Bloom’s Taxonomy of Critical Thinking

and Writing Effective Learning Objectives/Outcomes

In 1956 Benjamin S. Bloom and his colleagues outlined six levels of critical thinking
into which any cognitive learning experience may be categorized. Beginning with
basic knowledge of the subject, this taxonomy progresses toward more complex or
higher levels of critical thought, culminating with sophisticated thinking processes
using concepts under study. The six levels of Bloom’s taxonomy are as follows:
1. Knowledge: Basic recall of facts and data: times, dates, names, formulas, etc.
2. Comprehension: Not just knowing the salient data associated with a concept, but
also articulating relationships among data – to grasp the chief meaning of a
concept.
3. Application: Taking a concept under study and using it in a new or hypothetical
situation to arrive at a correct answer.
4. Analysis: Breaking something into component parts – looking at individual items
for trends or evidence for generalization.
5. Synthesis: Presenting items or thoughts together in new ways, based on a
presented criteria.
6. Evaluation: Arguing for the validity or relative worth of a viewpoint or process,
based on established criteria.
Using these six categories, instructors can proceed to develop focused learning
objectives, as detailed below.
Effective Learning Objectives/Outcomes
Simply put, a learning objective is a written statement of what a student should get
out of a given learning experience. If the experience is general to the entire course
(e.g. to be able to describe the fundamental principles of quantum mechanics), it is
termed a course goal; if, on the other hand, the experience is specific to a given
week, chapter, or other discrete unit of learning, it is called a unit learning
objective. Apart from the scope of learning to which they each refer, course goals
and unit learning objectives are constructed and used in an identical fashion.
Good design begins and ends with solidly written learning objectives. These
objectives serve as guideposts, both for students taking the course and the
instructor(s) facilitating the online course. To write an effective objective, an
instructor must keep in mind the following:
• Unlike instructional or teaching goals, objectives or outcomes focus on what the
learner needs to know, not the instructor. They are learner­centric.
• Objectives should always be stated in terms of what the learner will be able to
think, do, or feel as a result of the instruction.
• Objectives are measurable. The conditions of “performance” and the minimum
degree of acceptable performance should also be included whenever possible in a
well­written learning objective.
• Objectives usually appear in bullet­list form, and are preceded by a stem
sentence that communicates the end point by which the objectives will be achieved.
It could be the end of the course, or the end of the module or unit, depending on
whether it was a course goal or a unit learning objective. A typical stem sentence
might be: “By the end of this unit, students will be able to:”. The bullet list of
objectives immediately follows.
• Objectives are phrased in succinct, simple (not compound) sentences, each of
which begins with a specific action verb. This verb should suggest the form of
assessment to be used to determine whether the objective has been met. Avoid
using vague words like “understand,” “know,” or “appreciate,” as they invariably
denote a range of meanings so broad as to be useless in communicating
expectations to students. Deciding where the objective fits into Bloom’s taxonomy
of critical thinking often can help. A useful chart has been provided at the end of
this document with a categorized selection of strong action verbs.
• Outcomes guide all subsequent teaching activities, including choosing what is to
be learned (content), how it can best be learned (teaching strategies and tools),
and whether or not it was learned (evaluation of outcomes).
Example of course goal:
“At the completion of this course, students will be able to:
• Compare various methods of industrial lighting in detail.”
• Argue for the adoption of one form of industrial lighting over others, based on
provided criteria, in a written proposal.”
Example of learning objective:
“By the end of this module, students will be able to:
• Describe the fundamental elements of a halogen light bulb.”
Learning objective/outcome verbs are important and helpful
The verbs used in learning objectives and outcomes often indicate the level of
thought at which students are functioning. Unfortunately, many verbs often utilized
in learning objectives are open to misinterpretation. The following verbs should be
avoided because it is difficult to measure whether they have been achieved.

Know Learn Understand

Appreciate Enjoy Grasp significance
Believe Have faith Realize
The following lists are provided to help recognize levels of thought and to write
objectives that address the various levels of skill your student should attain. Some
verbs may be found in more than one list. When determining the learning outcomes
or objectives for your course, consider using a verb from the appropriate cognitive
domain below.

Knowledge – Learning objective/outcome verb examples for this cognitive domain

are:

Count Point Relate

Define Provide Repeat
Distinguish Quote Review
Draw Read State
Indicate Recall Tabulate
List Recite Trace
Name Recognize Underline
Observe Record Write

Comprehension – Learning objective/outcome verb examples for this cognitive

domain are:

Associate Distinguish Locate

Classify Edit Predict
Compare Estimate Rephrase
Compute Extrapolate Restate
Conclude Rewrite Give in own terms
Contrast Infer Summarize
Describe Interpret Translate
Differentiate

Application – Learning objective/outcome verb examples for this cognitive domain

are:

Apply Illustrate Produce

Calculate Implement Purchase
Choose Increase Relate
Complete Install Repair
Conduct Modify Show
Demonstrate Order Solve
Discover Practice Transfer
Employ Prepare Utilize
Analysis – Learning objective/outcome verb examples for this cognitive domain
are:

Analyze Distinguish Investigate

Classify Divide Outline
Compare Examine Point out
Construct Explain Reduce
Deduce Group Relate
Detect Identify Separate
Diagram Illustrate Summarize
Differentiate Infer Transform

Synthesis – Learning objective/outcome verb examples for this cognitive domain

are:

Arrange Develop Plan

Assemble Formulate Prepare
Build Generalize Prescribe
Combine Integrate Produce
Construct Originate Put together
Create Organize Synthesize

Evaluation – Learning objective/outcome verb examples for this cognitive domain

are:

Appraise Determine Rate

Argue Estimate Recommend
Assess Evaluate Regulate
Compare Grade Select
Contrast Judge Test