The key difference between instructional objectives and learning objectives is that instructional objectives present what needs to be learned and help both teachers and students, whereas learning objectives refer to what the students know and what they are capable of doing at the end of the course.
Both instructional objectives and learning objectives help learners to know about what they are going to learn in the course. Although instructional objectives basically focus on students, learning objectives focus on both teachers and students.
CONTENT
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What are Instructional Objectives
3. What are Learning Objectives
4. Instructional Objectives vs Learning Objectives in Tabular Form
5. Summary – Instructional Objectives vs Learning Objectives
What are Instructional Objectives?
Instructional objectives describe the expected outcomes of a particular academic program or a course. Instructional objectives define what the learner will be able to do after following instructions. At the same time, instructional objectives are short-term and measurable, and they include the skills and attitudes that are related to lessons.
It is very important to have well outlined instructional objectives for a course because it is the focal point of a lesson plan. Teachers may create lessons and develop assessments on the basis of instructional objectives. Thus, it will lead to meeting lesson goals as well. Instructional objectives are developed focusing on the learner, not the teacher. Instructional objectives should be developed before a lesson or a course is developed. It is always better to develop instructional objectives before the lesson or a course is taught by the instructor. However, effective outcomes can be gained by reviewing the objectives with students at the beginning of the course or lesson.
What are Learning Objectives?
Learning objectives describe what learners will be able to do at the end of a lesson after doing the prescribed activities for the lesson. Learning objectives are based on three areas of learning: knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Learning is clarified and prioritized by the use of learning objectives. Simultaneously, educators use learning objectives in different ways to achieve a variety of instructional goals.
Learning objectives will help to evaluate the progress of the learners. At the same time, they encourage students to have responsibility for learning. When developing learning objectives, verbs like state, explain, outline, list, or describe should be used. Moreover, it is better to avoid verbs that are difficult to assess and measure the objectives. Learning objectives convey academic expectations for students, so they know what is exactly expected of them. When learning objectives are clearly communicated to students, they work hard to achieve the goals of the learning process. When learning objectives are not communicated to learners, they may be confused by not knowing what is expected of them.
What is the Difference Between Instructional Objectives and Learning Objectives?
The key difference between instructional objectives and learning objectives is that instructional objectives describe what is exactly to be learned by learners, whereas learning objectives describe what learners know and what the learners are capable of doing at the end of the course. Moreover, instructional objectives basically focus on students, but learning objectives focus on both teachers and students. Besides, while learning objectives are constructed basically on knowledge, skills, and attitudes, instructional objectives do not essentially focus on knowledge, skills, and attitudes.
Below is a summary of the difference between instructional objectives and learning objectives in tabular form for side by side comparison.
Summary – Instructional Objectives vs Learning Objectives
The key difference between instructional objectives and learning objectives is that instructional objectives describe what is exactly to be learned and are helpful for both teachers and students, whereas learning objectives describe what students know and what they are capable of doing at the end of the course. By using both instructional objectives and learning objectives, learners are able to know about what they are going to learn in the course.
Reference:
1. “Learning Objectives Definition.” The Glossary of Education Reform.
2. “Instructional Objectives – Characteristics of a Well-Written Objective, Characteristics of a Useful Objective, Kinds of Instructional Objectives.” StateUniversity.com.
3. “Definition and Rationale of Goals and Objectives – School of Teacher Education.” WKU.
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