Writing Learning Objectives in a Post-AI World

Learning objectives play a critical part in dictating the success or failure of a learning experience. How well a learning objective is written is a powerful predictor of the overall success [impact] of a learning experience. This week, I'm going to summarise what the research tells us about the formula for optimised objectives, and answer the question that I asked myself at the start of this week: what might the process of objective writing look like for Learning Designer 3.0? Objectives should be constructed as statements of "what the learner will be know and be able to do as a result of some learning experience, as well as including some comment on the why." (Mager, 1997). Objectives are more effective when they describe applicable knowledge & skill as they might be used in a professional setting, rather than simply stating a contextless task. For example, saying "You will be able to explain neuroanatomical structures and their functions to a client, so that you can increase your influence in the workplace" is preferable to "you will be able to define neuroanatomical structures and their functions."