In this presentation we will take you through understanding the role of goals, objectives, and essential questions when developing both your syllabus and your coursework. We will also touch upon the role of Bloom's Taxonomy and how to better understand your students and the outcomes for your courses.

1. LEARNING OBJECTIVES

2. What is a Learning Objective?
A statement of the specific and measurable
knowledge, skills, attributes, and habits learners
are expected to achieve and demonstrate as a
result of their educational experiences in a
program, course or module.
A learning objective states what learners should
be able to do.

3. Parts of a Learning Objective
• WHY - Essential Questions: highlight the big ideas that
are central to the design. They are questions at the heart
of a subject or curriculum, and promote inquiry. (UBD)
• What - Coarse Goals: Reflect larger ideas of what you
want students to know and understand, they are aligned
with larger program goals and professional standards.
• HOW - Learning Objectives: Each learning objective
should be linked or connected to a coarse goal, what
would you like students to be able to do.

4. Course Goals vs Learning Objectives
Essential Questions Coarse Goals Learning Objectives
Focus on the BIG
IDEAS that bring
meaning to all the skills
and facts
What students will
know and understand
What students will be
able to do and
complete
EX. How does
constitutional law
impact the day-day life
of U.S. citizens?
EX. Upon successful
completion of this
course, students will
understand the
scientific method
EX. Upon successful
completion of this
course, students will be
able to evaluate
(Blooms Taxonomy)
sources of information
Ask an open-ended
question
Not Measurable Measurable

5. Characteristics of Course Goals and
Learning Objectives
Course Goals Learning Objectives
Measureable and observable X
Student-Centered rather than course-
centered
X X
Reflects wat you want your students to
be able to do
X
Connects to or stems from a course
goal
X
Reflects successful student
performance
X X
Uses broad Language with Verbs like
know or understand
X
Reflects essential questions for your
course and/or discipline
X
Targets one specific aspect of student
performance
X
Uses an appropriate action verb that
targets the desired level of
performance
X

6. An Essential Question:
• Lies at the heart of a subject or a curriculum
• Promotes inquiry & uncoverage of a subject
• Has no simple “right” answer
• Provokes & sustains inquiry
• Addresses conceptual or philosophical foundations
• Raises other important questions
• Naturally & appropriately recurs
• Stimulates vital, ongoing rethinking

7. What Makes a Question “Essential”?
• Recurs throughout all our lives
• Refers to core ideas & inquiries within a discipline
• Helps students effectively inquire and make sense of
important but complex ideas, knowledge, know-how
• Engages a specific & diverse set of learners

8. Types of Essential Questions
• Overarching
– Frame courses and programs of study around truly big ideas
• Topical
– Are unit specific but still promote inquiry
GOOD TEACHING USES BOTH!

9. Examples of Overarching EQ
• How do we classify the things around us?
• Do artists have a responsibility to their audience? To
society?
• How does language shape culture?
• Is pain necessary for progress in athletics?

10. Examples of Topical EQ
• How might Congress have better protected minority
rights in the 1950s & 1960s?
• Should we require DNA samples from every
convicted criminal?
• Is Holden Caulfield a “phony”?

11. Bloom's Taxonomy
• Bloom's Taxonomy was created in 1956 under the leadership of
educational psychologist Dr. Benjamin Bloom in order to promote
higher forms of thinking in education, such as analyzing and
evaluating concepts, processes, procedures, and principles, rather
than just remembering facts.
• Meant to be applied from lower level cognitive thinking and moving to
higher levels of cognition
• What is going to be learned and how is it going to be learned?
• Revisions have been made to the taxonomy as new educational tools have been introduced. Bloom's original
taxonomy is in: Taxonomy of Educational Objectives by Benjamin Bloom. The revision is in: A Taxonomy for
Learning, Teaching, and Assessing: A Revision of Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives by Lorin Anderson
and David Krathwohl.

12. Bloom's Taxonomy Pyramid
is very useful when thinking about learning objectives

13. Bloom's Taxonomy Pyramid
is very useful when thinking about learning objectives

14. Verbs or phrases that are not
measurable:
• Understand
• Gain an
appreciation
• Be acquainted with
• Gain insight
• Learn
• Demonstrate
knowledge
• Demonstrate
understanding
• Comprehend

15. Appreciate and Understand
• If you think about how you will measure whether
students have learned what you want them to, how
can you measure that someone has understood or
gained an appreciation?
• Can you even teach someone to appreciate?