Writing Measurable Objectives

1
Writing Measurable Objectives

• Alicia C. Pruitt, RN DNP CFNP CEN

2
What is an OBJECTIVE? 3

• Specific, measurable, student behaviors
• Reasonably accomplished within the given
  timeframe
• Foundations for designing a teaching plan
• Benefits
• Assures discipline of learning plan
• Focuses both student and educator
• Provides method for evaluation
• May utilize many tools to accomplish

ASSURES THAT AFTER AN ACTIVITY, THE LEARNER HAS
GAINED NEW SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, AND/OR ATTITUDES
3
Blooms Taxonomy1

• A classification of educational methods
• Divides objectives into three domains
• Affective
• Psychomotor
• Cognitive
• Hierarchical learning higher levels is
  dependent on having attained prerequisite
  knowledge and skills
• Goal is to motivate educators to focus on all
  domains, creating a more holistic teaching
  approach

4
Affective Domain2

• Interests, attitudes, appreciations, values, and
  emotional sets or biases
• Simple attention
• Selected phenomena
• Complex qualities of character and conscience

5
Levels of the Affective Domain2

• From highest level to lowest
• Receiving
• Passively attention
• Without this level no learning can occur.
• Responding
• Active participation in the learning process
• Attends to a stimulus and reacts
• Valuing
• Value attached to an object, phenomenon, or piece
  of information

6
Levels of the Affective Domain (contd) 2

• Organizing
• Assimilates different values, information, and
  ideas
• Accommodates learning within his/her own plan
• Comparing, relating and elaborating on what has
  been learned.
• Characterizing
• Value or belief held that now exerts influence on
  his/her behavior
• Behavior becomes characteristic

7
Psychomotor Domain4

• Physical movement, coordination, and use of the
  motor-skill
• Development requires practice
• Measured in terms of speed, precision, distance,
  procedures, or techniques in execution

8
Levels of the Psychomotor Domain4

• From highest level to lowest
• Perception
• Ability to use sensory cues to guide motor
  activity
• Sensory stimulation through translation
• Set
• Readiness to act
• Mental, physical, and emotional
• Dispositions that predetermine a persons
  response to different situations
• Mindsets

9
Levels of the Psychomotor Domain (contd) 4

• Guided Response
• Early stages in learning a complex skill
• Includes imitation and trial and error
• Adequacy of performance is achieved by practicing
• Mechanism
• Intermediate stage in learning a complex skill
• Responses have become habitual
• Movements performed with some confidence and
  proficiency

10
Levels of the Psychomotor Domain (contd) 4

• Complex Overt Response
• Skillful performance
• Involve complex movement patterns
• Proficiency is indicated by a quick, accurate,
  and highly coordinated performance,
• Requires a minimum of energy
• Includes performing without hesitation and
  automatic performance. 
• Second Nature

11
Levels of the Psychomotor Domain (contd) 4

• Adaptation
• Skills are well developed
• Individual can modify movement patterns to fit
  special requirements
• Origination
• Creating new movement patterns to fit a
  particular situation or specific problem
• Learning outcomes emphasize creativity based upon
  highly developed skills

12
Cognitive Domain1

• Knowledge
• Development of intellectual skills
• Includes
• Recall or recognition of specific facts
• Procedural patterns
• Concepts

13
Levels of Cognitive Domain1

• From highest level to lowest
• Knowledge
• Recall data or information
• Comprehension
• Understanding the meaning, translation,
  interpolation, and interpretation of instructions
  and problems
• State a problem in one's own words

14
Levels of Cognitive Domain (contd) 1

• Application
• Use a concept in a new situation
• Unprompted use of an abstraction
• Applies what was learned in the classroom into
  novel situations in the work place
• Analysis
• Separates material/concepts into component part
• Understands organizational structure of
  material/concepts
• Distinguishes between facts and inferences

15
Levels of Cognitive Domain (contd) 1

• Synthesis
• Builds a structure or pattern from diverse
  elements
• Put parts together to form a whole
• Emphasis on creating a new meaning or structure
• Evaluation
• Make judgments about the value of ideas or
  materials
• Sometimes included in Affective Domain

16
Blooms Taxonomy(1)Activities learners can
display what they learned and products of
learning faculty might use to evaluate the degree
of learning
17
Components of an Objective 3

• Audience
• Who is the intended target of the objective
• Usually the student, the participant
• Behavior
• What are you wanting your audience to get out of
  the topic?
• Should be observable, measurable
• Condition
• How will this learning occur? What will be given
  to the student to accomplish the objective?
• Degree
• Specific criteria to be met?
• How much/many/by when?

18
Examples 3
Audience Blue Behavior Green Condition
Purple Degree Brown

• With the information from this section, the
  participant will be able to list the three most
  common causes of intercerebral bleeding in the
  elderly.
• After this demonstration and practice session,
  the student nurse will be able to insert a 20
  gauge intravenous catheter in a stable human
  being during preparations for an elective
  surgical procedure within 3 attempts.

19
Examples 3
Audience Blue Behavior Green Condition
Purple Degree Brown

• Upon completion of this chapter, the learner will
  be able to create his/her own definition of a
  nurse practitioner to a pediatric patient, an
  adult patient, and a physician.
• After this section, the participant will be able
  to compare/contrast the care given for a
  pneumothorax patient undergoing ground transport
  versus helicopter transport

20
Examples 3
Audience Blue Behavior Green Condition
Purple Degree Brown

• Affective domain objectives are more difficult to
  quantify (degree)
• After the module on death and dying, the oncology
  nurse will write his/her responses to patients
  requests for guidance during three video-taped
  case presentations within 30 minutes.
• Answers to affective domain objectives may be
  lengthy, often subjective, but can still be
  measured

21
Now its your turn!

• Apply this on your next application!

22
References

• Bloom B. S. (1956). Taxonomy of Educational
  Objectives, Handbook I The Cognitive Domain. New
  York David McKay Co Inc.
• Krathwohl, D. R., Bloom, B. S., Masia, B. B.
  (1973).Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, the
  Classification of Educational Goals. Handbook II
  Affective Domain. New York David McKay Co., Inc.
  
• Mager, R. F. (1997). Preparing instructional
  objectives A critical tool in the development of
  effective instruction (3rd ed.). Atlanta, GA The
  Center for Effective Performance, Inc.
• Simpson E. J. (1972). The Classification of
  Educational Objectives in the Psychomotor Domain.
  Washington, DC Gryphon House.