or propose
alternative
solutions

Appraise
Argue
Assess
Attach
Choose
Compare
Conclude
Defend
Describe
Discriminate
Estimate
Evaluate
Explain
Judge
Justify
Interpret
Relate
Predict
Rate
Select
Summarize
Support
Value

Arrange
Assemble
Categorize
Collect
Combine
Comply
Compose
Construct
Create
Design
Develop
Devise
Explain
Formulate
Generate
Plan
Prepare
Rearrange
Reconstruct
Relate
Reorganize
Revise
Rewrite
Set up
Summarize
Synthesize
Tell
Write

Analyze
Appraise
Breakdown
Calculate
Categorize
Compare
Contrast
Criticize
Diagram
Differentiate
Discriminate
Distinguish
Examine
Experiment
Identify
Illustrate
Infer
Model
Outline
Point out
Question
Relate
Select
Separate
Subdivide
test

Source:
http://www.clemson.edu/assessment/assessmentpractices/referencematerials/documents/Blooms%20Taxonomy%20Action%2
0Verbs.pdf

Northern Illinois University, Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center

[email protected], www.niu.edu/facdev, 815.753.0595