learning objective

Definition

A specific, measurable statement describing what students should be able to do after completing a lesson or course, typically starting with action verbs from Bloom's Taxonomy. The educational equivalent of success criteria that professors write once and students never read.

Example Usage

The learning objective states students will 'analyze and synthesize primary sources,' but the test just asks us to memorize dates.

Origin

Popularized by educational theorist Robert Mager in his 1962 book 'Preparing Instructional Objectives'

Fun Fact

Research shows that clearly stated learning objectives improve student performance by up to 27%, yet they're often buried in syllabi students don't read until week 12.

Source: Instructional design and curriculum development standards

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