Introduction to Instructional Design

Writing Performance Objectives

Dr. Lloyd Rieber The University of Georgia

Department of Instructional Technology Athens, Georgia USA

Objectives

• Name and describe the components of a properly

written performance objective.

• Write a terminal objective that includes relevant

information about the instructional context.

• Write performance objectives for skills that have been

identified in an instructional analysis.

Assess Need to Identify Goal(s)

Conduct Instructional

Analysis

Analyze Learners and

Contexts

Write Performance Objectives

Revise Instruction

Develop Assessment Instruments

Develop Instructional

Strategy

Develop And Select Instructional

Materials

Design and Conduct

Formative Evaluation

Design and Conduct

Summative Evaluation

(Dick & Carey’s Model)

Instructional Congruency

Instructional Objectives

Instruction Evaluation

Performance Objective

A detailed description of what students will be able to

do when they complete a unit of instruction. It will

provide an instructional focus for the designer when

deciding about content, strategies, and evaluation.

Performance Objective

Performance objectives are derived from

the skills in the instructional analysis. This

includes sometimes writing objectives for

the skills identified as entry behaviors.

• Terminal Objective

The objective that describes exactly what the student will be able to do when he or she completes a unit of instruction.

• Subordinate Objective

The objective that paves the way to the achievement of the terminal objective.

Performance Objective

Components Of An Objective Robert Mager has long advocated constructing an objective with three

components:

The components are as follows:

1.Conditions of Demonstration: describes the tools or information that learners

will be given when they demonstrate their learning

2.Terminal Behavior: describes the learner actions that demonstrate that learning

has occurred. Action verbs such as select, identify, and list included rather than

ambiguous terms such as understand, be aware of and appreciate.

3.Standards/Criteria: describes how well the learner must do for you to say the

learner has achieved the objective.

Components Of An Objective

Another method for writing objectives is to include

five components as described by Gagne, Briggs

and Wager(1989)

Components Of An Objective 1. Situation: what is the stimulus situation faced by the

student? Describe the environmental conditions under which the behavior is performed.

2. Learned capability verb: helps designer to inform others of the type of outcome being refer to. Helps to reduce ambiguity

3. Object: indicates the content of the learner’s performance. Example: the calculation of the sum of two three-digit numbers

4. Action verb: describes how the performance is to be completed.

5. Tools, constraints, special conditions, or criteria: in some situations, the performance will require the use of special tools, certain constraints, or other special conditions.

Learned Capability Verbs • Problem-solving • Rule-using • Concepts • Verbal information • Affective • Psychomotor

Generate Demonstrate Classify, identify State, list, recite, summarize Choose Execute

Components Of An Objective

Example:

Given an illustration of three plane figures, two the same

and one different, the LWBAT point to the figure that

is different without assistance.

< condition >

< Terminal Behavior >

< criteria>

Components Of An Objective

Example:

Given an illustration of three plane figures, two the same

and one different, the LWBAT discriminate the figure that

is different by pointing to it without assistance.

< situation >

< LCV >

< action>

< object >

< criteria>

What Are The Differences Between Objectives And Goals?

Goals are typically written from the course’s perspective

whereas objectives are written from the learner’s

perspective.

A goal is a generic, less precise description of the

outcome of instruction.

The objectives reflect some type of criteria or standard

whereas the goal does not; descriptions of the outcome

of instruction is very precise.

Derivation of Behaviors

: the designer should carefully consider the verbs

that may be used to describe behavior.

• Intellectual Skills

It can be described by such verbs as discriminate,

identify, classify, demonstrate, or generate.

Derivation of Behaviors • Psychomotor Skills

Objectives that relate to psychomotor skills usually are easily

expressed in terms of executing a physical behavior (e.g.,running,

jumping, or driving)

• Attitudes

When objectives involve attitudes, the learner is usually expected

to choose a particular alternative or sets of alternatives.

•Verbs for Declarative/Verbal Information learning Outcomes

Count, define, list, name, quote, recite, state and write

A List Of Other Types Of Performance Verbs

• Verbs for General Discrimination Learning Outcomes

: choose, collect, define, describe, detect, discriminate, distinguish, identify, indicate, isolate, list, match, omit, order, pick, place, point, select, and separate.

• Verbs for Psychomotor Learning Outcomes

: arch, bend, catch, climb, float, grab, grip, hit, hop, jump, kick, knock, lift, pitch, pull, run, skate, step, stretch, swim, swing, throw, and toss

• Miscellaneous Verbs

: aim, buy, complete, crush, determine, develop, erase, expand, finish, repeat, suggest, support, vote, and watch.

Derivation Of Conditions : In selecting appropriate conditions you need to

consider both the behavior to be demonstrated and the characteristics of the target population. You should also distinguish among the functions that the conditions component serve.

Derivation of Conditions

These functions include specifying:

1) The cue or stimulus that learners will use to search

the information stored in memory.

2) The characteristics of any resource material required

to perform the task.

3) The scope and complexity of the task.

Derivation of Conditions

The conditions associated with an objective will shape the

instruction every bit as much as the behavior in the

objective.

How does the designer decide exactly what the conditions

should be? Sometimes it is simply a matter of SME

judgment. The context analysis describes the situations

under which the desired behavior will occur, and that is

what we want to describe in the conditions of an objective.

Derivation of Criteria

The final part of the objective is the criterion for judging

acceptable performance of the skill. In specifying logical

criteria, you must consider the nature of the task to be

performed.

Process For Writing Objectives The steps in writing objectives are:

1. Edit goal to reflect eventual performance context.

2. Write terminal objective to reflect context of learning environment.

3. Write objectives for each step in goal analysis for which there are no

substeps shown.

4. Write objectives that reflect the substeps in one major objective, or write

objectives for each sub-step.

5. Write objectives for all subordinate skills.

6. Write objectives for entry behaviors if some students are likely not to

possess them.

Lloyd’s Advice on Writing Objectives

• A-B-C, and maybe D, but definitely include the cap-a-bil-a-tee.

SWBAT (audience), Behavior, Condition, … …add Degree if it makes sense, and if you

have the basis for determining this.

A Little More About Adding The “Degree”

• You should have a basis for determining the degree to which learning/performance should be demonstrated? – I would not expect students to solve certain problems

more than 10-25% of the time. (Remember the first time you baked a cake?)

• Some educators default to the “80% of the time” rule. – Does anyone know where this statistic comes from?

Example: Verbal Information • Given a list of 20 chemical symbols, SWBAT list

the chemical's name by writing it next to the symbol.

Example: Concrete Concept • Given pictures of 12 geometric figures,

SWBAT identify by circling all the polygons.

Example: Defined Concept • Given three video scenes showing a teacher

using grouping strategies, SWBAT classify by labeling the scene that demonstrates the principles of cooperative learning.

Example: Rule/Principle

• Given two numbers greater than 100, SWBAT demonstrate by multiplying the two numbers together correctly within 5 minutes.

Example: Problem-Solving

• SWBAT generate by constructing lesson plans that appropriately use and integrate computer tools to teach about subject matter of their choice.

Example: Attitude • SWBAT choose to design a personal

dietary plan that meets the fundamental requirements of good nutrition based on the "food pyramid."

Do these objectives sound like tests?

• If they do, then give yourself a point for “insight”! • Well-written objectives can be considered “first

drafts” of assessment instruments. • Tuck this thought away for a later discussion

about assessment (chapter 7).

Closing • A well-written objective describes very precisely

the expected learning outcome in terms of a behavior or performance that can be clearly and fairly assessed.

• A well-written objective is the main tool for the subsequent design of instructional strategies (i.e. lesson design) and assessment.

• There are several “recipes” for writing objectives, but all have the same fundamental components. – A-B-C, and maybe D, but definitely include the cap-

a-bil-a-tee.