The structure of any educational program should begin with developing a set of instructional goals. Goals are broad statements describing and summarizing what is to be learned.
Behavioral objectives can be considered the "tools" to achieve the stated goals. Behavioral objectives are also called learning or instructional objectives.
Objectives are concise statements that describe in observable, measurable terms the knowledge, skills, and attitudes students should obtain by the end of the learning process.
For the instructor, objectives provide a foundation for the instruction plan, designing relevant activities, and assessing the activities.
There are three domains of learning: cognitive, affective, and psychomotor (Table 1). Within each of these domains, specific goals and objectives are provided (Table 2).
Table 1. The Three Domains of Learning.| Domain | Focus |
| Cognitive | Knowledge, understanding, and thinking |
| Affective | Behaviors, attitudes, and values |
| Pyschomotor | Motor skills, physical coordination |
Table 2. The Three Domains of Learning and their Goals and Objectives.| Domain | Goal | Objective |
| Cognitive | Possess the knowledge to work as an entry-level medical laboratory scientist in urinalysis. | Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to discuss the pathophysiology, clinical presentation, and laboratory evaluation of extrarenal diseases, including amino acid, carbohydrate, and metabolic disorders. |
| Affective | Educate nursing students on the role of medical laboratory scientists in health care and our impact on patient care. | Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to identify the value of interprofessional education in the medical laboratory science curriculum. |
| Pyschomotor | Possess the motor skills to work as an entry-level medical laboratory scientist in clinical hematology. | Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to perform a manual differential on a peripheral blood smear from a healthy patient within 10 minutes with 95% accuracy. |
