Assessments are most effective at building skills (formative) or demonstrating learning (summative) when they align with course learning objectives. Learning objectives guide assessment and activity design, communicate what students can expect to achieve, and provide structure for their learning experience.

The kind of learning objectives that are appropriate for your course will depend on your discipline and the level of your students. In some cases, students may need to remember and understand foundational information to later be applied, whereas in other courses, or parts of the semester, it will be more appropriate for students to engage in higher-order tasks like analyzing or evaluating information. Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives provides examples of lower- and higher-order thinking involved in a variety of learning activities.

Source: www.maggiehosmcgrane.com/2014/09/flipping-grade-4-and-flipping-blooms.html 

Well-designed objectives:

• are student-centered rather than instructor- or content-centered
• are measurable and observable through an assignment or assessment
• articulate what students should be able to do after completing the course; focus on the learning that results from the course rather than describing activities or lessons;
• focus on overarching or general knowledge or skills;
• be most critical to success in the course (more detailed objectives can be developed for individual modules);
• incorporate various ways for students to actively show success (outlining, describing, modeling, depicting, etc.) rather than using a single statement, such as “at the end of the course, students will understand _______ “.

Consider the following construct:

• Students should be able to [do something] by demonstrating [evidence].

Example

• Students will be able to think critically and analytically by evaluating observational and experimental data, evaluating interpretation of data, and empirically assessing hypotheses about animal behavior.‌

Within a course, every module, unit of study, or topic should also contain learning objectives that align with the broader course objectives. 

Module learning outcomes are stated at the beginning of each module, unit of study or topic and prepare students for what they will do in the module/section by expressing the result that should be achieved at the end. They are more specific than course objectives and should include criteria for acceptable performance.

Example:

• You will be able to conduct a study to show how zoo animals use their exhibit using time point sampling.
• You will be able to design a marketing strategy using social media for a new prescription drug for a specific population.

Module learning objectives focus on what successful learning produces for the student and they define the goals of the learning modules. Traditionally, however, instructors tended to state objectives that express the process, what students will do as a learning activity.

Example:

• Analyze the alternative pricing strategies and the reasons for their use in multinational healthcare organizations.
• Research your organization's' culture and its approach to implementation and change management.‌

Both are acceptable, but the objectives statements may have more relevance and meaning for students because they address the purpose of the learning.‌