SMART-You can use this acronym to remember the qualities of all objectives…
- Specific — Should communicate clearly to the behaviour expected of the learners.
- Measurable — Should be stated in terms of behaviour that can be observed.
- Attainable — should be achievable within the available time and resource.
- Realistic –Should be within the abilities of the learner (not too advanced nor too simple).
- Time bound — should be achievable within a certain time frame .
Good Educational Objectives are Specific
Instructional objectives should precisely describe what is expected of a learner. For example, the learner will be able to deal with irritable customers, which is not a specific objective. This could be made better by stating how the learner will deal with the irritable customer.
Objectives Should be Measurable.
A measurable instructional objective is one that can be observed or one that generates data points. For example, the learner will apply compassion skills to handle irritable customers and log and report the outcome of each call by the end of the month. The learner’s log offers data about how the customers reacted to the technique.
S.M.A.R.T Educational Objectives are Attainable
Learners cannot feel defeated by the intended outcomes of the learning objectives. Instructional objectives should not ask learners to prove themselves under unfeasible circumstances. Give learners ample time to prove their new skills. For example, in the objective above, the learner has one month to prove he or she is effectively exercising the new skills. This is ample time for the learner to do so.
Relevant to the Leaerners
Most learners do not care about learning things that they cannot use right away. The information presented in the course and the outcomes should be relevant to their personal lives or day to day work.
Objectives must be Time-Bound
Learners need a timeline for when they should achieve and demonstrate the use of the skillset. One month is the time-frame for the objective mentioned above. A learning objective that is not time-bound gives learners the false impression that they have an indefinite amount of time to learn the skill and apply it.
