| Bloom's Taxonomy

One way to put it all together.
Write and publish measurable learning objectives

There are many ways to publicize expectations for students. One common approach is to prepare measurable student learning objectives. For additional ways to publish expectations, click here.

1. Identify the stakeholders in the learning.
   Who will impact the outcomes? Who is will be vested in the outcomes? For example, do other instructors teach the same course?  Do staff provide similar services in other offices? Does the course, program, or service impact another course, program or service? If so, invite collaboration with those stakeholders.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

2. Set the parameters for the learning.
   Determine the point at which you will check to determine if learning has occurred. For example, will this learning be measured:
   
    - upon completing a particular activity?
    - upon completing a particular course? (see also curriculum)
    - upon completing a specific degree or certificate? (see also curriculum)
    - after receiving a service?
    - after attending MJC?
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    

3. Identify what you and your colleagues want the students to learn from the activities.
   Note: For MJC courses these expectations are already determined. (Click here to learn more about curriculum and the SLO paradigm.)
   
   
   
   
   
   
    

4. Identify the learning domain that you wish to target.
   Make sure you are clear on which learning domain or type of learning you want to occur. Click here to learn more about learning domains
   
   à knowledge (cognitive domain)
   à skills (psychomotor domain)
   à behaviors
   à attitudes (affective domain)
   
   
   
   
   
   
    

5. Determine the level of learning that you want your students to demonstrate.
   
   Within that learning domain, determine what level of is most important for mastery. For example, do you wish to know whether your students have only memorized facts, or would you like them to synthesize facts by into a creative idea. According to Bloom's Taxonomy, whatever learning behavior you solicit from your student via the objective will reflect a specific level of mastery of the subject. Click one of the following links to get detailed guidance on levels of behaviors.
   
   Levels of Cognitive Behaviors and Corresponding Action Verbs
   Levels of Psychomotor Behaviors
   Levels of Affective Behaviors

6. What do you need to observe with your senses to have direct evidence that the students are able to do this?
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    

7. What criteria are used by you and your colleagues to determine whether the student has adequately mastered the desired learning?
   
   After the learning is defined, then criteria must be provided to detail how that learning will be demonstrated by the students. This question might be framed by asking "to what degree must the learning be demonstrated so that we are confident the student is adequately prepared for the next step or level?"
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    

8. What does the student have to do to produce evidence of the desired learning?
   What actions can you observe as the instructor?  See Bloom's Taxonomy for examples of verbs that describe behaviors which will give evidence of learning.
   
   
   
   
   
   
    

9. Add the endpoint to clarify the context for the objective , and write it in a format that is student-centered.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
    

10. Post your expectations where students and the public can view them.
    Soon, MJC will eventually determine where expectations (objectives, rubrics) should officially reside so that they are accessible to students, college staff, and the public. In the meantime, you should feel free to move forward with posting your expectations as you see fit to help make them highly visible.

 

The content of this page is provided by the MJC Student Learning Outcomes Committee
For questions regarding the content of this page contact Letitia Senechal, MJC SLO Facilitator.