How To Write Learning Objectives For Corporate eLearning
Learning objectives give purpose to your corporate eLearning course. They allow employees to focus their efforts and absorb the key takeaways. In the grand scheme of things, objectives sit right between outcomes and goals. The objective must be based on the desired outcome and specify how corporate learners can achieve the learning goals moving forward. But not just any objective will do. It must be clear, concise, and custom tailored to your corporate eLearning program.
1. Define "Success" Before You Create Your Learning Objectives
Success is relative. It greatly depends on the subject matter, corporate learners' needs, and the desired outcome. As such, you must determine what "success" means for your organization and which criteria you'll use as a benchmark. What are your main priorities and how will your corporate eLearning program help you overcome challenges and fill gaps? This provides you with a clear idea of how to achieve success on your own terms and what this entails. You might consider taking a closer look at your Learning Management System reports and analytics to determine current strengths and weaknesses.
2. Pair Each Learning Objective With The Desired Outcomes And Benefits
Learning objectives should be paired down to the most basic components. One of the most effective ways to achieve this is to pair each learning objective with an outcome and benefit. In other words, what you expect of your employees and what they can expect in return. Create a list that highlights all of your goals, objectives, outcomes, and corporate learner benefits. Then determine how you are going to use corporate eLearning tools, activities, and online resources to fulfill each requirement.
3. Include A Realistic Timeframe
One of the most common mistakes associated with writing learning objectives is forgetting a timeframe. More importantly, a realistic timeframe that is actually achievable. Clearly state how long your corporate learners have to accomplish the learning objective. You should also indicate when they will be evaluated and how. Keep in mind that your employees have other obligations and may not be able to meet tight deadlines. This is one of the main reasons why you must survey and assess them beforehand. These feedback tools give you the ability to learn more about their backgrounds, experience, and knowledge base. As such, you can estimate how much time it takes to achieve the goals and desired outcomes.
4. Every Corporate eLearning Component Warrants Its Own Learning Objectives
Every corporate eLearning module, activity, and course should have its own separate learning objectives. This is due to the fact that a single learning objective cannot possibly cover every aspect of your corporate eLearning program. It's wise to concentrate on one task, behavior, action, or topic for every learning objective. This gives employees a clear overview of how to successfully complete the unit and how you'll assess their performance.
5. Be Clear About Performance Behaviors
Every learning objective must contain a certain behavior that your employees need to improve or develop. For example, the corporate eLearning course will teach them how to complete the exchange process for a customer using the POS system. Behaviors typically involve action verbs that leave no room for ambiguity. Furthermore, employees should be able to read the learning objective statement and know which information and skills they need to develop. For instance, they must apply their customer service skills and POS online training to achieve the desired outcome.
6. Specify The Circumstances
As is the case with all things, context is of the upmost importance. Your employees need to know when, where, and how they'll be using the information. Explain the circumstances surrounding the behavior and how they can use their corporate eLearning in the workplace. This allows you to create learning objectives that are not just based in theory, but they are applicable in the real world. You can also specify which resources, equipment, software, and assets corporate learners have at their disposal.
7. Keep It Short And Succinct
Learning objectives should be as brief as possible, but still long enough to convey the essential components. For example, the behaviors that employees must exhibit and how their performance will be judged. Effective learning objectives don't require any guesswork. Employees know what’s expected of them and why. Bear in mind that learning objectives also have the power to inspire and motivate your employees. It gives them a reason for their online training and allows them to focus on the primary goals.
8. Use Bloom's Taxonomy To Determine The Level Of Comprehension
Bloom's Taxonomy suggests that there are 6 distinct levels of comprehension. You can use these categories to measure employee performance and clarify your evaluation criteria:
Knowledge
The most basic form of comprehension. Employees must be able to recall important facts and ideas in order to display their understanding.
Comprehension
Employees are encouraged to organize, compare or contrast, and summarize the information. They are also able to see the relationship between related concepts or ideas.
Application
Employees apply what they've learned to solve problems or complete a task. At this level, they're able to put all of their knowledge to use and manipulate the information based on the circumstances.
Analysis
Corporate learners break the information down to its most basic components and examine the reasoning behind it. This is the point at which they infer and draw conclusions based on the facts.
Synthesis
Employees combine, organize, and create to develop new solutions to common problems. One of the most popular forms of synthesis is lateral thinking, which involves looking at the challenge from different angles.
Evaluation
Employees must use the information they've learned to form their own opinions or assumptions. They evaluate every aspect of the topic or task and then determine if the information is worth remembering.
Learning objectives serve as a centerpiece for your entire corporate eLearning course design. Every aspect of your corporate eLearning program hinges on clear statements of learning objectives that provide direction for you and your employees. You can use these 8 tips to craft effective learning goals, objectives, and outcomes for your organization.
As we said, objectives sit right between outcomes and goals. But can you tell the difference between learning objectives and learning goals? Read the article Why And How To Develop Learning Goals For Your eLearning Course to discover the significance of learning goals and, most importantly, how to effectively tie the learning goals with your eLearning course.