“Leading Indian Health Care Education”

Office of Continuing Education

EDUCATIONAL LEARNING OBJECTIVES
The educational needs you've identified should be translated into statements describing the expected learning outcomes of your activity. Clearly stated objectives give potential attendees a realistic understanding of the nature and purposes of the activity so they can make an informed decision about whether or not to attend. The objectives also help the faculty focus their presentations on the needs of the participants. The participants and the faculty, therefore, need to know the objectives in advance. Ideally, the objectives should be stated in terms of what participants should be able to do for their patients as a result of having participated in the educational activity. Clear objectives will also allow those attending to judge the success of the activity when it is over. Objectives, then, come from the needs and lead to the evaluation.

In summary, the following items should be considered:
____ The objectives are/will be derived from the assessed needs.
____ Learning objectives are/will be written for each presentation.
____ The objectives are/will be written in terms of what the participants will be able to do for their patients, or what influence they will have on health care and its delivery.
____ Faculty members will know the objectives ahead of time.
____ Potential participants will receive the objectives ahead of time.
____ The learning objectives will be used in the evaluation of the success of the activity.

Advice about writing objectives:
State the desired outcomes or actions the participants can expect to demonstrate as a result of the educational experience (changes in abilities, skills, attitudes, or knowledge). Review and incorporate the action words below. Write the learning objectives so they relate to these outcomes and reflect the content of the session. Objectives describe the behavior of the learner, and should at all possible relate to patient care. Learning objectives:

Are stated clearly and adequately defines the level of presentation
Define or describe an action
Are measurable, in terms of time, space, amount, and/or frequency

This can be done by completing the following sentence, “At the completion of this activity, participants will be able to (action verb)…”

Examples:

At the end of this workshop, the participants will be able to:

Apply a short arm cast.
Recognize and treat the four major dysrhythmias presented.
List the differential diagnosis for acute chest pain.
Incorporate knowledge of traditional diets into care of patients with diabetes.

Useful verbs to facilitate writing of measurable objectives:

Level I: Recall	Level I: Recall	Level 2: Interpretation	Level 2: Interpretation	Level 3: Interpretation	Level 3: Problem Solving
Knowledge	Comprehension	Application	Analysis	Synthesis	Evaluation
cite	associate	apply	analyze	arrange	appraise
count	classify	calculate	appraise	assemble	assess
define	compare	complete	contrast	collect	choose
draw	compute	demonstrate	criticize	compose	critique
identify	contrast	dramatize	debate	construct	determine
indicate	describe	employ	detect	create	estimate
list	differentiate	examine	diagram	design	evaluate
name	discuss	illustrate	differentiate	detect	judge
point	distinguish	interpret	distinguish	formulate	measure
read	explain	interpolate	experiment	generalize	measure
recite	estimate	locate	infer	integrate	rank
recognize	express	operate	inspect	manage	rate
relate	express	order	inventory	organize	recommend
repeat	interpret	predict	question	plan	revise
select	interpolate	practice	separate	prepare	score
state	locate	relate	summarize	produce	select
tabulate	predict	report		propose	test
tell	report	restate		specify
trace	restate	review
write	review	schedule
	translate	sketch
		solve
		translate
		use/utilize

Please note – Words to Avoid: Words or phrases such as know, think, appreciate, learn, comprehend, include, remember, perceive, specify, understand, be aware of, be familiar with, have knowledge of, are not measurable and should be avoided.

The objectives should not be confused with the activity’s goals or an activity’s description; they are no the same thing. Objectives should be communicated to all speakers/faculty to assist them in preparing their presentations and to participants so they will know what to expect by participating in the continuing education activity.

Clinical Support Center • 40 North Central Avenue, Suite 780 • Phoenix, AZ 85004 • 602.364.7777 • 602.364.7788-fax