Surgeons as Educators A Guide for Academic Development and Teaching Excellence

27

Evaluation

Synthesis

Analysis

Application

Comprehension

Knowledge

When writing curriculum objectives, especially those pertaining to behavioral
skills, it is important to use active verbs because these imply measurability. Within
Bloom’s taxonomy there are numerous active verbs which are useful for the con-
struction of objectives.

Skill Vague More specific

Knowledge

objectives

Know or understand List

Recite

Present

Distinguish

Define, describe, give an example of

Skill objectives Be able or know how Demonstrate (as measured by), use or

incorporate into performance (as measured

by)

Attitudinal

objectives

Appreciate, grasp the

significance of, believe, enjoy,

learn, teach

Rank as valuable, rank as important,

identify, rate or rank as a belief or opinion,

rate as enjoyable

While careful development of the curricular objectives is a primary focus of the
development process, it is important to remember that most educational experiences
are much more than a list of preestablished objectives. Also considerable learning
occurs from unanticipated learning experiences within the curriculum and during
the pursuit of skill development as other learning needs are often identified by the
learner as a result of these experiences [ 8 , 9 ]. So while a list of learning objectives
is important to the development of a curriculum, it should not be overwhelming,
limit creativity, or limit learning related to individual learner needs and
experiences.

3 Curriculum Development