Developing Goals, Objectives, and Competencies
Clark Denniston, MDExecutive Assoc Dean for GME
DIO UNC Hospitals
Apples and Oranges, or…
• Goals and Objectives are not the same• Competencies are also different, but linked to
G and O• Outcome-Oriented educational principles are
critical to understanding Competencies• Use “backwards design” concept to frame the
process of developing G, O, C• Bloom’s Taxonomy for Objectives• SMART pneumonic for Outcomes
Definitions
Goals
• Broad and overarching statements about what you desire to achieve with your curriculum
• May include:– Background– Rationale– Philosophy– Performance expectations
Objectives
• Clear, brief, action-verb framed specific knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are intended results of education
• Differ from Goals in terms of specificity• Often a number of Objectives are defined for
each Goal• Bloom’s Taxonomy gives a cognitive
framework to write objectives
Bloom’s Taxonomy (Revised)Create
Evaluate
Analyze
Apply
Understand
Remember
High
er O
rder
Co
gniti
ve P
roce
ss
Bloom’s Taxonomy(revised):Cognitive Process
Action Verbs
Remember
Define, Describe, Identify, List, Locate, Name, Recognize, Select, State
Understand Associate, Classify, Demonstrate, Discuss, Distinguish, Explain, Generalize, Illustrate, Interpret, Summarize
Apply
Apply, Choose, Classify, Explain, Implement, Organize, Prepare, Select, Use
Analyze Analyze, Attribute, Diagram, Differentiate, Discriminate, Distinguish, Organize, Structure
Evaluate
Appraise, Assess, Compare, Contrast, Critique, Defend, Determine, Estimate, Evaluate, Justify, Rate, Support
Create Compile, Create, Design, Devise, Formulate, Generate, Hypothesize, Integrate, Plan, Propose, Summarize
Competencies
• Measurable endpoints of actual achievement of learning
• Discrete “musts” • Action words describing what knowledge, skill
or attitude is to be demonstrated• Include the criterion for acceptable
performance (rubric)
Competency-based Education
Outcome-Oriented Education
ProcessOriented
•Receive Instruction...
OutcomeOriented
•Demonstrate Competence...
Passive
Active
“You have to know where you are going before you can decide how to get there”
Backwards Design
Identify Desired ResultsDetermine Acceptable Evidence
Plan Learnin
g
Identify Desired Results
Determine Acceptable Evidence
Plan Learning
Define Outcomes
Choose/Develop Assessment
Tool(s)Choose Content
& Method
s
Competency = Outcome
Order of Development
First step Goals
Second step Competencies(Outcomes)
Third step Objectives
Why?First step Goals provide general direction for competencies
Second step Competencies/Outcomes establish final destination
“backwards design”
Third step Objectives define actions necessary to reach the Outcomes
SMART
• Specific
• Measureable
• Attainable
• Relevant
• Time-Sensitive
Non-medical SMART outcome
Cooking Class 101 – Knife Skills By the end of a one- hour workshop, all participants
will be able to demonstrate 4 core knife skills with a 9 inch chef’s knife: honing of the blade with a sharpening steel, correct hand position to protect fingers of the non-dominant hand, “tip-to-tang” slicing technique to julienne green peppers, and double hand “rocking chop” to finely chop Italian parsley.
You have to know where you are going before you can decide how to get there
Desired Results Competencies
Outcomes
3 Steps to Educational Success
1. Understand that Competencies = Outcomes
2. Understand the different purposes of “Goals” vs. “Objectives” in defining the path toward Outcomes
3. Employ “backwards design” using the SMART pneumonic to define Outcomes and Bloom’s taxonomy to define Objectives