Instructors need to understand the category of learning in their course. There's a big difference between learning a skill (e.g., cross-country skiing) and applying knowledge (e.g., researching a topic).
The level of learning informs both the learning outcomes and the assessment. Do you want students to name the capitals of Europe, or do you want them discuss political factors in the established capitals? Do you want students to describe Vygotsky's theory of instructional scaffolding, or do you want students to apply it in a lesson plan?
Both instructors and students should have a clear understanding of the category of learning and, if appropriate, the level of cognitive learning (from simple to complex) that is expected in relation to each learning outcome.
Taxonomies of learning — such as those designed by educator Benjamin Bloom — help instructional designers, faculty and learning facilitators be intentional and consistent in their approach to the design of learning outcomes.
Bloom's learning categories
In the 1950s, Bloom and his colleagues grouped learning into three major categories: cognitive, affective and psychomotor.
Cognitive learning is centred on knowledge and cognitive processes and, generally, is comprised of facts, terminology and analysis of elements.
Affective learning centres on values and value systems, for example, an openness to or awareness of selected ideas, valuing of ideas and integrating values into a holistic philosophy.
The psychomotor domain of learning involves hand-eye coordination and any other physical component of performance.
Hierarchy of cognitive learning
Cognitive learning tends to dominate higher education.
Bloom's hierarchy of cognitive learning outlines six levels:
- recall (knowledge)
- comprehend
- apply
- analyze
- synthesize
- evaluate
Sometimes, this hierarchy is simplified into three levels: recall, apply and evaluate.
Aligning learning levels, activities and assessment
This table shows examples of how you can align learning levels with activities and assessments. As your course progresses, you may choose to increase the complexity (i.e., level or category) of learning activities and assessment strategies.
Level |
Activities (what students can practice) |
Example assessment |
|---|---|---|
Recall (e.g., define, describe, cite, locate) |
Practice using terminology appropriately |
multiple choice quiz, short-answer quiz |
Application (e.g., apply, interpret, compare) |
Practice applying theories to new contexts |
an exam, paper, presentation, case study, simulation |
Evaluation (e.g., assess, evaluate, integrate, create) |
Compare and contrast theories or situations and evaluate them, providing justifications that integrate theories and other applications. |
evaluate a theory or piece/body of work in a similar manner, using a variety of methods, e.g., discussions, exams, essays, debates, simulations |
The Centre for Teaching and Learning is grateful to individuals who contributed their ideas to this webpage's content and other website content on this subject, including Heather Seaman, Alice MacGillivray, Graham Debling, and Tony Boydell.