ABCD Components

Heinich, Molenda, and Russell (1989) wrote that there are four components of every objective:

o o

Audience who is the target of this objective, and what are the learner's characteristics. In the ISD process, this is normally covered in the Entry Behaviors section. Behavior what behavior is expected from the learner to show that he or she has learned the material. Words like learn, appreciate, and know are vague. Instead, use action verbs like identify, demonstrate, and list.

Conditions under what conditions will the learner be expected to demonstrate her knowledge. Will the learner be given graphs, illustrations, reference material, or must she perform from memory?

Degree the standard by which acceptable performance will be judged.

The Three Main Characteristics of Good Objectives

Objectives should identify a learning outcome An objective that states, the learner will learn Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs by studying pages 100 to 115 refers not to an outcome of instruction but to an activity of learning. The objective needs to state what the learner is to perform , not how the learner learns. For example, The learner will recite the five steps in Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Evidence of whether the learners have learned the material lies not in watching them read about it but by listening to them explain the principles in their own words. Objectives should be consistent with course goals For example, including a objective about the history of personal computers in a word processing course does not match the stated course goal of correctly use Microsoft Word. Trainers sometimes try to teach what they think is important or like to instruct, rather than what the learners need to know. When objectives and goals are not consistent, two avenues of approach are available: change (or eliminate) the objective, or change the course goal. Objectives should be precise It's sometimes difficult to strike a balance between too much and too little precision in an objective. There is a fine line between choosing objectives that reflect an important and meaningful outcome of instruction, objectives that trivialize information into isolated facts, and objectives that are extremely vague. Remember, the purpose of an objective is to give different people the same understanding of the desired instructional outcome.