Instructional Systems Design (ISD) - Writing Performance Objectives

Worksheet and Job Aids

The following worksheet and job aids are available for help in writing statements of performance objectives. Before using the worksheets and job aids be sure to read this entire section.

These document require Adobe Acrobat.

Writing Performance Objectives - Use this job aid as a quick reference for writing performance objectives.

Affective Performance Objectives - Use this job aid to select appropriate verbs for learning objectives in the affective domain.

Psychomotor Performance Objectives - Use this job aid to to select appropriate verbs for learning objectives in the psychomotor domain.

Cognitive Performance Objectives - Use this job aid to select appropriate verbs for learning objectives in the cognitive domain.

Bloom's Taxonomy - Use this job aid to help select the proper level of learning and the appropriate verbs to use in writing performance objectives. 

Performance Objectives Worksheet - Use this worksheet as a template for developing performance objectives. 

Overview

Performance objectives become the basis for the remainder of the steps in the instructional design process. The importance of performance objectives cannot be overstated. Because of their importance, considerable effort should be exerted in preparing precise objectives in behavioral terms.

A performance objective is an expression of a desired result of a learning experience. It differs from a performance goal in that it is measurable and is an expression of what should be achieved. It differs from activities in that it describes desired results, not behaviors leading to results.

Performance objectives are derived from task, content or goal analyses. Task and content analyses reveal how work is to be performed and create a logical organizational scheme for subject matter. Instructional goals are simply expressions of general results desired from instruction.

Performance objectives create a vision of what learners should be doing after they master the instruction. They are descriptions of what you want learners to be able to exhibit before you consider them competent. Objectives describe an intended result of instruction, rather than the process of instruction itself. Objectives focus on "outputs."

Classifying Performance Objectives

Instructional designers begin the process of writing performance objectives by identifying the kinds of objectives that must be written. The most commonly used classification scheme defines three domains of learning:

• knowledge, 
• skills or 
• attitudes.

Cognitive objectives focus on increasing learner knowledge and/or intellectual skills. An example is, "explaining how to write a performance objective." 

Psychomotor objectives focus on building motor skills. An example is, "pulling a soils auger." 

Affective objectives focus on changing learners' attitudes. An example is, "valuing diversity in human beings." 

It is important to classify each task into its appropriate domain in order to clearly describe what the learner is to achieve. Units of instruction may include one, two, or all three domains of learning.

Performance Objective Components

Performance objectives make tangible a vision of what learners should know, do, or feel at the end of a planned instructional experience. They should contain statements about at least two of the following three components:

• performance,
• criterion, and 
• condition.

The performance component of an objective describes what a learner will be doing when demonstrating mastery of the objective. A statement of performance always begins with an action verb that is linked to the type of task to be learned.

The criterion component of an objective describes how well the learner must perform in order to be acceptable. It must be measurable.

The condition component of a performance objective describes the important conditions, if any, under which the the performance is to occur. Conditions statements may include necessary tools, equipment or special circumstances. Many times conditions are implied in the performance objective.

Writing Performance Objectives

To write performance objectives, begin with the following sentence fragment (or some variation of it), 

"At the end of this training the learner will be able to...." 

Next comes the performance component , beginning with an action verb. The criterion component follows, indicating how the performance will be measured. The condition component is used when it may not be clear under what conditions the performance is expected or what tools or equipment are available.

Example: At the end of this training the learner will be able to describe the three components of a performance objective, according to the ISD Guide.

The performance component is, "describe the three components of a performance objective."

The criterion component is, "according to the ISD Guide."

It is implied that the Guide is provided in the training and no condition component is included.

Selecting Performance Objective Verbs

A statement of performance always begins with an action verb, and the choice of verbs is typically linked to the appropriate domain of learning.

Use the respective list of verbs for each of the three domains of learning:

• cognitive, 
• psychomotor, or 
• affective.

The lists of verbs are grouped according to levels of achievement. To select an appropriate verb, first select the appropriate level of achievement, guided by the instructional goal and the characteristics of the learners. Once this is accomplished choose an appropriate verb. Remember the higher levels of achievement typically require more sophisticated instructional strategies. Refer to Bloom's Taxonomy job aid above for a visual of the levels of achievement and appropriate verbs.

Next Step - Developing Performance Measurements

Previous Step - Performing a Job, Task, Content or Goal Analysis