Learning Strategies
Writing Learning Objectives
Your learning objectives should always include action verbs to describe the student activity. A valuable resource for action verbs is Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning Objectives.
Avoid vague and non-observable verbs. Also, limit yourself to 3-5 learning objectives. When constructing your objectives, follow this template:
- After this course is over, my students will be able to (action verb) + (defined by specific, observable terms).
Bloom's Taxonomy Download
Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning Objectives is a valuable resource for creating a lesson that delivers desired outcomes. Click to download this resource.
As a result of participating in this course, students will be able to:
- Apply critical thinking and analytical skills to interpret data sets.
- Describe different viruses and how each can affect human growth.
- Communicate effectively with patients regarding diagnosis and treatment options.
- What are the most important concepts (ideas, methods, theories, approaches, etc.) that students should be able to understand, identify, or define at the end of your course?
- What lower-level information should students master and retain as part of their larger conceptual understanding of the material?
- What questions should your students be able to answer at the end of the course?
- What are the most important skills (quantitative analysis, problem-solving, critical thinking, etc.) that students should develop during and after your course?
- How will you help the students build these skills and test their mastery?
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>>Teaching More By Grading Less: Creating Meaningful Assessments That Align With Learning Objectives | View webinar
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Backward Design (Outcomes-Based Design)
In backward design, a framework developed by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe, build your course around the skills and knowledge you want your learners to gain, not around predetermined assignments and activities. Anchor the development by carefully articulating the learning objectives–what you want students to learn–and work backward from there.
- Identify Desired ResultsWhat should students know, understand, and/or be capable of doing?
Start by identifying and writing learning objectives.. - Determine Assessment Evidence
How will students demonstrate what they have learned?
Identify what will count as evidence that students have met those goals. Often, this becomes an assessment of their knowledge. The assessment should align with the learning objectives. - Plan the Learning Experiences and Instruction
What types of activities, materials, and strategies will help students achieve those objectives?
Additional Resources:
- Educational Technology: Backward Design
- What is Backward Design? G. Wiggins & F McTighe, Chapter 1 in Understanding by Design (1998).
- Video: What is Understanding by Design?
6 Strategies for Effective Learning
Free, educational posters from the Learning Scientists to use as a guide for effective learning and studying.