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Developing Learning Objectives

A clear learning objective states what the learner will be able to do upon completion of a continuing professional education activity, in terms of a knowledge, skills, or performance change. A clear objective identifies the desired outcome of the educational offering. Here are some examples of good learning objectives:

At the end of this activity, participants will be able to: Cite examples of how AI is used today in IVD testing

At the end of this activity, participants will be able to: Evaluate the strength and potential issues with different experimental setups for selecting and validating a calibration model

STEPS TO CREATING LEARNING OBJECTIVES

To create learning objectives for your program, follow these 3 steps:

  1. Think of what you want the audience member to be able to do as a result of your instruction. All objectives for this activity will begin with “At the end of this activity, participants will be able to:”
  2. Continue your objective with an action verb: Use verbs which describe an action that can be observed and that are measurable within the teaching time frame (e.g., via a post-test). Some examples of action verbs can be found in the chart below.
  3. Conclude with the specifics of what the learner will be doing when demonstrating achievement or mastery of the objectives. Stress what knowledge or skills the participant will walk away with after the activity ends.

Action Verbs Examples

Level of Learning Related Learning Actions
1. Knowledge Define, identify, label, list, match, name, recall, recognize, record, relate, repeat, select, state
2. Comprehension Classify, compile, conclude, discuss, describe, explain, express, give examples, identify, interpret, recognize, summarize, translate
3. Application Apply, calculate, demonstrate, develop, interpret, locate, operate, perform, practice, predict, present, report, use
4. Analysis Analyze, calculate, categorize, classify, criticize, compare, contrast, determine, differentiate, distinguish, examine, outline, test
5. Synthesis Arrange, assemble, compose, construct, design, develop, diagnose, manage, organize, plan, propose, relate, summarize
6. Evaluation Assess, compare, critique, decide, determine, establish, evaluate, judge, justify, measure, rate, recommend, select

The following words are not measurable and should be avoided when crafting learning objectives: appreciate, believe, improve, learn, approach, grasp the significance of, increase, thinks critically, become, grow, know, understand