EXERCISE 1: OBJECTIVE WRITING FOR A DIVERSITY TRAINING PROGRAM
Evaluate the following statement as a program objective for a diversity training program. Individually or in small groups, rewrite this objective to conform more closely to the principles cited earlier concerning effective program objectives.
Develop a thorough understanding of the corporate culture of our organiza- tion, including our policies on harassment, ethnic and gender diversity, and equal access to individual counseling and promotion opportunities.74
EXERCISE 2: OBJECTIVE WRITING FOR A TRAINING PROGRAM OF YOUR CHOICE
Individually or in small groups, write your own program objective(s) for a train- ing program of your choice. Critique your objectives by comparing them to the principles described in Tables 5-1 and 5-2.
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TABLE 5-1
Three Qualities of
Useful Objectives
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Performance An objective always says what a learner is expected to be able
to do and/or produce to be considered competent; the objective sometimes describes the product or result of the doing. Example: "Write a product profile for a proposed new product."
Conditions An objective describes the important conditions (if any) under
which the performance is to occur. Example: "Given all available engineering data regarding a proposed product, trainee will write a product profile."
Criteria Wherever possible, an objective identifies the criteria of
acceptable performance by describing how well the learner must perform in order to be considered acceptable. Example: "The product profile must describe all of the commercial characteristics of the product that are appropriate for its introduction to the market, including descriptions of at least three major product uses."
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TABLE 5-2 Guidelines for Developing Useful Objectives
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1. An objective is a collection of words, symbols, pictures and/or diagrams describing what you intend for trainees to achieve.
2. An objective will communicate your intent to the degree that you describe: what the learner will be doing when demonstrating achievement or mastery of the objective, the important conditions of the doing, and the criteria by which achievement will be judged.
3. To prepare a useful objective, continue to modify a draft until these questions are answered:
- What do I want trainees to be able to do?
- What are the important conditions or constraints under which I want them to perform?
- How well must trainees perform for me to be satisfied?
4. Write a separate statement for each important outcome or intent; write as many as you need to communicate your intents.
5. If you give your written objectives to your trainees, you may not have to do much else. Why? Because often employees are already able to do what you are asking them to do and will be happy to demonstrate their ability, now that they know what is expected of them.