Aligning to Course Objectives

Course assessments are designed to measure if and to what extent students are mastering the program and course learning objectives. For this to occur, assessments, learning objectives, and instructional strategies need to closely align.Triangle of learning objectives to instructional activities to assessments

 

 

Tips

  • Be sure the intended learning objectives (program-level and course-level) are defined before the assessments and course activities are designed
  • Use measurable action verbs in learning objectives that describe what students need to do to demonstrate their learning.
  • Consider the verb used in the learning objective when developing the assessment. The verb in the learning objective is the clue as to what kinds of assessments will provide insight into whether students have met the objective. What tasks or activities does it say the students will be able to do with the knowledge they gained, skills they have developed, or mindsets/attitudes they have developed?
  • Create a table showing how each objective is measured.

Examples based on Bloom’s taxonomy

Sample learning objective verbs Examples of aligned assessments
Recall, recognize, identify Fill-in-the blank, matching, labeling, multiple-choice questions
Interpret, summarize, infer, compare, explain Papers, problem sets, class discussions, concept mapping, summarize readings, compare and contrast theories/event, paraphrase documents, find examples of a concept/principle
Apply, execute, implement Performances, labs, prototyping, simulations; determine which procedures are most appropriate for a given task
Analyze Case studies, critiques, labs, papers, projects, debates
Evaluate, critique, assess Journals, critiques, reviews, or activities that require students to test or judge against established standards
Create, generate, produce, design Research projects, musical composition, performance, essays, business plans, website design, or a design activity that has students make, build or generate something new

Resources

Fink, L. D. (2013). Creating significant learning experiences, revised and updated: an integrated approach to designing college courses. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Wiggins, G. P., & McTighe, J. (2008). Understanding by design. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.