Instructional Objectives

and Blooms Taxonomy:

Understanding by Design
DiWan University
Faculty Lecture Series
Presented by Dr. Lee Winters

Senior Professor
Northwestern Polytechnic University

Universities are full of knowledge;

The freshmen bring a little in
and the seniors take none away,
so knowledge accumulates.

Abbot Lowell

Before you build a house

How big is the lot?

How many people will live in it?
Number of bedrooms?
Number of baths?
How big of a living / dining room?
Office / library?
Garden / balcony / patio?
Garage, one car or two?
Environmentally friendly?

Before you build an airplane

Mission Specification:
555 passengers + luggage
More comfort!
Crew = 2
Range = 8,000 km.
Cruising Speed: Mach = 0.85 (289 m/s)
Ceiling = 15,000 m
Takeoff / Landing distance = 4 km.

Before you build a course

What do you do before
you build a new course?

WORKSHOP OBJECTIVES
Explain the reasons why we need to write
IO for our courses.
Discuss the 6 levels of Blooms (original)
and Andersons (revised) Taxonomy and
how they relate to IO.
Define appropriate, meaningful, and
measurable IO for one course.

What is an
Instructional Objective?
It is an intent, communicated by a
statement describing a proposed
change in the learner a statement
of what the learner is to be like when
he or she has successfully completed
a learning experience.
Robert Mager

Instructional Objectives must:

Describe what the learner will have to do when
demonstrating that he / she has reached the
objective. (where am I going?)
Describe any conditions under which the learner will
demonstrate his / her competence. (How shall I get
there?)
Indicate how the learner will be evaluated, or what
constitutes acceptable performance. (How will I
know I have arrived?)

Why bother ? Because, Instructional

Objectives:
1.

Facilitate course design:

a.
b.
c.
d.

2.

Critically evaluate the relative importance of topics and

the allocation of instructional time per topic.
Identify and eliminate extraneous course material.
Construct in-class activities, out of class assignments,
projects, tests, etc.
Exercise all levels of Blooms Taxonomy.

Communicate effectively your

expectations of the students.

Why bother ? Because, Instructional

Objectives: (cont.d)
3. Provide a study guide for students.
4. Give a clear picture of what students should
be able to do, if they pass the course:
a.
b.

Important for instructors of follow up courses.

Important for new instructors teaching the course for the 1st time.

5. Required by accreditation agencies

6. Drive the course assessment.

Blooms Revised Taxonomy

Taxonomy of Cognitive Objectives

1950s- developed by Benjamin Bloom
Means of expressing qualitatively different kinds of thinking
Adapted as a planning tool for classroom use
Continues to be the most universally applied model
Provides a way to organize thinking skills into six levels, from basic
to the highest order level of thinking
1990s- Lorin Anderson (former student of Bloom) revisited the
taxonomy and made a number of changes
(Pohl, 2000, Learning to Think, Thinking to Learn, pp. 7-8)

Blooms Taxonomies of Educational

Objectives :
Cognitive domain
Intellectual outcomes including knowledge, understanding,
thinking skills.

Affective domain
Emotional outcomes including interests, attitudes,
appreciation.

Psychomotor domain
Motor skill outcomes including operating laboratory
equipment, drafting, sports.

Blooms Taxonomies of Educational Objectives :

Cognitive domain
1. Knowledge recognize or recall information
(repeat verbatim)

2. Comprehension understand the meaning

of information (terms, definitions, and concepts)

3. Application use the information

appropriately in different situations to solve
problems

Blooms Taxonomies of Educational Objectives :

Cognitive domain

(cont.d)

4. Analysis break information into components,

see relationships, formulate theoretical
explanations, mathematical or logical models for
observed phenomena

5. Evaluation judge the worth of ideas,

theories, opinions, choose among alternatives,
justify choice using specified criteria

6. Synthesis put components together to

create new products and ideas, combine elements
in novel ways

BLOOMS REVISED TAXONOMY

Creating

Generating new ideas, products, or ways of viewing things

Designing, constructing, planning, producing, inventing.
Evaluating

Justifying a decision or course of action

Checking, hypothesising, critiquing, experimenting, judging
Analysing

Breaking information into parts to explore understandings and relationships

Comparing, organising, deconstructing, interrogating, finding
Applying

Using information in another familiar situation

Implementing, carrying out, using, executing
Understanding

Explaining ideas or concepts

Interpreting, summarising, paraphrasing, classifying, explaining
Remembering

Recalling information
Recognising, listing, describing, retrieving, naming, finding

Blooms Taxonomies of Educational Objectives :

Affective domain
Receiving attend to a stimulus [listen attentively
to a lecture, read a handout]

Responding react to a stimulus [show interest in

a subject, carry out an assignment]

Valuing attach value to an object, person,

phenomenon, or behavior [demonstrate a positive
attitude, appreciation, belief, or commitment through
expression or action]

Blooms Taxonomies of Educational Objectives :

Affective domain

(cont.d)

Organization compare, relate, synthesize different

values into the beginning of an internally consistent value
system [recognize a need to balance freedom and
responsibility, formulate a career plan, adopt a systematic
approach to problem solving]

Characterization by a value or value

complex internalize a value system and behave
accordingly in a pervasive, consistent, and predictable
manner [work independently and diligently, practice
cooperation in group activities, act ethically]

Blooms Taxonomies of Educational Objectives :

Psychomotor domain
Perception use sense organs to obtain cues about motor
activity [relate labels to need for special handling of dangerous
material]

Set readiness to take a particular action [explain the series of

steps required to operate a piece of equipment]

Guided Response early stage of learning a performance

skill including imitation and trial and error [consciously follow a
prescribed instrument calibration procedure]

Mechanism later stage of learning a performance skill when

it can be performed with proficiency [follow the same procedure
smoothly and effortlessly]

Blooms Taxonomies of Educational Objectives :

Psychomotor domain (cont.d)

Complex Overt Response skillful performance
of a complex movement pattern [repair electronic equipment
quickly and accurately]

Adaptation skills that are so well-developed that the

individual can modify them to fit the situation [alter a routine
procedure to adapt to a novel situation] Mastery/Consultant

Origination creating new movement patterns based

on highly developed skills [develop a procedure for building
an experimental prototype]

Level 1: Knowledge / Remembering

List [the assumptions under which
Bernoullis equation is valid+
Identify [all the components of an
airplane structure]
Outline [the procedure for calculating
the hydrostatic forces on submerged
surfaces]

Questions for Remembering

What happened after...?

How many...?
What is...?
Who was it that...?
Can you name ...?
Find the definition of
Describe what happened after
Who spoke to...?
Which is true or false...?

(Pohl, Learning to Think, Thinking to Learn, p. 12)

Level 2: Comprehension / Understanding

Describe [the differences between

liquids and gases and explain the origin
of these differences]
Interpret [the lift vs. angle-of-attack
graph for an airfoil]
Distinguish [between Newtonian and
non-Newtonian fluids]
Explain [in your own words how an
airplane wing generates lift]

Questions for Understanding

Can you explain why?

Can you write in your own words?
How would you explain?
Can you write a brief outline...?
What do you think could have happened next?
Who do you think...?
What was the main idea...?
Can you clarify?
Can you illustrate?
Does everyone act in the way that does?
(Pohl, Learning to Think, Thinking to Learn, p. 12)

Level 3: Application / Applying

Use [the Moody diagram to solve problems
involving heat losses in pipes].

Calculate [the static margin of an airplane using

the longitudinal stability equation].

Apply [the continuity equation to calculate

velocities in a variety of cases involving 1-D,
uniform, incompressible, steady flows].

Questions for Applying

Do you know of another instance where?

Can you group by characteristics such as?

Which factors would you change if?
What questions would you ask of?
From the information given, can you develop

a set of instructions about?

(Pohl, Learning to Think, Thinking to Learn, p. 13)

Level 4: Analysis / Analyzing

Derive [the momentum equation for a
fluid, starting with Newtons 2nd law of
motion]
Explain *how Heros fountain forms+
Analyze the aerodynamic interference
for wings flying in the vicinity of each
other

Questions for Analyzing

Which events could not have happened?

If. ..happened, what might the ending have been?
How is...similar to...?
What do you see as other possible outcomes?
Why did...changes occur?
Can you explain what must have happened when...?
What are some or the problems of...?
Can you distinguish between...?
What were some of the motives behind..?
What was the turning point?
What was the problem with...?
(Pohl, Learning to Think, Thinking to Learn, p. 13)

Level 5: (Evaluation) Evaluating

Classify [a flow as 1-D, 2-D, 3-D]
Optimize [the weight distribution along the
longitudinal axis, to result in a slightly
unstable airplane]
Evaluate [the available options for placing the
wing on the fuselage], select [one of these
options], and justify [your choice].

Questions for Evaluating

Is there a better solution to...?

Judge the value of... What do you think about...?
Can you defend your position about...?
Do you think...is a good or bad thing?
How would (should) you have handled...?
What changes towould you recommend?
Do you believe...? How would you feel if. ..?
How effective are...?
What are the consequences...?
What influence will...have on our lives?
What are the pros and cons of...?
Why is....of value?
What are the alternatives?
Who will gain and who will loose?
(Pohl, Learning to Think, Thinking to Learn, p. 14)

Level 6: (Synthesis) Creating

Identify, formulate and solve

[a problem involving the simultaneous
application of continuity, momentum, and
energy equations]

Design [an experiment to verify the

performance of the NACA 4412 airfoil, as
shown in published data]

Create [a flow chart to illustrate the process

for calculating the pressure distribution on a
swept wing in compressible flow]

Questions for Creating

Can you design a...to...?

Can you see a possible solution to...?

If you had access to all resources, how would you

deal with...?
Why don't you devise your own way to...?
What would happen if ...?
How many ways can you...?
Can you create new and unusual uses for...?
Can you develop a proposal which would...?
(Pohl, Learning to Think, Thinking to Learn, p. 14)

Sample Unit : Aerodynamics

Remembering

Define the following: (a) Mach number, (b) stagnation

and critical conditions for isentropic flow, (c)
stagnation and critical conditions for flow with heat
addition.

Understanding

Explain Kelvins theorem and its implications for the

vortex system of an airfoil.
Explain induced drag in 3 different ways.

Applying

Use the SUB-2D program to explore the effects of

thickness and camber on the aerodynamic
characteristics (lift slope, aerodynamic center, etc.) of
airfoils

Analyzing

Use the method of images to analyze ground effects for

an airfoil.

Evaluating

Prepare a list of the design criteria for an airfoil to be

used on the wing of an ultra-light airplane.

Creating

Design a wing for a supersonic executive jet.

Non-Instructional Objectives
(Goals)
By the end of the course (Fluid Mechanics) you will:
Know the basic principles of fluid mechanics
(continuity,momentum, energy)
Learn how an airplane flies.
Appreciate blood flow through the human heart and
capillaries.
Understand fluids and how they differ from solids.

Writing Instructional Objectives

By the end of this [course, section, week, lecture],
students will be able to.
Complete the sentence with an action word.
IO should:
be as specific as possible
be measurable
address all levels of Blooms Taxonomy (collectively),
in a course.
Usually, only levels 1-3 are addressed.
Levels 4,5,6 require higher-order thinking skills.
Level 4 represents working knowledge ability.

What is higher-order thinking?

Higher-order thinking by students involves the transformation of
information and ideas. This transformation occurs when students
combine facts and ideas and synthesise, generalize, explain,
hypothesize or arrive at some conclusion or interpretation.
Manipulating information and ideas through these processes allows
students to solve problems, gain understanding and discover new
meaning. When students engage in the construction of knowledge,
an element of uncertainty is introduced into the instructional
process and the outcomes are not always predictable; and the
teacher is uncertain what the students will produce.
In helping students become producers of knowledge, the teachers
main instructional task is to create activities or environments that
allow them opportunities to engage in higher-order thinking.
A guide to Productive Pedagogies: Classroom reflection manual

Writing Instructional Objectives

Course IO should include
A subset of Program Outcomes.
Additional course-specific goals.
Additional instructor specific goals.
Any equipment and supplied required.

Writing YOUR
Instructional Objectives
1. Select a topic in one of your courses.
2. Identify what you want your students to be able to
do after they complete that topic and draft 2 - IO.
Make them clear and specific. Use action verbs like
recall, explain, calculate, derive, design, select,
justify, etc. Do not use know, learn,
appreciate, understand.
3. Determine the level of thinking required in each
objective using Blooms Taxonomy.

Example
By the end of this chapter you will:
Ugly: ...know the basic principles of pipe flow.
Bad: be able to derive expressions for fluid velocities
and pressure drops and calculate them for specific
cases.
Good: be able to (a) derive the equation for the
velocity distribution across a circular pipe section in
laminar flow. (Level 3)

Thank You