Writing performance objectives or "behavioral objectives is the best-known part of the instructional design model. According to this chapter, "the development of objectives supports instructors by taking them through the following tasks: specifying the skills, knowledge, and attitudes they will teach; determining the strategy for instruction;and establishing criteria for evaluating student performance when instruction ends." Below is writing performance objectives in the Dick and Carey Model:
What is the concept of Writing Performance Objectives?
This is a design activity that requires changes and additions as the instruction is developed. Sometimes it is not until the instructional strategies are selected or evaluation methods stated that the ‘‘real’’ objectives for a topic are evident.
Writing performance objectives create guidelines for instructional designers, students, or both – it identifies the skill or skills to be learned, and the criteria for mastery of a given lesson. It may also be called a behavioral objective, learning objective, and instructional objective. Writing performance objectives engages the previous steps of the instructional design process: instructional goals, instructional analysis, and learner/context analysis. All have bearing on the performance objectives.
Performance objectives describe three main things: Content/Behavior – What skill or skills will be demonstrated? Conditions – What will the learner need to demonstrate the skill? How or where will it be demonstrated? Criteria – How will the skill be evaluated? What constitutes success?
In addition, objectives are based on the results of the task analysis and provide a refinement and implementation of the needs of and or goals for a project. If you use only a needs assessment to define your problem, the objectives will relate directly to those needs. If you use a goal analysis, the objectives will reflect a refinement of the goals.
Steps for writing objectives
Instructional objectives identify information necessary to solve the performance problem. Writinf the objectives is a four-step process to be completed after the task analysis. These steps are as follows:
- Review the task analysis and identify the essential knowledge, tasks(i.e., procedures), and attitudes the learner must master to solve the performance problem.
- Group the task analysis in clusters with the goals or needs you have identified.
- Write an objective for each of the goal statements or needs.
- Write objectives for any additional information that is essential and that is not addressed by an objective.
In creating your objectives, keep in mind that each objective should be performance-based and measurable.
A performance-based learning objective describes the skill or knowledge that a student will be able to demonstrate by the end of the course or lesson. Use specific action verbs such as: list, identify, state, discuss, describe, solve, compare and contrast.
A performance-based learning objective describes the skill or knowledge that a student will be able to demonstrate by the end of the course or lesson. Use specific action verbs such as: list, identify, state, discuss, describe, solve, compare and contrast.
Reference:
http://www.northeastern.edu/nuolirc/online-training-strategies/writing-learning-objectives/
Parts of a Performance Objective:
Identify the terminal behavior or performance by name. Specify the kind of behavior (B) that will be accepted as evidence that the learner has achieved the objective.
Define the desired behavior further by describing the important conditions (CN) under which the behavior will be expected to occur.
Specify the criteria (CR) of acceptable performance by describing how well the learner must perform to be considered acceptable.
http://www.northeastern.edu/nuolirc/online-training-strategies/writing-learning-objectives/
Parts of a Performance Objective:
Identify the terminal behavior or performance by name. Specify the kind of behavior (B) that will be accepted as evidence that the learner has achieved the objective.
Define the desired behavior further by describing the important conditions (CN) under which the behavior will be expected to occur.
Specify the criteria (CR) of acceptable performance by describing how well the learner must perform to be considered acceptable.
In each Domain, Bloom identified several levels, each with a list of suitable verbs for describing that level in written objectives. The following table describes the cognitive domain, and levels are arranged from the least complex levels of thinking to the most complex levels of thinking.
Reference:
Bloom, B., Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, 1956
COGNITIVE DOMAIN
LEVEL AND MEANING USE THESE WORDS IN WRITTEN OBJECTIVES TO DESCRIBE THE ASSOCIATED COGNITIVE LEVEL
Knowledge: The remembering of previously learned material (recall of facts)
define, distinguish, identify, inquire, label, list, match, memorize, name, read, recall, recognize, relate, repeat, record, select
Comprehension: The ability to grasp the meaning of the knowledge being learned associate, describe, differentiate, discuss, explain, extend, generalize, give examples, illustrate, infer, interpret locate, rearrange, reorder, restate, rewrite, summarize, transform, translate
Application: The ability to use learning materials in a new way apply, calculate, choose, classify, demonstrate, develop, generalize, illustrate, operate, organize, practice, restructure, sketch, solve, transfer, use
Analysis: The ability to break material down into its parts so that its organizational structure may be understood analyse, categorize, classify, compare, contrast, deduce, describe, detect, diagram,
discriminate, differentiate, distinguish, experiment, group, inspect, point out, put into lists, question, sub- divide, test
Synthesis: The ability to combine previous experiences with new material to form a whole new structure combine, compile, create, design, generate, integrate, modify, plan, produce, propose, solve
Evaluation: The ability to judge the value of material for a given purpose appraise, assess, choose, compare, conclude, consider, criticize, evaluate, judge, measure, rate, score, select, support, validate, value
REFLECTION
This chapter on writing performance objectives remind me of work. As a library manager, I deal with writing employee performance objectives. I didn't realize that I can actually use the tools instructional design model to write performance objectives and evaluate results. I see the similarities in both instruction and employee training as a supervisor. I think in many organizations, people are asked to write employee performance objectives. Sometimes they write if for themselves and often if you are in a management position, you write more for others. I think this is a part of the company's performance planning and appraisal process. For some, this is a new experience. For many, it is a difficult one. I am grateful I've taken this course in instructional design. It's helping me a lot in the process. My goal at work is to create a learning culture and the instructional design process is helping me fulfill that goal.
As an academic librarian, let's consider how Dick and Carey model looks like in writing performance objectives and developing assessment:
Reference:
http://www.valenj.org/pressroom/vale-shared-information-literacy/writing-performance-objectives-developing-assessment-inst
EXTENDED KNOWLEDGE
Below is the handout to above workshop on "Writing Performance Objectives and Developing Assessment for Instruction Librarians:
May 20, 2013
Moore Library, Rider University
Presented by Lynee Richel, MLIS, MEd, County College of Morris & Heather Dalal, MLIS, MEd, Rider University
Performance Objectives for Navigating the Information Landscape; An Introductory Information Literacy Workshop for Undergraduate StudentsPerformance ObjectivesTerminal ObjectiveThe terminal objective is that the students will find and use proper resources and document these sources properly in the course term paper for Freshman Composition. The performance objectives have been chunked into sections from the instructional analysis for ease in creating instructional materials.
1. Performance Objectives for Understanding and Creating Citations.
- Given a citation, students are able to determine if citation refers to a book, book chapter, or an article.
- Given citation options, students recognize different citation style names.
- Given a citation for a book chapter or journal article, students distinguish between title of article/chapter and title of source (book or journal).
- Given a citation, students identify elements of the citation (title, author, source, volume, issue, page numbers, editor, publisher, publishing city, and date).
- Given a book, book chapter, or journal article, students locate citations within the source.
- Given a source, students recognize in text citations and full references (works cited, bibliography, etc).
- Given an academic research paper or project, students describe reasons why to cite and why citing is important.
- Given a fact or an idea from a source, students recognize the need to cite.
- Given a direct quotation, a need to an idea or a fact, students recognize it is appropriate to cite.
- Given a need to cite, students locate guides online containing instructions and examples.
- Given instructions from the instructor to cite sources, students recall what “cite your sources” means.
- Given a research paper assignment, students will create citations both in text and at the end of the paper on the works cited page for all their sources used.
2. Performance Objectives for Finding Full text
- Given the menu on the library website, students recognize when to use “Articles via Journals” (Journal Finder) and when to use “Articles via Databases.”
- Given citation information for an article, students search for title of journal not title of article while using Journal Finder or shortcut box on the library homepage to determine if the library subscribes to the journal.
- Given citation information, students retrieve the full text of an article using Journal Finder or the shortcut box on the library home page.
- Given results from journal finder, students will conclude if the library subscribes in print or electronic format.
- Given results from journal finder for a specific citation, students choose the option that contains the correct year.
- Given electronic access results from journal finder, students recognize the database name, enter the database, and retrieve full text of an article by searching or browsing for it.
- Given a print results from journal finder, student will recognize the catalog link, enter the catalog, and find the call number and location of the journal.
3. Performance Objectives for Finding books
- Given the library website, students recognize the catalog link as the place to search for books and other library holdings.
- Given the library catalog, students use the search box, search button, and pull down menu options.
- Given the library policy, students recall the textbook policy.
- Given a large number of catalog results, students sort results by title, author, date, or relevance.
- Given unsatisfactory library catalog results, students revise their search strategy (i.e. searching for author and title together).
- Given the title and author of a book, students use the library catalog to identify its location and call number.
- Given a library catalog record for a relevant book, students locate Library of Congress Subject Headings.
- Given a need to search, students will differentiate between keyword and controlled vocabulary/subject searching.
- Given a need to try a new strategy, students employ advanced searching techniques in the library catalog (such as using subject headings).
4. Learning Objectives for Conducting a Search Strategy
- Given an information need, students create a search strategy using keywords and their synonyms
- Given an unknown information need, students review encyclopedias, class notes, and initial results to find jargon, more synonyms, and new ideas to search.
- Given an article database, students determine if database employs Boolean or natural language searching.
- Given a database employing Boolean search operators, students use the AND, OR, or NOT operators appropriately.
5. Learning Objectives for Article Database Searching
- Given a demonstration of the article databases, students recall what article databases contain, how to access, and how they contain different information than what is available on the free web.
- Given a research project, students choose to search in an article database for magazine, newspaper databases, or peer reviewed scholarly journals.
- Given a periodical, students differentiate between scholarly peer reviewed journals and popular periodicals.
- Given a peer reviewed journal, students identify the author’s credentials and qualifications.
- Given a peer reviewed journal, students recall the peer review process.
- Given a source, students recognize the collective term periodicals for magazines, newspapers, and journals.
- Given an article database record, students recognize the citation, abstract, and full text.
- Given the article databases page of the library, students differentiate between general article indexes and specialized subject indexes.
- Given time to practice, students employ a search strategy in a library article database using keywords or subject terms.
- Given a large number of results, students identify tools to narrow or limit the search.
- Given a large number of results, students sort results by date or relevance.
- Given a database record, students identify the link to generate an automatic citation for use in their works cited or references page.
- Given a citation without full text, students will use the article linker or check library journals to locate it electronically or in print if the library subscribes.
- Given a citation without full text and no library subscription, students recall the interlibrary loan option.
6. Performance Objectives for Web Searching
- Given a research project, students choose when it is appropriate to search on the web.
- Given a search engine, students recognize how the search engine works.
- Given search engine results, students determine the order results are returned.
- Given search engine results, students recognize each engine has their own algorithm for determining the order or results.
- Given the World Wide Web, students specify what information is available on the visible web and the invisible web.
- Given the tools on the web, students distinguish purposes of and needs for search engines, meta search engines, subject directories, and Wikipedia.
- Given the tools on the web, students will name at least one search engine, meta search engine, and subject directory.
- Given a Wikipedia entry, students identify its proper use in the research process.
- Given a search box, students will use quotation marks for phrase searching.
- Given a search box, students will combine concepts with Boolean Operators (connector words: AND, OR, and NOT).
Adapted from Dalal, H. A. “Navigating the Information Landscape; An Introductory Information Literacy Workshop for Undergraduate Students.” M.Ed. Thesis. University of Massachusetts Boston, May 2011.
Let's look at this model about the concept of performance and learning objectives:
Reference:
http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/isd/develop_objective.html
http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/isd/develop_objective.html