Terminal Learning Objective- What Are Learning Objectives?

Terminal Learning Objective

A Terminal learning objective is a measurable statement that describes the result of the learner after the completion of their course. These objectives focus on the high level of learning of the learner related to their skills and knowledge. 

This article is about terminal learning objectives. In this article, you will learn about terminal objectives, processes, many other things. 

In this article, you will learn in detail about the 

  • Learning objectives 
  1. Why is it necessary?
  2. Components of learning objectives
  3. What is the learning area of learning objectives?
  4. What is a learning outcome?
  • Terminal learning objectives (sub-division of learning objective)
  1. Goals of terminal learning objectives
  2. Describe the TLO army?
  • Process of terminal learning objectives
  • Reasons for having terminal objectives
  • Parts of terminal learning objectives
  • Cue components of terminal learning objectives
  • Tips on how to write terminal objective

Brief description 

What are learning objectives?

A learning objective is an outcome of a course that a learner comes to know in the form of skills and knowledge that helps the learner for a clear purpose. 

  • Why it is necessary for a learner:
  • For a student/learner, it gives a clear focus and goal. 
  • Guide the students/learners to specialize in a set career. 
  • Guide their testing’s and assessments 
  • The learning objectives compose of two parts:
  1. Terminal learning objectives (Performance)
  2. Enabling learning objectives (Supporting)
  • What is the learning area of learning objectives?
  1. There are three learning areas in terminal learning objectives. 
  2. They are knowledge, skills, and attitude. 
  • What is the outcome of learning?

A learning outcome is a measurable statement that articulates the performance of the learner/participants at the starting of the lesson about what the learner should be able to do at the end of the course. It predicts the overall process of the learner. 

What are terminal learning objectives?

Terminal learning objectives are a statement that describes what a learner does when engaged in a learning activity. It is a specific and measured term that focuses on the individual’s learning capacity, which gets accomplished after completing the learning event. 

In other words, the terminal objective calculates the performance level that a contender achieves. 

In the program learning, terminal objectives should get assigned for each of the tasks addressed in it. The terminal learning objective describes the performance as well as the results of the learner. 

The terminal objective is one of the parts of learning objectives. It is also known as performance-based objectives.

After completing a course, the result is more engaging, and learners/students are now trained and experienced because of the significant number of exercises included in the learning course. 

These exercises also help the student to minimize their boredom and support to be mentally strong. Terminal learning opportunity also provides opportunities to the learner to practice their learned skills and test their knowledge. These exercises are are just for student’s training, but the second part of terminal learning objectives is to practice their learned skills. 

The terminal learning objectives also help as a roadmap to the students to accomplish each exercise in the course. It is a broader term, which determines:

  •  What a student/learner expected performance level is
  • How much knowledge they will have at the end of the course or lesson
  •  How successful the learning will be for the learner. 

Goals of terminal learning objectives

The goals of terminal learning objectives are to drive the performance of participants by looking at distant consequences. 

TLO army 

The TLO army is a statement of the trainer’s instructor’s to the participants/learner’s performance at the end of a course. 

Process of terminal learning objectives

A guide and instruction are majorly necessary for a learner to process all the skills and exercises. Terminal learning objectives always provide guidance and direction to the learner. 

The objectives of terminal learning are to focus on the instructions through these questions: 

  1. What will the learner do after seeing the result once the course gets completed? 
  2. How will the learner perform the task? What all resources will they use during the process? And under what conditions? 
  3. How did the learner perform in the lesson? How did they pass?

Reasons for having terminal learning objectives

  • Terminal learning objectives keep guiding the learner to focus on their skills and whatever is necessary.
  • Terminal learning objectives are precise in themselves. 
  • Terminal learning objectives keeps all the learners accountable for their course.
  • Terminal learning objectives showcase the exact result or performance outcome of the student/learner. 
  • Showcase a blueprint of a student’s future success. 
  • Terminal learning objectives also provide a blueprint of the content of the lesson.
  • Helps in demonstrating, analysing, and understanding the risk in the career. 
  • Terminal learning objectives effectively respond to the students/learner behaviour once identified. 
  • Terminal learning objectives also increase structured retention. It controls or holds the skills and knowledge of the student in their memory.
  • Terminal learning objectives are observable and measurable. 
  •  The terminal learning objectives are stated in an active term to make it easy for the students. 
  • A large block of instructions is represented on the students by the terminal learning objectives. 

Parts of terminal learning objectives

There are three parts of performance-based objectives. The terminal learning objective must include performance, condition, and criteria. 

1- Performance: This part of a terminal learning objective analyses and states what the learner will know and what explicitly they will be able to do in measurable terms. An action of the verb should be present in the performance statement. 

2- Conditions: A terminal learning objective should contain conditions in it. It is a situation created under a terminal learning objective in which the learner learns. It determines:

  • In which environment the learner will perform the exercise. 
  • How the learner will complete the exercise.

3- Criteria: This part determines the quality level of performance. It states:

  • What and how well the students/learner performed in the task of exercise. 
  • What is a limitation of an exercise?
  • What are the criteria to measure the success of a learner? 

Let us see some of the examples of performance-based objectives.   

  • Conditions: Patient is proved ( of any weight )

           Performance: 1V starts

           Criteria: Only two-needle are allowed for punctures.

  • Condition: All the equipment of gardening allotted to the learner  

          Performance: Learner has to plant the garden

          Criteria: Has to follow all the steps following a performance checklist.          

  • Condition: Has to do this in the team and by using all the standard equipment. 

          Performance: Learner has to carry out confined entry and exit in space. 

          Criteria: During entry and exit, meet ATA-7 safety practices.

  • Condition: All the required equipment allotted to the learners

          Performance: All the learner has to do the chemical experiment

          Criteria: Use only H2so4 or HCL during the 

  • Condition: Calculator, pen, and paper allotted to the participants. 

          Performance: Participants have to solve a mathematical equation. 

          Criteria: Solve it by using x as a factor in the sum. 

Cue components of terminal learning objectives

There are three cue components for performance-based objective/terminal learning objectives. 

The terminal learning objective must include task or performance, conditions, and standards. 

  1. Task statement: This component helps the learner/student by indicating, 
  • What task they will perform
  •  What process is required to complete the task? 
  • What skills should they use while doing the exercise?
  1. Conditions: This component states the resources used while conducting the exercise by the learner. The resources include tools and equipment, and it plays a role in learning. 
  1. Standard: This cue component states how students should perform their tasks during the exercise. It describes that students should execute the task/exercise with equity, quality, quantity, accuracy, and time management. 

Tips on how to write the terminal learning objectives

a- Step1: Write job goal/performance objectives- Writing down a goal is the first step. Objectives should be based on requirements for job performance. The performance expected on the job should match the performance specified on the objectives. 

b-Step2: Keep the end/result in mind: Keeping the end in mind, design the training process. 

Figure out what criteria will be possed in the training process, your participants want to leave the training. Write down the measured performance in words and phrases if achieved. 

c-Steps3: State the performance of the participants: Describes all the performed objectives of the participants based on the behavior and job completed in the training room. 

Always use a specific action while writing: 

  • Specific verb and word
  • compare the performance (based on time difference)
  • Inspect the performance level and so on. 
  • Delete the unwanted and duplicated items from the writings
  • Repeat the above two given steps if needed

d- Steps4: State the criteria for learning the satisfaction level. Write all the performances level from starting of the course (when the participant joined the course) 

Describe the required statements:

  • Nature
  • Amount
  • Quality
  • Quantity
  • Time

Example: 

  1. Nature-The participant’s score: 80 percent
  2. Quality-got less than two errors
  3.  Time taken-15 minutes 
  4. Quantity- Use or illustrate five to six principles while doing the task. 

e-Step5:  Required conditions in which participants perform the task: 

Describe all the conditions required by the participants while doing the lesson. 

Example: Data used in field inventory, simulator, role play, equipment. 

f-Step6: Test the written statement: This is the last step to write terminal learning objectives. If any of the participants achieved the demonstrated performance, mark it as yes. As you marked the statement with yes, the analysis completes. 

We hope this article is beneficial for you. Thank you for spending your time.

Terminal Learning Objective- What Are Learning Objectives?

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