The Importance of Writing Learning Objectives for Online Training
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The Importance of Writing Learning Objectives for Online Training — Watch Me Learning Services What's the secret to creating excellent online training to get your new team effectively and efficiently up to speed?
Learning objectives are absolutely critical to the success of any training. With specific goals, it's easier to measure progress and create training that will be effective. Learning objectives outline what you want your audience (employees, students, etc.)
Before you begin writing your objectives, here are some questions to think about: How do you know there's a problem? How will you know your problem has been solved? Who is your audience, and what will they already know coming into your training?
Answering these questions will give you a great starting point for developing your objectives.
How To Write A Successful Learning Objective In Three Easy Steps.
Choose a measurable verb, such as apply, perform, evaluate, determine, or create.
State the knowledge, skill, or behavioral outcome you want learners to gain from your training.
Organize your objectives in the appropriate order.
Remember: Learning objectives are helpful tools for articulating the exact problems you want to solve. They are the foundation of an effective training program.
If you're stuck and need help figuring out what you need learners to be able to do, schedule a free consultation with our executive team. We'll be happy to help you get where you need to be!
Article Full Text
Picture this. You've just signed the dotted line on a big contract you've been chasing for months. Congratulations! Now you need to quickly onboard a team of people that can help you meet your ambitious goals. Time is of the essence, so you must get your team onboard quickly and effectively.
What's the secret to creating excellent online training to get your new team effectively and efficiently up to speed? We'll tell you: the learning objectives. Learning objectives are absolutely critical to the success of any training. With specific goals, it's easier to measure progress and create training that will be effective.
A learning objective is a written statement with an intended outcome that helps define your course or meeting's purpose and significant focal point. Learning objectives outline what you want your audience (employees, students, etc.) to be able to do after the training. By clearly articulating these measurable goals, you give yourself and your learners a clear roadmap of the skills you intend to teach and assess through your training program.
What You Need To Know Before Writing Objectives
What is a good learning objective for training? A good training objective is concise and identifies the desired outcome of the training. Before you begin writing your objectives, here are some questions to think about:
How do you know there's a problem?
Do you need to quickly onboard a team while preserving your time for other tasks?
Are sales numbers lower than they were before? Are you getting more calls to your tech support team?
Are you hearing from customers that they'd like more support for your product?
By being as clear as you can be here, you'll help yourself really define the problem you need to solve.
How will you know your problem has been solved? What will people know and be able to do, and what will the result be?
Who is your audience, and what will they already know coming into your training? In other words, how much information do you need to give them so they can effectively solve your problem?
Answering these questions will give you a great starting point for developing your objectives. In addition, this information will help you pinpoint the exact skills you need your target audience to develop and where you need to start your training.
How To Write A Successful Learning Objective In Three Easy Steps
You want to make sure your learning objectives are clear so that learners understand what they will be able to do after the training and you know what exact content you need to deliver. Use these steps to create great learning objectives that will help you deliver results.
Choose a measurable verb. (e.g., apply, perform, evaluate, determine, create, etc.). This will help you pinpoint the exact behaviors you need to see from your learners.
State the knowledge, skill, or behavioral outcome you want learners to gain from your training. Here's a helpful hint: Your objectives should complete the sentence "by the end of this training, you will be able to . . . ." Here are some examples:
Recommend the optimal product to our customers based on the specific problems they're experiencing.
Develop a customized workout routine for clients based on the muscle groups they want to focus on.
Perform the correct steps to diagnose the problem with the air conditioning unit.
Organize your objectives in the appropriate order. Just as you can't solve a problem before diagnosing it, you'll want to place your objectives in the order you want learners to perform them. This will help you determine the best sequence for your training program.
Conclusion: Writing Successful Online Course Objectives
Remember: Learning objectives are helpful tools for articulating the exact problems you want to solve. They are the foundation of an effective training program. We hope this has given you some valuable tips to make your next online training incredibly successful. If you're stuck and need help figuring out what you need learners to be able to do, schedule a free consultation with our executive team. We'll be happy to help you get where you need to be!
