WRITING INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES

The following "GENERAL" rules should prove useful in writing instructional objectives

1. Be Concise: at the most, objectives should be one or two sentences in length.
2. Be Singular: An objective should focus on one and only one aspect of behavior.
3. Describe Exprected behaviors: An objective should indicate the desired end product, not merely a direction of change or a teacher activity.
4. Be Realistic: An objective should focus on observanble behavior, not on teracher illusions or undefinable traits.
5. Use Definite Terms (VERBS!!!): Terms such as "write, define, list and compare" have defininte meanings, whereas terms such as "know, understand, and apply" have a multitude of meanings.

In Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives he defines three broad categories in which Objectives can be written. Keep in mind that the term "taxonomy" is refering to the principles of 'classification' which he describes in his book. Bloom defined three broad categories and within each of them there is further differentiation: Just as we can categorize life forms into broad categories such as dogs, birds, etc., each of these categories could be further differentiated into or beagles, hounds and terriers or cardinals, blue jays, eagles. The three board categories are:

Cognitive Objectives (usually associated with specific domains of knowledge)
Affective Objectives (Usually associated with feelings and emotions.)
Psychomotor Objectives (Usually associated with body movement.)

The next few pages elaborate on each of these three areas of instructional objectives.

COGNITIVE OBJECTIVES

1. KNOWLEDGE. The simplest cognitive behavior, knowledge, involves the recall of information . Objectives concerned with the individual's knowledge of terms and facts, knowledge of methods and criteria for handling terms and facts, and knowledge of the abstractions of a field are properly classified in this category. Most achievement test items measure objectives at this level.

2. COMPREHENSION. Objectives classified as "comprehension" require the ability to reorganize, restate, and interpret the facts, the methods and criteria for handling facts, and the generalizations and abstractions of a field.

3. APPLICATION. When instructional objectives are directed toward the utilization of knowledge in a new and different situation, they may be classified as "application" objectives. Test items in this category require examinees to make decisions in new situation which must be translated first into situation which are identical or parallel to those presented in the course content.

4. ANALYSIS. The analysis category contains objectives which require the individual to determine the elements of some problem or theory under consideration, the relationship among the ements, and the relationship of the elements to the whole. This level can be characterized as taking the "whole" of a problem and braking it down into its vari0ous parts to extract meaning from the situation. Breaking it down into its various parts to extract meaning from the situation. Test items of this type require examinees to isolate specifics in an overall problem situation, and use the inter-relationships among the specifics to solve the given problem. Items of this type are difficult to construct, particularly in the multiple-choice-selection type format.

5. SYNTHESIS. Objectives classified as synthesis include behaviors like the development of a plan or a set of abstract relations. This level can be characterized as taking the various parts of a problem and putting them together to derive meaning from the situation. Test items of this type require examinees to organize specifics into an overall problem statement, and from this statement draw conclusions or generalizations. Most items f this type are in the "Essay" format.

EVALUATION. Objectives requiring the evaluation or jdging of theory or products according to internal evidence or external criteria are properly classified as evaluation objectives. Measurement at this level requires utilization of the lower level mental skills (knowledge, comprehension). The student is required to decide between right and wrong, good and bad, relevant and irrelevant. These decisions require knowledge and ability to analyze and synthesize data in the forming of sound, logical judgements. Items of this type are often quite difficult to construct because the necessity of being able to defend one alternative as a better response to an item than all other possible alternatives.

Because of the difficulty often encountered in determining the proper classification of objectives and to aid in the writing and classification of test items, some people believe it is advantageous to use a THREE-CATEGORY classification system including:

Knowledge,
Understanding
Application

Within this system knowledge is defined as the ability to recall previously learned information, whether it be facts, trends, or generalizations; Understanding is defined as the ability to restate and interpret information; and Application includes any intellectual activity more complex than simple understanding, such as application of principles to a new problem, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. The scheme for this system as compared to the six category one is as follows:

Six Category System	Three Category System
KNOWLEDGE	KNOWLEDGE
UNDERSTANDING	COMPREHENSION
APPLICATION	APPLICATION
ANALYSIS	CONSIDERED APPLICATION
SYNTHESIS	CONSIDERED APPLICATION
EVALUATION	CONSIDERED APPICATION

Verbs which may be useful for writing instructional objectives for Cognitive objectives:

KNOWLEDGE	COMPREHENSION	ANALYSIS	SYNTHESIS
Define Memorize Repair Record List Recall Name Relate Underline	Restate Discuss Describe Recognize Explain Express Identify Locate Report Review Tell	Distinguish Analyze Differentiate Appraise Calculate Experiment Test Compare Contrast Criticize Diagram Inspect Debate Inventory Question Relate Solve Examine	Compose Plan Propose Design Formulate Arrange Assemble Collect Construct Create Set up Organize Manage Prepare

APPLICATION	EVALUATION
Translate Interpret Apply Employ Use Demnstrate Dramatize Practice Illustrate Operate Schedule Shop Sketch	Judge Appraise Evaluate Rate Compare Value Revise Score Select Choose Assess Estimate Measure

Verbs associated with Affective Outcomes in no special order.

Select

Seek

Visit

Defend

Offer

Question

Qualify

Advocate

Gather (information

Argue (a position)

Object (to an idea)

Keep (preserve)

Weigh (as in judge)

Delay (response)

Spend (money)

Choose

Persist

Adopt

Obey

Propose

Query

Dessign

Dispute

Volunteer

Participate

Ask

Submit

Investigate

Reject

Criticize

Suggest

Sleep

Challenge

Join

Persevere

Try

Evaluate

Support

Promote

Yawn

Attempt

Organize

Praise

Specify

Consult

Test

Recommend

Annotate

EDUCATIOAL OBJECTIVES IN THE AFFECTIVE DOMAIN

RECEIVING: Being aware of or paying attention to something.

Example: Recognizing that there may be two sides to a story; knowing that there are differences among people of different cultural backgrounds.

RESPONDING: Making an active and willing response to something.

Example: Obeying playground rules; reading books for pleasure.

VALUEING: Consistently demonstrating interest in a particular activity so that ongoing involvement or commitment in the activity is reflected.

Example: Writing a letter to a newspaper regarding an issue one feels strongly about; consistently eating a balanced diet.

ORGANIZATION: Integrating a new value into one's existing set of values and building a value system.

Example: Forming judgments about the directions in which society should move; setting priorities for one's life.

CHARACTERIZATION BY A VALUE OR VALUE COMPLEX: Consistently behaving in accordance with an organized value system and integrating that system into a total philosophy of life.

Example: Perceiving situations objectively, realistically, and with tolerance; relying ncreasingly on the scientific method as a means of answering questions about the world and society.

EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES IN THE PSYCHOMOTOR DOMAIN.

REFLEX MOVEMENTS: Responding to a stimulus involuntarily, without conscious thought.

Examples: Ducking to avoid being hit by an oncoming object; shifting weight to help maintain one's balance

BASIC-FUNDAMENTAL MOVEMENTS: Making basic voluntary movementd directed toward a particular purpose.

Examples: Walking; Holding a pencil.

PERCEPTUAL ABILITIES: Responding appropriately to information received through the senses.

Examples: Following a moving object with one's eyes; maintaining eye-hand coordination.

PHYSICAL ABILITIES: Developing general abilities in the areas of endurance, strength, flexibility, and ability.

Examples: Running a long distance; exercising with weights; changing direction quickly.

SKILLED MOVEMENTS: Performing a complex action with some degree of proficiency or mastery

Examples: Swimming; throwing a football, sawing a piece of wood.

NONDISCURSIVE COMMUNICATION: Communicating feelings and emotions through bodily actions.

Examples: Doing pantomime; dancing to communicate the mood of a musical piece.