When I start designing a learning experience, the first thing I do, is to start brainstorming an overall program learning objective (referencing Bloom’s Taxonomy Framework, which you can access under Resources). Read more about my 5 step process in this post: Creating a Quality Learning Experience Begins with Clear Learning Objectives.
From my perspective, a learning objective is an outcome-oriented goal or purpose for creating the learning experience. A learning outcome is specific action oriented knowledge and skills that the learner will gain upon completion of the program or module.
Having a distinct and clear definition of learning objective vs. learning outcome makes the design process easier.
My approach is as follows:
Brainstorm an overall program learning objective and learning objectives for each module or lessons. This is an agile process with continuous refinement to ensure that the objectives align with your client/stakeholder expectations.
For each module or lesson, I then re-define the learning objective into a more specific learning outcome. The intent of this is to focus on the specific knowledge/skills that the module helps the learner gain.
Since the majority of the programs I design are for corporate clients, I write the learning objective from the perspective of helping the learner address a business challenge that may be faced within their industry or organization.
Here is an example of a learning objective and learning outcomes of a recent training program that I designed for a pharmaceutical company:
The overall program learning objective states the big picture of the learning goals for this program.
For each module, I identified a business challenge and then created a learning outcome that is intended to help mitigate or resolve the business challenge. Learner interviews during the design process and online research helped me identify real-world business challenges faced in that industry.
What’s your process for developing learning objectives and learning outcomes?