ISD Project: Write Instructional Objectives

Taking into consideration Mager's (1997) 3 components and issues; Dick, Carey, and Carey's steps to writing an effective objective, as well as additional reading and research you have done for this course, write effective instructional objectives for each goal and aligning step(s) identified in the task analysis (completed in Module 3). At minimum, the objectives have 3 components in which Mager (1997) identified. The following questions may be helpful to consider when writing your objectives:

  1. Performance: What behavior is expected of the learner? What should the learner be able to do?
  2. Conditions: What are the conditions or tools necessary for the learner to accomplish the goal?
  3. Criterion: What are the measures that will be used to determine if the learner achieved the goal?

The objectives should be written in list form with the identified goal and step from the task analysis. They should also be included as part of the task analysis flowchart and put into Word document or PDF formats.

EXAMPLE

Here's an example of how you might write an instructional objectives for a skill identified as necessary for a goal:

Goal: Students will create an online learning module or course using a systematic design process to assist teachers and administrators in the developing knowledge, skills, and understanding of technology for educational use.

Skill/Step 5: Evaluate and select the media that supports instructional tasks and assist learners to meet instructional objectives in an online learning module.

Questions to assist in developing an objective:

  1. Performance: What behavior is expected of the learner? What should the learner be able to do? I want learners to be able to select a media that is appropriate for the delivery of an instructional activity in an online learning module.
  2. Conditions: What are the conditions or tools necessary for the learner to accomplish the goal? Learners will be given a list of media useful for online instruction and a media evaluation rubric. Learners will have previously identified the instructional activity to meet the instructional objective in the online learning module.
  3. Criterion: What are the measures that will be used to determine if the learner achieved the goal? The selection of a media based on the media evaluation rubric

Objective 5.1: Having identified the instructional activity and having been given a list of online media choices and a media evaluation rubric, students will select the most appropriate media for the instructional material in the online learning module.

Note more than one objective under each goal and step may be appropriate.

After you have written your objective, you can evaluate it by asking the following (Horton, 2006, pp. 13-20):

  • Is my objective clear? Can learners answer the question, "What's in it for me?"?
  • Is my objective precise? Can it be measured?
  • Does the objective lead to accomplishing the underlying goal? The organizational goals?

After objectives are written assessment and instructional material and assessments should be planned.

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©2010 By Michael and Amanda Szapkiw.