If students are kept in the dark aboutour instructional goals,

how can they meet them?

Clarification of our objectives

is the first step towardssuccessful learning.

Three elementsmust be present in every objective.

These can be rememberedby the acronym ACE.

A is for the activity the student

is required to perform, C,

the conditionsunder which he must perform, and E,

the evaluation standardfor how well he must perform.

100% accuracy is always assumedunless otherwise stated.

Our objective for this unit is;

after viewing this unit,

and without reference materials,

you will write an objectivein your specialty area containing

the three necessary elementsindicated by the acronym ACE.

Note that our own objectivecontains the three necessary elements.

Activity.

Write an objective.

Conditions.

After viewing this unit,and without reference materials.

Evaluation standard.

Containing the three necessary elements.

The format for writingan objective may vary.

It may be a single sentence,

a paragraph, or a listing of the elements.

The sequencing of elementswithin the objective is also optional,

but the number of elements cannot vary.

All three must be presentin every acceptable objective.

In any learning situation,there are two types of activities

which the studentmay be required to perform.

Observable activitiesand indicator activities.

The appropriate choicedepends on the skill being taught.

Observable activities,such as giving an injection,

are required where motorskills are involved.

Indicator activities,such as writing a diagnosis,

are needed where mentalskills are to be mastered.

Often, a single objective may requireboth observable and indicator activities.

Here, again, are the three necessaryelements of an objective.

Study the following example,and see if it contains all three.

This objective does containthe three necessary elements.

The condition is,given a diagram of a cell membrane.

The activity, an indicator activity,

is label the lipid proteinand carbohydrate elements.

Since the evaluationstandard is not stated,

it is assumed that the labelingmust be 100% accurate.

Are all three elementspresent in this objective?

The conditions are,given a series of audio recordings

of the five most commonnormal heart murmurs.

100% accuracy is assumed,

since the evaluationstandard was not stated.

However, the activity, will know,

does not provide eitheran observable or an indicator activity.

Therefore, it cannot be evaluatedand is unacceptable.

An acceptable revision might read,"Given a series of audio recordings

of the five most commonnormal heart murmurs,

the student will drawthe ausculatory diagram of each."

Another possible revision might read,

"The student will selectfrom several ausculatory diagrams

those that represent each murmur."

The words draw or select addthe necessary indicator activity

which makes these revisions acceptable.

What do you think about this objective?

This is very poorly stated.

The actual activity is not clear,

and the conditionsare not specified at all.

One possible revision might read,

"After viewing a film showingthree patients walking,

one with an abductor limp,

the student will identifythe patient with the abductor limp."

The first part of the statementprovides a specific set of conditions.

The second partclarifies a student's activity

and implies 100% accuracyas the evaluation standard.

The following film clipis based on this objective.

It is an excerpt from a course entitled,"Clinical evaluation of the hip."

Notice how the content is presented,and then reinforced with a self-test.

Observation of the gaitcan often reveal signs

of early derangements of the hipbefore other clinical signs

or radiologic changes are present.

Because of weaknessof the musculature of the left hip,

this girl can no longer support her body

weight in the upright positionwhile walking.

Notice how she shiftsthe center of gravity of her trunk

over her left hip while her weightis borne on the same foot.

This is the so-called abductor limp,or Trendelenburg limp.

Here is a patient with a less obvious,but nonetheless, prominent limp,

indicative of earlyinvolvement of the left hip.

Again, notice the shiftof his trunk over the left hip

while weight is borne on that foot.

Of the following patients,which shows an abductor limp?

Number one.

Number two,

or number three?

Three.

This patient has an abductor limp.

Which hip is involved?

The left.

Notice how his trunkshifts over his left hip

while weight is borne on the left foot.

Number one demonstratesthe so-called antalgic gait.

This patient has pain in his right foot,and will bear weight on that foot

only for so long as absolutely necessary.

Number two has a normal gait,but with more than usual bounce and swing.

Some individuals incorporatecharacteristics in their gait,

which at first glancemay appear to be abnormal.

For Final emphasis,number three has an abductor limp.

Notice how his trunkshifts over his left hip,

while weight is borne on the left foot.

Remember, teaching is most effective

when the student is provideda clear-cut description of,

the activity he is expected to perform,

the conditionsunder which he is to perform,

and the evaluation standardby which his performance is to be judged.

In other words, a complete objective.

The student's activitymay be directly observable,

as when testing motor skills,or indicator,

when mental skills are tested.

Often, the activity may involveboth observable and indicator behaviors.

You will now view a persontaking a blood pressure reading.

After observing the procedure,write an objective

which can be used with studentsrequired to conduct this procedure.

In this case, the studenthas already demonstrated proficiency

in applying and usingthe sphygmomanometer.

You will be shown the procedure twice.

Now, write an objectivefor this procedure.

One objective could read,

"Given a cooperative patientand the appropriate equipment,

the student will determineand record the patient's blood pressure

within 5 millimeters of mercury."

In this objective,the conditions are established first.

The activity called for is,

"Determine and recordthe patient's blood pressure."

The evaluation standard is,"Within 5 millimeters of mercury."

Now, write an objectivein your specialty area.