Writing Objectives: A Guide

NCMS Department of Education Services This guidance is intended to assist you in writing measurable objectives for your CME application. Measurable objectives state !ho is involved The people whose behaviors" #nowledge" and$or s#ills are to be changed as a result of the program. !hat are the desired outcomes The intended behavior" #nowledge" and$or s#ill changes that should result from the program or activities. %ow progress is measured !hat tool or device &surveys" tests" data from other sources' will be used to measure the e(pected changes. )emember you need to ensure that your department has the resources$capacity &time" staff" funding" etc.' to perform the measurement. *roficiency level +dentify the criteria for success. !hen will the outcome occur +dentify the time frame for success Example: ,y December -./." tobacco use will decrease to /.0 of patients seen as reported on a prevalence survey. Who: all adult patients What: Decrease tobacco use When: ,y December -./. How measured: as reported on a prevalence survey Proficienc level: to /.0

Measurable objectives can relate to the

Physician !hat is the outcome8 Change in achievement Change in behavior Change in attitude %ow is it measured8 9ssessment +ncidence of behavior Student log Survey

Office Staff !hat is the outcome of professional development8 *edagogy :nowledge S#ill 9ttitude %ow is it measured8 ;bservation <ogs 9ssessment Surveys

Concrete terms that can form the basis of specific learning objectives

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The following terms to be C;NS+DE)ED when writing learning objectives To e(plain To identify To describe To integrate To contrast To sort To solve To relate To recall To list To name To recogni=e To apply To employ To illustrate To use To interpret To categori=e To formulate To organi=e To prepare To arrange To construct To create To predict To evaluate To defend To assess To distinguish To diagram To report To restate To review To classify To translate To discriminate

>eneral Terms such as those listed below are inade?uate because they are open to many interpretations &they are non@specific' and are not accessible to ?uantification. 9A;+D the following terms when writing learning objectives To #now To understand To really understand To fully appreciate To internali=e To grasp the significance of To have an awareness of Tips on !riting Most objectives need to have three components as follows 9 measurable verb &also #nown as performance' The important conditions &if any' under which the performance is to occur and The criterion of acceptable performance +t is important to say that many objectives are written in a manner in which the important conditions and criterion are implicit. +f they really are implicit the argument can be made that they may not be necessary. 1or e(ample" an objective might be stated as follows The student will be able to name the five stages of mitosis. There would be no point in stating the objective as follows just to meet the re?uirements of it having a criterion. The student will correctly (criterion) name the five stages of mitosis within 30 seconds (criterion). ;n the other hand" there may be objectives that need to have the conditions and$or criterion specified. 1or e(ample" a teacher might begin the process of writing an objective with a general statement such as The learner will be able to prepare appropriate new patient workups. %e$she then might decide that this objective is too vague or general to be instructional to the student and to also let others who teach the student #now what is e(pected. Therefore" in an effort to improve the objective the teacher might add criteria as e(emplified below. The learner will be able to prepare legible, comprehensive, and focused new patient workups that include the following features: resent illness organi!ed chronologically, without repetition, omission, or e"traneous information.
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# comprehensive physical e"amination with detail pertinent to the patient$s problem. # succinct and, where appropriate, unified list of all problems identified in the history and physical e"amination. # differential diagnosis for each problem (appropriate to level of training) # diagnosis%treatment plan for each problem (appropriate to level of training) E(amples of behavioral objectives written in general &not easily measurable' followed by an effort to ma#e the objective more specific$descriptive and more measurable >eneral The learner will be able to: orally present a new patient$s case More Specific The learner will be able to: orally present a new patient$s case in a logical manner, chronologically developing the present illness, summari!ing the pertinent positive and negative findings as well as the differential diagnosis and plans for further testing and treatment. >eneral The learner will be able to: prepare appropriate new patient workups More Specific The learner will be able to: prepare legible, comprehensive, and focused new patient workups that include the following features: resent illness organi!ed chronologically, without repetition, omission, or e"traneous information. # comprehensive physical e"amination with detail pertinent to the patient$s problem. # succinct and, where appropriate, unified list of all problems identified in the history and physical e"amination. # differential diagnosis for each problem (appropriate to level of training) # diagnosis%treatment plan for each problem (appropriate to level of training) >eneral The learner will be able to: retrieve medical information using the computer. More Specific The learner will be able to: &etrieve information, demonstrating the ability to erform database searches using logical ('oolean) operators, in a manner that reflects understanding of medical language, terminology, and the relationship among medical terms and concepts( &efine search strategies to improve relevance and completeness of retrieved items( )se of standard bibliographic application to download citations from a search and organi!e them into a personal database( and *dentify and ac+uire full,te"t electronic documents available from the www. >eneral The learner will be able to: properly e"amine a stool specimen for the presence of ova and parasites. More Specific The learner will be able to: take stool specimens infected with - of -0 possible ova and parasites and correctly identify them. Even More Specific

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The student will be able to: take stool specimens infected with - of -0 possible parasites, process it according to standard procedures, and identify under a microscope e"amples of ova and of parasites ( arasites must be identified by scientific name.)

Objectives Wor!sheet
NCMS Department of Education Services Directions !rite your goal" then for each objective in the space provided write who is involvedB what the desired outcomes areB how progress will be measuredB when the outcome will occur and the proficiency level. Ne(t put the pieces together into a sentence. 1inally" use the chec#list to ensure that the objectives contain all necessary components. Cse a new wor#sheet for each goal.
>oal 22222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222

22222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222

Objective ": !ho 222222222222222222222222222222222222 !hat 2222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 %ow 2222222222222222222222222222222222222!hen 222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 *roficiency level 2222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 !ritten objective 22222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 22 2222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 2

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Objective $: !ho 222222222222222222222222222222222222 !hat 2222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 %ow 2222222222222222222222222222222222222!hen 222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 *roficiency level 2222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 !ritten objective 22222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 22 2222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 2

Objective %: !ho 222222222222222222222222222222222222 !hat 2222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 %ow 2222222222222222222222222222222222222!hen 222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 *roficiency level 2222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 !ritten objective 22222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 22 2222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 2

Objectives #hec!list ;bjectives contain all elements !ho !hat %ow !hen *roficiency <evel )edundancy has been eliminated. ;bjectives relate to needs assessment findings ;bjectives can really be measured. Capacity to perform measurement8 +nstrument or data source has been identified. Shows how assessment 9ssesses what each component does 9ssess outcome Should not have separate assessment unless you e(pect different outcomes of different groups
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