ELN 122:  Lesson 1, Blog 1:  Learning Outcomes and Performance Objectives

In your own words, describe the difference between learning outcomes and performance objectives. Make sure to include the different categories of learning outcomes and types of performance objectives. What are their roles in assessment?

Although the terms learning outcomes and performance objectives are often used interchangeably, there is a difference between these two terms. Learning outcomes are what the students should be able to demonstrate at the conclusion of the instruction. The focus of a learning outcome is on what the learner should know and be able to realistically perform at the conclusion of instruction. Learning outcomes can include tests, portfolios, surveys, rubrics.  Learning outcomes are broader in nature than performance objectives. A performance objective is the description of exactly what the learner is asked to do; it describes the observable event to inform the instructor that the learner achieved the targeted knowledge. The performance objective clearly states what the learner has to do to demonstrate that learning has been achieved.

There are three different types of learning outcome capabilities – declarative knowledge, procedural knowledge, and problem solving.

Learning Outcome Capability	This Knowledge the Learner is able to…	Example
Declarative knowledge	verbally state the knowledge, such as recalling specific facts.	Factional information Explanation of principles, procedures, and trends Recall word definitions, physical/chemical characteristics of elements and compounds
Procedural knowledge	Do something	Makes discriminations Understands concepts Applies rules that govern relationships Classify pictures of clouds as cumulus or cirrus
Problem solving	Use the existing declarative and procedural knowledge to reach a goal. One goal was identified; the other goal not.	Math and writing activities Determine which pitch to throw next in a baseball game

Bloom’s taxonomy referred to declarative knowledge as knowledge; Gage referred to as verbal information. In assessments declarative knowledge just asks the learner to state what they know. For example, an assessment item might ask the learner to describe the difference between cumulus and cirrus clouds.

Comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation are terms used in Bloom taxonomy to categorize procedural knowledge. Discriminations, concrete concepts, defined concepts, rules, and higher-order rules are terms Gagne used to categorize procedural knowledge.  

The most basic procedural skill is discrimination. This is the reaction to stimuli (visual images); learner is involved in classifying physical or abstract objects are the concrete concept. In an eLearning environment, abstract objects have advantages since the learner can access audio files illustrating the abstract concept (e.g., Renaissance music). In an assessment, the learner is asked to identify differences in some way between objects.

A rule encompasses the principles that regulate the relationship among events or classes of objects. A student may be able to state Boyle’s law describing the relationship between pressure and volume of a gas. A learner may be able to state the principle (declarative knowledge) but not apply the principle. In an assessment the learner is provided with relevant but previously unused example, and is asked to apply a rule.

Using strategies in order to find a solution is problem solving. Problem solving and rules are not the same. In problem solving learners must transfer their knowledge of rules, concepts, and information to the given situation, such as determining which pitch to throw next in a baseball game. Administering a typical multiple choice or essay assessments may not be the best option. Instead, the instructor should be observed in controlled conditions is a better assessment option, such as determining when the International Space Station is and is not visible from Earth. The learner uses the rules to calculate when the space station will disappear within the Earth’s shadow. The learner, however, also must also locate the station with its orbit, establish the time of day (daytime or nighttime at a particular point on Earth), and where the station’s orbit intercepts the Earth’s shadow.

As previously stated a performance objective is the description of exactly what the learner is asked to do; it describes the observable event to inform the instructor that the learner achieved the targeted knowledge. There are four components to a performance objective:

1. Type of capability being assessed,
2. Behavior the learner is asked to perform to indicate that the capability has been mastered,
3. Situation in which the assessment occurs, and
4. Special conditions that should exist for the learner’s performance to indicate satisfactory.

The type of capability is information, discrimination, concept or rule. Behavior is states in such a way that can be directly observed. For an assessment, it is important to think in terms of the performance objective’s behavior. For example, the student is able to verbally state the names of all the planets in our solar system.

The situation component of a performance objective specifies the context in which the behavior occurs. This component is not always included in a performance objective; it might be obvious or not judged to be significant to defining the skill. “Given sentences spoken in English” can be included in a performance objective to show the situation to orally state the equivalent sentences in Spanish.

Special conditions specify conditions that have to be present for the learner’s behavior in order to decide that the targeted knowledge was learned. Special conditions are not always included in a performance objective. Students must be able to solve 100 multiple problems (using 0-10) within 5 minutes. The “5 minutes” is the special condition.

In education, it is important to have both defined learning outcomes and performance objects to determine if the learners accomplished the targeted learning. The instructor must clearly state for the learner (and themselves) what the learners to do at the conclusion of the instruction (that’s the learning outcomes). These learning outcomes help with the design of assessments that measures whether or not the student has learned what they were supposed to learn. The performance objectives are used to identify and control the tool used in order to ensure that learning has occurred.