Writing Learning Objectives

Once you have worked out what you want your program to achieve, you should write the objectives that will support your aims.

What is a behavioural objective? 

Behavioural objectives establish what learners should be able to do when they reach the end of the program. They state in a clear and precise way what the anticipated performance of the learners should be after the program.

Is a knowledge objective appropriate?

If you want learners to recall facts, then testing knowledge of these facts could be the right approach.

But consider carefully – do you want your learners just to know stuff or do you want them to be able to apply what they are learning? Please think about this carefully as this will affect how you write your learning objectives.

Why is it so important to write solid objectives?

Writing solid objectives is a skill that is very much worth developing.

Solid objectives are important because they...

• provide the "map" for the learning journey and make sure learners are kept on the straight and narrow!
• help learners know exactly what’s expected of them and the expected ‘gain’ from their efforts. This also means they can check their progress along the way

How to write solid learning objectives?

The first step to writing a good objective is to consider:

1. What you want your learner to know or to be able to do - the behaviour
2. To what standard you want them to do it - the standard
3. The best way to test the trainee - the condition
   
   

1. Behaviour

The behaviour may be to show knowledge or to demonstrate a skill.

For example:
"At the end of the training session, the participant will be able to list the 10 characteristics of a good communicator"

"At the end of the training session, the participant will be able to open a bottle of wine"

Other action words that are commonly used include; to state, to write, to explain, to demonstrate, to identify.

2. Standard 

The standard indicates to what level the behaviour is to be performed. The same examples are continued...

"At the end of the training session, the participant will be able to list the 10 characteristics of a good communicator without reference to notes."

"At the end of the training session, the participant will be able to open a bottle of wine without leaving any cork in the wine bottle."

3. Condition

The condition indicates the circumstances, support or aids that are available (or unavailable) to a participant.

"At the end of the training session, the participant will be able to list the 10 characteristics of a good communicator without reference to notes, in a 10-minute test"

"At the end of the training session, the participant will be able to open a bottle of wine without leaving any cork in the wine bottle, using a standard corkscrew."

 Other examples

• By the end of this training program, you will be able to demonstrate your knowledge of the product (behaviour), by achieving a minimum of 90% (standard) in a 5-minute multiple choice exam (condition)
• By the end of this training program, you will be able to accurately describe (standard), all the features of the product (behaviour) by recording a 1-minute audio demonstration (condition)

So, formulating your objectives early on allows you to prepare for the rest of the training as it defines what should be achieved by the end of the training and how you intend to test it.  

Time to practise and apply the learning

Once you've thoroughly digested the HOW advice presented here, it's time to start thinking about the objectives for your programs. No matter how far into the build process you are, whether you're right at the very beginning or even if you have already launched your program and enrolled participants and think the objectives you set could be improved. Changes can always be made for the next group.
 

Got questions?

Of course, it goes without saying, but we are always here to help so please reach out by emailing us at onboardhelpdesk@prosell.com if you have any questions or would like some advice.