The Three Components of a Useful Learning Objective
Mager (1997) stated a useful learning objective should include the following three major components
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- Performance – What are students expected to do?
- Conditions – Under which conditions should the students perform?
- Criteria – How well do students have to perform in order to satisfy the requirements?
Example
Take a look at this learning objective. Hover your mouse over the sentence to find the three components in this learning objective.
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Given a topic |
, students will be able to This learning objective includes all of the three major components. It is specific, measurable, and clearly stated. We can easily tell what students are expected to do and what should be taught based on this learning objective. This lesson will teach students how to use the College's online library databases to find books and articles they need. To teach students this skill, we should demonstrate how to use the databases that are available through the College's online library to find reliable resources. When it is time to assess students' mastery of this learning objective, we can give students a topic and have them find at least one book and one scholarly article related to the given topic via the College's online library databases.
Additional Resources
Mager's tips on instructional objectives found on Georgia State University is excerpted from the second edition of Robert F. Mager's most popular book, Preparing Instructional Objectives. In this book, Mager carefully explained the three major components, identified and illustrated some common pitfalls when writing learning objectives.
Self-Check Quiz
