Writing Student Learning Objective 12-06-2010 PDF
Writing Student Learning Objective 12-06-2010 PDF
Writing Student Learning Objective 12-06-2010 PDF
Educational psychologist Robert Gagne wrote in his book, The Principles of Instructional Design, that we
should ask What will the learner be able to do after the instruction, that they couldnt (didnt) do
before? or How will the learner be different after the instruction? The answers to these questions will
be the foundation of the learning objectives and identify the desired outcome.
A well-written learning objective provides a clear picture of the performance you expect as a result of
the lesson. Robert Mager (1962) argued that learning objectives should be specific, measurable
objectives that both guide instructors and aid students in the learning process. Magers ABCD model for
learning objectives includes four elements: audience, behavior, condition, and degree. The learning
objective does not have to be written in this order and may not include all elements to be well-written.
For example; in a college level class the audience may be implied as the learner and if the performance
level is 100% the degree is often left off.
The following table illustrates Magers ABCD Model for instructional objectives:
Objective Part
Audience
Behavior
Description
What level or ability
Observable verb or performance
Condition
Degree
Example
American History 101 students
will create a timeline of the main events at
Gettysburg,
after generating a graphic organizer based on the
reading assignment,
with a rubric rating of 3 (out of 5) or better.
The following table illustrates aligning the objective statement with learning activities and assessment.
Learning Objective
Learning Activities
Assessment