Teaching Guides & Resources > Course Design > Learning Objectives & Outcomes

What is a learning objective?

A statement of the specific and measurable knowledge, skills, attributes, and habits learners are expected to achieve and demonstrate as a result of their educational experiences in a program course, or module.

Characteristics of a learning objective?

The course learning objectives describe outcomes that are measurable and:

  • Begins with an action verb
  • Precisely describes what the student will gain from the instruction
  • Precisely describes behavior that can be observed or evaluated
  • Specifies conditions under which the behavior is performed
  • Guides the instructor to accurately assess student accomplishment

Bloom's Taxonomy

The original Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, commonly referred to as Bloom’s Taxonomy, was created by Benjamin Bloom in 1956, and later revised in 2001. Bloom categorized and classified the cognitive domain of learning into varying levels according to complexity and richness. As you travel up the pyramid, the level of complexity increases. This framework is important for designing a learning experience because it helps instructors identify, classify, and outline what students are expected to learn in the course. Learn more.

ASU's Objectives Builder

Use the ASU Online Objectives Builder tool to write measurable course outcomes and learning objectives.

Steps to create a learning objective

  1. Identify what you want the students to learn (this should include a noun) such as…critical events that led to the start of the Cold War
  2. Identify the level of knowledge using Bloom’s Taxonomy – this will identify how the objective will be assessed
  3. Select an observable verb to describe the behavior at the proper level in Bloom’s Taxonomy – such as; DESCRIBE the critical events that led to the start of the Cold War
  4. Add any additional criteria to indicate how or when the objective will be assessed – such as; Describe the critical events that led to the start of the Cold War in an Expository Essay.