LEARNING OBJECTIVES, COMPONENTS & METHODS
Planning a training session involves:
1. establishing learning objectives based upon identified training needs
2. identifying the components you want to cover in the session
3. assembling specific methods and activities in a coherent design that might be
compared to a movie script.
Learning Objectives are statements of what we want a learner to know, feel, or be able
to do at the end of training. For example, the learning objectives for a training session on
‘presentation skills’ might be:
• Learners will understand the basic principles of presenting and be able to apply them
by conducting at least 3 presentations during the course of the training.
• Learners will be able to describe their own individual presentation style and the
general styles of other learners; they will be able to vary their presentation style so
that they can conduct large group and small group presentations.
Learning Components are statements of what will be covered in the training session. For
the same session, components might be:
• Basic principles of presenting
• Relationship of presentation principles to learner's own experience
• Discovery of individual presentation styles
• Practice presenting to gain feedback and awareness of personal style
• Experience in working with peers (an instrument component)
Once the training objectives and learning components are clear, the training designer
should be clear on what is required and then actually design the training module
A Training Design arranges specific methods and activities in order to accomplish the
learning objectives. The training design for our example of ‘presentation skills’ might look
like this:
• Power point presentation: What is a presentation – introduction, body, conclusion
• Flip Charts: Body language during presentations
E: [email protected] Page | 1
• Discussion: Participants discuss body language with Learning Partners; trainer
encourages community discussion after Partner discussions.
• Exercise: Participants are divided into small groups and asked to present to each
other in their small groups and comment on each other’s bodylanguage.
• Discussion and feedback after each presentation is made.
• Review: Trainer briefly reviews major points that have come up in the session on body
language.
• Etc etc
The design script could, of course, be more or less detailed than the above example. It
could also include, for example, timing for each activity, who will facilitate each activity
(if co-trainers are being used), as well as details such as how large groups should be, tips
on how to give directions for specific exercises, etc.
E: [email protected] Page | 2
WRITING LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Training objectives provide the basis for all the tasks which follow in the program design
process. They can also serve a variety of administrative functions, as well. Some of the
important uses are:
Articulate the goal of the training
Trainers need to know what new skills and behaviors will result from a training course in
order to make informed choices about what programs to offer
Communicate intent to learner
By dispelling unrealistic expectations learners gain a clear sense of current status and
desired outcome to better measure personal progress
Provides means for evaluation
Objectives establish a framework for measuring the degree to which a learner has
acquired a desired skill or can perform a desired function
Assists in selection of materials, content, methods
Training program designers need to know the effect they wish to achieve to effectively
choose appropriate training tools
Essential Characteristics
Description of task and results -- evidence of achievement
Question: What is the learner doing when demonstrating achievement of the
objective?
Conditions under which performance will take place
Question: What are the conditions under which the learner is expected to
demonstrate achievement?
Criterion, standards -- minimum acceptable level
Question: What level of achievement is the learner expected to demonstrate?
Example: After a six-week training program, trainee will be able to identify and
perform all search functions correctly using a set of standard sample queries
(Under certain conditions, learner is expected to perform a specific task to a
particular standard).
E: [email protected] Page | 3
