How to set learning objectives that support successful learning design

“I’ll send you our objectives and then it would be great if you could put a proposal together for us…”

This is often how an interaction between a client and a learning designer begins.

From that point onwards, the potential success of our partnership depends upon our ability not only to understand what the client wants but also to develop and refine learning objectives that will lead us to successful and useful learning outcomes.

Is there a difference?

For me, yes.

Learning objectives give a designer, facilitator or trainer clarity about the purpose and goals of the training and help to define the learners’ expectations. They tend to focus on the ‘input ‘of the
workshop or programme. They are likely to be developed after a process of analysing need: either organisational or individual need. They objectives may be specific and measurable - but they are only intentions!
Learning outcomes are the products of the training. The outcomes are used to evaluate whether the objectives have been met - they provide the evidence of observable changes in learner
knowledge, skill, attitude, behaviour that indicate that real learning has been achieved.
It is obvious that the only way in which we can evaluate the impact and effectiveness of our training is if the outcomes that the learners achieve match or exceed the goals that were outlined in the objectives.

So how do we set good learning objectives, that will enable trainers to design and deliver effective interventions?

It is important that we start with the right questions.
When we offer people training it is because we want something to change.
So…
What do we want to be different as a result of the training intervention?
At what level of learning to we want these changes to happen?

It is generally accepted that training can bring about change in knowledge, skills, behaviours, attitudes and beliefs - which may combine to produce broader changes in confidence and
capability. It is also generally accepted that the change may be at different cognitive levels. The most widely used reference for this is Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning, revised in 2001, which offers a ‘ladder’ of change that training aspires to produce in the learner. The different levels on the hierarchy are:

It is important to think about the level of learning required as an outcome: eg. does the learner only need to understand how to carry out a new process, or does the learner need to be able to analyse the new process and then decide if this is better than the current process?
This is the difference between understanding and analysis/evaluation.

• Using the hierarchy of learning, ask yourself at what level you need learners to learn
• Do they simply need to remember (rote learn) facts or information?
• Do they need to understand what they have learnt?
• Do they need to be able to apply the learning in a practical task or activity?
• Do they need to use their learning to analyse something (eg to work out why a problem exists) or to evaluate something (eg. to evaluate possible solutions) or to create something (eg. a brand new solution)?

Choosing the right language to set objectives

Appropriate choice of language (and specifically verbs/action statements) is really important in setting learning objectives. The words used will indicate the level of cognitive processing required
and measured.
For example, at a level of ‘remembering’ we may require learners to: list, match, identify, recognise or tell (all of which can result from ‘rote’ learning!)
At a level of ‘application’ we may ask learners to perform, demonstate, apply or use their new learning
At the higher levels, we may ask learners to judge, re-organise, compare, conclude or design, based upon their new learning.
As an example, this focus on the verbs leads us to challenge a learning objective which says, “To understand how to be an effective team member”. Do we simply want them to understand this, or are we really looking for a specific change in behaviour related to their contribution to an existing team?

Producing meaningful and measurable learning objectives

Since the learners are at the heart of all training, the objectives must be focused on their needs: relevant and useful
As the training is ultimately part of a drive to improve performance, the objectives should highlight the skills they are expected to acquire
As the training involves teaching learners to do something, the objectives should set out what will be done, in what context and to what standard.
Therefore, the learning objectives must define clear and meaningful actions on the learner’s part, must elicit observable behaviour and may include criteria against which post
training performance will be assessed.

So….when we work with you to help you to design your training interventions, we will also aim to support you in defining objectives that are concise and succinct (clearly comprehensible to learners), meaningful (so that they help learners to know what to expect as a result of the training) and measurable (so that the learners know what they have to do to be successful after the programme).

After all, the better our shared objectives, the more chance we have of being able to monitor and assess the impact and value of our training interventions.

Kathryn Ann Alder

Training Director