Tips & Guidelines

Writing Learning Objectives

All scholarly abstracts must be submitted with 2 to 3 learning objectives. According to Association of American Medical Colleges, “establishing learning objectives to guide the design, content, and conduct of an educational program is an important principle supported by educational theory and practice”. In addition to CME, learning objectives will help the audience evaluate your presentation. A Learning Object is a clear, concise and specific statement of behaviors that can be evaluated at the conclusion of the learning activity. The learning objective should:

1. Describe to learners what the content is valued and what is expected
2. Specifies the desired outcomes
3. Assesses the learners’ performance and if the presentation was effective

When writing a Learning Objective focus on learner performance aimed at the terminal behavior that is expected and it should have one learning outcome. The Learning Objective generally begins with an introductory stem (“At the conclusion of this presentation”) followed by bulleted statements starting with a verb followed by specific outcome.

By writing learning objectives the presenter is selecting the content, guiding the presentation, assessing learner performance and evaluating the presentation. A clear learning object identifies the desired outcome of the educational offering and stresses the ‘take-away message’.

Below are sample verbs that can be observed and measured:

Words to Avoid

• Appreciate
• Approach
• Know
• Believe
• Increase
• Understand
• Improve
• Become
• Learn
• Grow

References

• Anderson, BM. Report I Learning Objectives for Medical Student Education-Guidelines for Medical Schools Washington, DC: AAMC 1998.
• Marshall University Joan C Edwards School of Medicine, Continuing Medical Education
• Northeast Ohio Medical University, Continuing Medical Education Program

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