Measurable Course Objectives

By: Aimee deNoyelles, Instructional Designer, CDL

Students take many courses throughout their educational journey. To clearly show the value that your course brings, it is recommended to share the objectives of the course during the course orientation. These objectives are essentially the roadmap for what students are expected to achieve.

The design of each course should begin with the question, What should students be able to do upon completion of this course? The answer to this question will be the foundation of the list of course objectives.

In order to be effective, course objectives should be:

• Written as specific observable behaviors that students will have the ability to actually demonstrate
• Expressed in plain language that students with little prior knowledge can understand
• Stated from the student’s perspective (“students will be able to” or “you will be able to”)
• Prominently displayed in the syllabus

What Are Some Ways Your Online Course Can Be Designed to Meet This Standard?

• If you have existing course objectives, review them. As they are written right now, would a student know what they need to do in order to demonstrate they have achieved the objective? If not, consider revising to be more measurable.
• Use Bloom’s Taxonomy to determine appropriate cognitive levels and select corresponding measurable behaviors.
• Use the Objective Builder Tool in the UCF CDL Teach Online website to revise existing or develop new objectives.
• Review individual module objectives to ensure they are aligned with the course objectives. If they are not, consider revising the module objectives.

What Does This Look Like in a Real Online Course?

Example 1: Michael Strawser, SPC3602 (Advanced Public Speaking).

The objectives below appear in the syllabus under the heading Student Learning Outcomes. Note how each objective begins with an action verb that articulates what the student will be doing.

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

1. Apply the theories competencies of effective formal oral communication in diverse contexts and situations, as well as across a variety of platforms and delivery methods.
2. Engage in both primary and secondary research to develop rich content and rhetorical appeals adapted appropriately to the rhetorical situation.
3. Organize formal presentations using both effective macrostructure and microstructure (language and style).
4. Employ effective use of voice, body, and presentational aids to deliver effective formal presentations across diverse contexts and via a myriad delivery methods.
5. Evaluate formal oral presentations of self and others delivered via a variety of communication channels and using diverse delivery methods.

Example 2. Noah Froelich, CHM2046 (Chemistry Fundamentals Laboratory).

The objectives below appear in the syllabus under the heading Student Learning Outcomes. Note how each objective begins with an action verb that articulates what the student will be doing.

After successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Understand and apply laboratory safety rules and standards.
2. Design a procedure to answer a key question and state a claim based on experimental evidence.
3. Identify the proper use and function of scientific glassware and equipment.
4. Demonstrate scientific thinking by evaluating experimental designs and outcomes.
5. Describe the procedures for performing basic chemical analyses, including titrations, dilutions, and solution preparations.
6. Use laboratory terminology/vocabulary in communication.
7. Analyze data through algebraic calculations and graphical analysis.
8. Compare laboratory experiments and concepts with real-life applications.