Teaching Techniques

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Seminar V Learning Objectives
Debra Larson
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Muddiest Point on Effective Teaching

• Results

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Seminar Vs Learning Objectives

• Define learning objective.
• Classify learning objectives according to Blooms
  Taxonomy.
• Construct a learning objective.
• Appraise the usefulness of learning objectives.

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Think about the last class you taught.

• Can you list what you covered?
• Can you list what the students learned?

Why is question 1 easier to answer than question
2?
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A Technique That Helps UsGo Beyond Course
Content To

• Consider student learning
• Communicate class goals and behavior expectations
• Evaluate students performance
• Plan our class

Learning Objectives
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Rons Lesson Objectives

• Define a truss.
• List the assumptions necessary to determine
  internal forces in a truss.
• Solve for internal forces in a truss member.

From this example, make at least one observation
about the characteristics of lesson learning
objectives.
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Learning Objective Definition

• Describes what the students should be able to do
  after
• Completing the reading
• Attending class
• Completing the assignment
• Typically 2 to 4 per class

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Learning Objectives
Represent the content in terms of learning.
Communicate to students colleagues what is
being learned via observable behavior.
Helps students learn more effectively because
they know what they will gain and what is
expected.
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Writing Learning Objectives
Action Verb List

• Start with action verbs
• That can be observed and measured
• Avoid
• Understand, know, be aware, appreciate
• Use
• Describe, construct, calculate, determine, list
• Use complete and unambiguous sentences

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Group Activity

• Individually
• Think about your first class that you will be
  presenting on Tuesday afternoon.
• For this class, write one lesson learning
  objective.
• With your neighbor
• Share your objective
• Refine it
• You have 5 minutes.

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Describe Learning

• Three Domains of Learning
• cognitive (intellectual abilities)
• affective (attitudes, values, interests)
• psychomotor (muscular action, dexterity)
• Taxonomy
• a simple system of classifying learning within a
  given domain

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Blooms Taxonomy of Educational Objectives
For the Cognitive Domain
judge, critique, justify, verify, assess,
recommend
create, construct, design, improve, produce,
propose
compare, contrast, classify, categorize, derive,
model
calculate, solve, determine, apply
explain, paraphrase
list, recite
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Example (Lesson-Level) Objectives

• Design the members of the structural steel truss
  shown below to withstand the HS-20 truck load at
  any point along the bridge.

Synthesis
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Example(Lesson-Level) Objectives

• List the assumptions used in analyzing truss
  structures.

Knowledge
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Example (Lesson-Level) Objectives

• Compute the internal force in truss member AB.

Application
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Example (Lesson-Level) Objectives

• Assess the three truss designs shown below and
  recommend the best solution. Explain.

Evaluation
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So What?
At what level do we want our students to be
working at?
At what level of thinking are the first years of
higher education typically focused on?

• All levels should be addressed in every course.

All levels should be assessed and evaluated in
every course.
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Group Activity

• Go back to your learning objective previously
  written and with your neighbor
• Determine what level of learning this objective
  met.
• Try to re-state it to increase its level.
• Be ready to present the results of this exercise
  to the entire group.
• You have 3 minutes.

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Learning objectives shift us away from what we as
teachers are covering towards what our students
are learning.

• They allow us to quantify what are students are
  learning.

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And, Learning Objectives Are Useful For

• Lesson planning
• Identify critical material
• Identify extraneous material
• Communicating expectations
• Writing exams
• A well-written objective could be used as an exam
  question

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In Summary
Use learning objectives to set up a class where
higher levels of thinking are learned, practiced,
evaluated, and assessed.
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References

• Wankat, P. and F. Oreovicz, 1993, Teaching
  Engineering, McGraw-Hill, Inc.
• Gardiner, L.F., Redesigning Higher Education
  Producing Dramatic Gains in Student Learning,
  AAHE-ERIC Higher Education Report, V 23, No. 7,
  The George Washington University, Graduate School
  of Human Development.
• Kuhlenschmidt, S.L, 1999, Promoting Internal
  Civility Understanding Our Beliefs About
  Teaching and Students. In S. M. Richardson,
  Promoting Civility A Teaching Challenge, New
  Directions For Teaching and Learning, No. 77,
  Spring, Jossey-Bass, pp. 13-22.