Mager’s Tips on Instructional Objectives

Learning objectives are the whole basis around which instruction is written. When an objective is written properly, it is easier to align with the rest of instruction such as the explanation of material, practice and assessment.

Proper objectives are broken down in 4 parts:

• Audience - who will perform the objective?
• Behavior - What will the audience be doing?
• Condition - what are the circumstances under which the behavior will take place?
• Degree - To what degree (how many times, how completely, etc.) should the behavior be completed to be deemed successful.

Although all are imperative to creating a complete object, usually the most emphasized area is behavior. This describes the main intent and the action expected.  Sometimes the are the same thing, sometimes they are not.  Mager explains that if a main intent is observable (overt) then it will also serve as the action or indicator. However, if the main intent is something that not observable (covert), then an action should be added, to clarify that the main intent had been achieved.

For the most part, I felt this was very to the point.  I was able to come up with relatively solid objectives after reading this.  However, writing objectives Mager’s way, takes practice.  Everything should be explained as concisely as possible with as little wiggle room as possible. This is not always as easy as it sounds, and sometimes takes an outside eye to point out areas that can be tightened up.

The only major complaint I have with this reading, is that the “Pitfalls” section seemed to be full of non-examples and could have used more correct examples.  One of my pet peeves is being told what not to do, without being given a good example of what to do. I realize this is not always feasible in every case, but I think more effort could have been placed here in this situation. 

Overall, while obviously not as detailed as the Measuring Instructional Results book, the tips summary is a handy reference to getting started in writing proper objectives. And above all, as in anything else, practice makes perfect!