LEARNING
OBJECTIVE
S
Defining learning objective is complicated by the fact that
educators use a wide variety of terms for learning
objectives, and the terms may or may not be used
synonymously from place to place. For example, the
terms student learning objective, benchmark, grade-level
indicator, learning target, performance indicator, and
learning standard—to name just a few of the more
common terms—may refer to specific types of learning
objectives in specific educational contexts.
Educators also create a wide variety of homegrown
terms for learning objectives—far too many to catalog
here. For these reasons, this entry describes only a few
general types and characteristics.