With shrinking budgets, evaluation and accountability become increasing important in the justification and impact of Extension programs and faculty. The key to solving the accountability issue is to develop clear, concise behavioral objectives as a part of each educational activity. This article discusses how to write measurable behavioral objectives that should be used for both planning and evaluation of Extension programs. Examples of well written behavioral objectives that can be used to measure impact are included

Boone, Deborah A

Boone, Harry N, Jr

English

Clemson University: TigerPrints

The Journal of Extension Volume 43 Number 5 Article 25 10-1-2005 ABC's of Behavioral Objectives--Putting Them to Work for Evaluation Harry N. Boone Jr West Virginia University, hnboone@wvu.edu Deborah A. Boone West Virginia University, debby.boone@mail.wvu.edu This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License. Recommended Citation Boone, H. N., & Boone, D. A. (2005). ABC's of Behavioral Objectives--Putting Them to Work for Evaluation. The Journal of Extension, 43(5), Article 25. https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/joe/vol43/iss5/25 This Tools of the Trade is brought to you for free and open access by the Conferences at TigerPrints. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Journal of Extension by an authorized editor of TigerPrints. For more information, please contact kokeefe@clemson.edu. 	 JOEHOME JOURNAL GUIDELINES ABOUT	JOE CONTACT NATIONAL	JOB	BANKCurrent	Issues Back	IssuesOctober	2005	//	Volume	43	//	Number	5	//	Tools	of	the	Trade	//	5TOT3ABC's	of	Behavioral	Objectives--Putting	Them	to	Work	forEvaluationAbstractWith	shrinking	budgets,	evaluation	and	accountability	become	increasing	important	in	thejustification	and	impact	of	Extension	programs	and	faculty.	The	key	to	solving	the	accountabilityissue	is	to	develop	clear,	concise	behavioral	objectives	as	a	part	of	each	educational	activity.This	article	discusses	how	to	write	measurable	behavioral	objectives	that	should	be	used	forboth	planning	and	evaluation	of	Extension	programs.	Examples	of	well	written	behavioralobjectives	that	can	be	used	to	measure	impact	are	included.	In	today's	world	of	shrinking	budgets,	evaluation	and	accountability	are	necessary	to	justify	theexistence	of	Extension	programs	and	faculty.	The	key	to	solving	the	accountability	issue	is	todevelop	clear,	concise	behavioral	objectives	as	a	part	of	each	educational	activity.	Behavioralobjectives	are	a	vital	part	of	the	planning	process	of	all	educational	activities.	Clearly	definedobjectives	provide	a	sound	basis	for	the	selection	or	design	of	instructional	materials,	content,and/or	teaching	methods.In	addition,	stating	objectives	sharply	helps	determine	if	the	objective	has,	in	fact,	beenaccomplished	and	an	impact	has	occurred.	Having	clear	behavioral	objectives	that	statespecifically	what	you	want	the	leaner	to	be	able	to	do	after	attending	your	program	is	vital	to	theprogram	as	well	as	the	evaluation	of	its	impact.	Extension	educators	struggle	to	developevaluation	instruments	for	their	programs.	Clearly	stated	objectives	are	vital	to	evaluating	theoutcome(s)	of	instruction.Clearly	stated	objectives	have	four	characteristics.	First,	the	instructional	objective	must	state	theaudience	for	the	educational	activity.	Second,	the	observable	behavior(s)	expected	of	the	audiencemust	be	identified.	Third,	the	conditions	under	which	the	behavior	is	to	be	accomplished	must	beincluded.	Finally,	the	degree	to	which	the	behavior	is	to	be	completed	must	be	specified.	Togetherthese	four	components	make	up	a	measurable	behavioral	objective	that	will	provide	thecornerstone	to	your	planning,	delivery,	and	evaluation	efforts.A--AudienceWho	is	the	audience	for	your	educational	activity?	While	it	may	appear	the	audience	is	obvious	formost	instructional	activities,	a	common	error	may	distort	or	prevent	the	evaluation	of	yourprogram.	First,	one	must	consider	the	difference	between	the	target	and	accessiblepopulation/audience.	Your	target	may	be	all	youth	between	14	and	16	years	of	age	in	TypicalCounty;	however,	your	accessible	population	may	be	all	14-16	year	old	4-H	members	whoattended	the	County	4-H	Camp.	If	you	write	your	objective	in	broad	terms	and	follow	properevaluation	procedures,	you	will	be	held	accountable	for	the	behaviors	of	youth	you	never	served.Your	behavioral	objective	should	identify	the	specific	audience	you	plan	to	target.Harry	N.	Boone,	Jr.Assistant	Professor	of	Agricultural	and	Environmental	Educationhnboone@wvu.eduDeborah	A.	BooneAssistant	Professor	of	Agricultural	and	Environmental	EducationDebby.Boone@mail.wvu.eduWest	Virginia	UniversityMorgantown,	West	VirginiaA	second	mistake	made	by	many	inexperienced	educators	is	to	include	teacher/trainer	activities	asa	part	of	the	behavioral	objective.	Consider	the	following	example:	"The	trainer	will	demonstratethe	proper	steps	of	delivering	a	prepared	speech."	In	this	example,	the	activities	are	focused	onwhat	the	trainer	plans	to	do	and	not	what	the	target	audience	will	be	able	to	master.	Although	ithas	the	appearance	of	being	one,	the	statement	is	not	a	behavioral	objective	because	theaudience	and	its	performance	are	not	identified.	This	statement	could	be	made	into	a	behavioralobjective	by	rewording	the	statement	to	the	following:	"Upon	completion	of	the	lesson,	100%	ofthe	participants	will	be	able	to	list	the	steps	in	delivering	a	prepared	speech."	The	audience	is	theworkshop	participants.B--BehaviorEach	objective	must	identify	the	behavior	or	the	performance	the	learner	is	expected	to	do.	Abehavioral	objective	should	never	include	the	instructional	process	or	procedure	as	the	behavior.	Itshould	always	describe	the	intended	results	rather	than	the	means	of	achieving	those	results.The	performance	must	be	overt	or	directly	observable.	Performances	that	cannot	be	directlyobserved	or	performances	that	are	mental,	invisible,	cognitive,	or	internal	are	considered	covertand	should	never	be	used	as	a	behavior	unless	they	are	included	with	another	indicator	(directlyobservable)	behavior.	See	Figure	1	for	specific	examples	on	ways	to	correctly	write	behaviors.Behaviors	can	be	written	for	one	of	three	"domains	of	learning."	The	cognitive	domain	deals	withthe	acquisition	of	facts,	knowledge,	information,	or	concepts.	Psychomotor	behaviors	use	the	mindin	combination	with	motor	skills	(physical	activities).	Affective	behaviors	have	to	do	with	changesin	attitudes,	values,	aesthetics,	and	appreciation.Behavioral	objectives	written	in	the	"cognitive"	domain	can	be	further	divided	into	six	levels	ofBloom's	Taxonomy.	Bloom's	Taxonomy	(Bloom,	Engelhart,	Furst,	Hill,	&	Krathwohl,	1956)	includes:Knowledge:	remembering	of	previously	learned	material;	recall	(facts	or	whole	theories);bringing	to	mind.Comprehension:	grasping	the	meaning	of	material;	interpreting	(explaining	orsummarizing);	predicting	outcome	and	effects	(estimating	future	trends).Application:	ability	to	use	learned	material	in	a	new	situation;	apply	rules,	laws,	methods,theoriesAnalysis:	breaking	down	into	parts;	understanding	organization,	clarifying,	concludingSynthesis:	ability	to	put	parts	together	to	form	a	new	whole;	unique	communication;	set	ofabstract	relationsEvaluation:	ability	to	judge	value	for	purpose;	base	on	criteria;	support	judgment	withreason.	(No	guessing).Figure	1.Examples,	Good	and	Bad,	of	Including	Behaviors	in	ObjectivesIncluding	Observable	Behaviors	in	ObjectivesThe	participants	will	understand	the	difference	between	IRAs	and	Roth	IRAs.Understand	is	a	covert	activity.	How	will	you	know	the	participants	understand?Rewrite	with	an	observable	behavior.	For	example:	Each	participant	will	beable	to	list	in	writing	the	major	differences	between	an	IRA	and	a	RothIRA.Each	participant	in	the	program	will	develop	a	written	conservation	plan	for	hisfarm.The	behavior	is	directly	observable.	You	will	be	able	examine	each	conservationplan.The	youth	will	develop	an	appreciation	for	parliamentary	law.Develop	an	appreciation	is	a	covert	activity.	How	will	you	know	they	appreciateparliamentary	law?	Rewrite	with	an	observable	behavior.	For	example:Participants	will	demonstrate	an	appreciation	of	parliamentary	law	bycorrectly	using	the	principles	in	each	business	meeting.The	instructor	will	demonstrate	the	steps	in	completing	a	1040.This	is	not	a	behavioral	objective.	It	is	a	statement	of	what	the	instructor	will	do.You	can	make	it	a	behavioral	objective	by	rewriting	in	the	following	manner:	Uponcompletion	of	the	training,	participants	will	correctly	list	the	steps	incompleting	a	1040	income	tax	form.	C--ConditionEach	behavioral	objective	must	describe	the	conditions	(if	any)	under	which	the	performance	is	tooccur.	Conditions	may	include	what	the	learner	will	be	allowed	to	use,	what	the	learner	will	bedenied,	under	what	conditions	the	learner	is	expected	to	perform	the	behavior,	or	specific	skillsthat	should	be	excluded	(Figure	2).Figure	2.Examples	of	Adding	Conditions	to	an	Objective	Adding	Conditions	to	an	ObjectiveWhat	can	the	learner	use:Given	a	maximum	of	six	references,	each	participant	will	prepare	a	four	to	sixminute	extemporaneous	speech.What	is	the	learner	denied:Without	the	use	of	any	reference	materials,	the	president	will	conduct	the	meetingusing	Roberts	Rules	of	Order.Under	what	conditions	is	the	learner	expected	to	perform:Given	a	small	engine	with	one	problem,	a	set	of	diagnostic	equipment,	and	arepair	manual,	the	youth	will	diagnose	and	repair	the	small	engine	in	less	than	60minutes.Specific	skills	that	should	be	excluded:Without	restarting	the	computer,	each	participant	will	successfully	change	thedisplay	setting	of	their	computer.	D--DegreeFinally,	each	objective	must	describe	the	degree	to	which	the	behavior	must	be	performed	toconstitute	an	acceptable	performance.	It	is	not	always	necessary	or	practical	to	include	the	degreein	an	objective;	however,	the	more	information	included	in	an	objective	the	better	it	willcommunicate	the	desired	outcome.	The	degree	can	include	criterion	such	as	speed,	accuracy,	andquality.ReferencesBloom,	B.	S.,	Engelhart,	M.	D.,	Furst,	E.	J.,	Hill,	W.	H.,	&	Krathwohl,	D.	R.	(1956).	Taxonomy	ofeducational	objectives	book	1:	Cognitive	domain.	New	York:	David	McKay	Company,	Inc.Mager,	R.	F.	(1984).	Preparing	instructional	objectives.	Belmont,	California:	David	S.	LakePublishers.Copyright	©	by	Extension	Journal,	Inc.	ISSN	1077-5315.	Articles	appearing	in	the	Journal	become	the	property	of	theJournal.	 Single	 copies	 of	 articles	may	 be	 reproduced	 in	 electronic	 or	 print	 form	 for	 use	 in	 educational	 or	 trainingactivities.	Inclusion	of	articles	in	other	publications,	electronic	sources,	or	systematic	large-scale	distribution	may	bedone	only	with	prior	electronic	or	written	permission	of	the	Journal	Editorial	Office,	joe-ed@joe.org.If	you	have	difficulties	viewing	or	printing	this	page,	please	contact	JOE	Technical	Support©	Copyright	by	Extension	Journal,	Inc.	ISSN	1077-5315.	Copyright	Policy

ABC\u27s of Behavioral Objectives--Putting Them to Work for Evaluation

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ABC\u27s of Behavioral Objectives--Putting Them to Work for Evaluation

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