A useful objective finishes one stem: by the end, students will be able to, followed by an observable verb, an object, and any condition. The verb is where objectives succeed or fail. Verbs like understand, know, and appreciate name things you cannot see, so you cannot assess them directly. Verbs like analyze, compare, calculate, design, and explain name visible performances.

Keep a course to roughly three to seven course-level objectives. More than that becomes impossible to assess well. Each objective should point to evidence you will collect and grade.