The BridgeBlog

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By Lorraine Schnelle, CPA

Last week, we talked about my handy CCCQ scale and how to decide upon which educational activities to use in your organization. Now let’s talk about “the end game” – making sure you understand the learning objective of your educational activity and how to stay on target. The last thing we want to do is confuse your learners and complicate the learning process. Learning objectives are statements that define what your students will take away, as part of the skill-building experience.

I like to use Bloom’s Taxonomy as a reference tool for creating targeted learning objectives. In 1956, Benjamin Bloom, with a group of educational psychologists, developed a classification of six levels of intellectual behaviors important for learning. Its lowest level, Knowledge, focuses on the simple recognition or recalling of facts or knowledge . Each level increases in complexity, moving from Understanding to Application, Analysis, Synthesis and finally Evaluation – the highest level.  Bloom’s Taxonomy is easily understood and widely used today. Learn more about each level below.

• Knowledge: arrange, define, duplicate, label, list, memorize, name, order, recognize, relate, recall, repeat, reproduce, state

• Understanding: classify, describe, discuss, explain, express, identify, indicate, locate, recognize, report, restate, review, select, translate

• Application: apply, choose, demonstrate, dramatize, employ, illustrate, interpret, operate, practice, schedule, sketch, solve, use, write

• Analysis: analyze, appraise, calculate, categorize, compare, contrast, criticize, differentiate, discriminate, distinguish, examine, experiment, question, test

• Synthesis: arrange, assemble, collect, compose, construct, create, design, develop, formulate, manage, organize, plan, prepare, propose, set up, write

• Evaluation: appraise, argue, assess, attach, choose, compare, defend, estimate, judge, predict, rate, core, select, support, value, evaluate

Start each learning objective with a term from one of the six levels listed above. I recently created a seminar with learning objectives, using Bloom’s Taxonomy, for a group of Patient Access Associates. Here are the learning objectives I created for that activity -

• Define critical key performance indicators (KPIs) and their relationship to Patient Access work processes.

• Discuss advancing computer resources in Patient Access.

• Recognize the key skills required of Patient Access Associates.

So, take the time to create your learning objectives, using Bloom’s Taxonomy, and refer to them throughout the educational activity creation process. These learning objectives will help ensure your activity stays on target and you reach the “end game” – skilled and competent team members.