Bloom’s
Level Key Verbs (keywords) Example Learning Objective
design, formulate, build, invent, By the end of this lesson, the student will be able to
create, compose, generate, derive, design an original homework problem dealing with the
Create modify, develop. principle of conservation of energy.
choose, support, relate, determine, By the end of this lesson, the student will be able to
defend, judge, grade, compare, determine whether using conservation of energy or
contrast, argue, justify, support, conservation of momentum would be more
Evaluate convince, select, evaluate. appropriate for solving a dynamics problem.
classify, break down, categorize,
analyze, diagram, illustrate, criticize, By the end of this lesson, the student will be able
Analyze simplify, associate. to differentiate between potential and kinetic energy.
calculate, predict, apply, solve,
illustrate, use, demonstrate, By the end of this lesson, the student will be able
Apply determine, model, perform, present. to calculate the kinetic energy of a projectile.
describe, explain, paraphrase,
restate, give original examples of, By the end of this lesson, the student will be able
summarize, contrast, interpret, to describe Newton’s three laws of motion to in
Understand discuss. her/his own words
list, recite, outline, define, name,
match, quote, recall, identify, label, By the end of this lesson, the student will be able
Remember recognize. to recite Newton’s three laws of motion.
Learning objective examples adapted from, Nelson Baker at Georgia Tech: [Link]@[Link]
How Bloom’s works with Quality Matters
For a course to meet the Quality Matters standards it must have learning objectives that are measurable. Using a verb table like
the one above will help you avoid verbs that cannot be quantified, like: understand, learn, appreciate, or enjoy. Quality Matters
also requires that your course assessments (activities, projects, and exams) align with your learning objectives. For example, if
your learning objective has an application level verb, such as “present”, then you cannot demonstrate that your students have
mastered that learning objective by simply having a multiple choice quiz.
Course level and lesson level objectives
The biggest difference between course and lesson level objectives is that we don’t directly assess course level objectives.
Course level objectives are just too broad. Instead, we use several lesson level objectives to demonstrate mastery of one
course level objective. To create good course level objectives, we need to ask ourselves: “what do I want the students to have
mastery of at the end of the course?” Then, after we finalize our course level objectives, we have to make sure that mastery of
all of the lesson level objectives underneath confirm that a student has mastery of the course level objective—in other words, if
your students can prove (through assessment) that they can do each and every one of the lesson level objectives in that
section, then you as an instructor agree they have mastery of the course level objective.
How Bloom’s works with course level and lesson level objectives:
Course level objectives are broad. You may only have 3-5 course level objectives. They would be difficult to measure directly
because they overarch the topics of your entire course.
Lesson level objectives are what we use to demonstrate that a student has mastery of the course level objectives. We do this
by building lesson level objectives that build toward the course level objective. For example, a student might need to
demonstrate mastery of 8 lesson level objectives in order to demonstrate mastery of one course level objective.
Because the lesson level objectives directly support the course level objectives, they need to build up the Bloom’s taxonomy to
help your students reach mastery of the course level objectives. Use Bloom’s Taxonomy to make sure that the verbs you
choose for your lesson level objectives build up to the level of the verb that is in the course level objective. The lesson level
verbs can be below or equal to the course level verb, but they CANNOT be higher in level. For example, your course level verb
might be an Applying level verb, “illustrate.” Your lesson level verbs can be from any Bloom’s level that is equal or below this
level (applying, understanding, or remembering).
Steps towards writing effective learning objectives:
1. Make sure there is one measurable verb in each objective.
2. Each objective needs one verb. Either a student can master the objective, or they fail to master it. If an objective has two verbs
(say, define and apply), what happens if a student can define, but not apply? Are they demonstrating mastery?
3. Ensure that the verbs in the course level objective are at least at the highest Bloom’s Taxonomy as the highest lesson level
objectives that support it. (Because we can’t verify they can evaluate if our lessons only taught them (and assessed)
to define.)
4. Strive to keep all your learning objectives measurable, clear and concise.
When you are ready to write, it can be helpful to list the level of Bloom’s next to the verb you choose in parentheses. For
example:
Course level objective 1. (apply) Demonstrate how transportation is a critical link in the supply chain.
1.1. (understand) Discuss the changing global landscape for businesses and other organizations that are driving change in the global
environment.
1.2. (apply) Demonstrate the special nature of transportation demand and the influence of transportation on companies and their
supply chains operating in a global economy.
This trick will help you quickly see what level verbs you have. It will also let you check that the course level objective is at
least as high of a Bloom’s level as any of the lesson level objectives underneath.
Before you begin constructing your objectives:
Please read our Learning Objectives: Before and After Examples page.
Additional External Resources:
For a longer list of Bloom’s Verbs – TIPS tip: You can also use the “find” function (press: Ctrl-f or command-f on a mac) in your
browser to locate specific verbs on this list.
To see how Bloom’s can be applied specifically to distance education: Digital Approaches to Bloom’s Taxonomy
