AppendixB:BloomsTaxonomyofEducationalObjectives

In 1956, educational psychologist Benjamin Bloom chaired a committee of College and University Examinerswhowerechargedwiththedevelopmentofaclassificationsystemthatwouldcapturethe intellectualbehaviorimportantinlearning. Thisclassificationsystemwastodelineatethe"intended behavior"ofstudentsthewaysinwhichindividualsaretoact,thinkorfeelasaresultofparticipating inaunitofinstructionexpressedinmeasurableobservableformats(learningobjectives).Thisbecame known as Bloom's Taxonomy. The committee identified three overlapping domains: the cognitive, affective,andpsychomotor. In the discussion below, these three domains will be discussed, and the levels of learning in each enumerated. Verbs that are typically used to describe learning objective in these domains will be presented,alongwithexamplesfromtheSyllabus.UnlikeagenericdiscussionofBloomsTaxonomy, this onehas been specializedandexpanded toinclude thekindsofverbs usedtodescribelearning objectivestypicallyencounteredinanengineeringeducation.TheseverbsarelistedinTableB1. Intheprocess ofconverting thetopical Syllabus ofAppendix Atoaset oflearning objectives, itis convenienttoidentifypatternsofBloomverbsthatnaturallyaccompanytechnicaltopics.Table7shows such patterns ofverbs that correspond to thefivelevels in the MIT activity based proficiency scale (Table6).

B.1TheCognitiveDomain
The cognitive domain encompasses a complex, hierarchical series of intellectual skills involving the acquisitionanduseofknowledgethatrangesfromsimplerecalltotheabilitytojudgeandevaluate learnedmaterial.Bloom(1956)identifiedsixlevelswithinthecognitivedomain. 1. Knowledge refers to those behaviors and situations that emphasize remembering, either by recognitionorrecall,ofspecificsandideas,oftermsandmaterials,andofabstractionandphenomena. Studentshavetheabilitytostoreintheirmindcertaininformationandlatertorememberandrecallit, oftenwithslightalteration. Verbexamplesthatrepresentintellectualactivityonthislevelinclude: describe,list,match,andrecognize. ExamplesfromtheSyllabus: Describedataandsymptoms Listassumptionsandsourcesofbias Recognizeconceptualandqualitativemodels 2. Comprehensionreferstothoseobjectives,behaviors,orresponsesthatrepresentanunderstandingof theliteralmessagecontainedinacommunication,withoutnecessarilyrelatingittoothermaterial.In comingtothisunderstanding,thestudentmaychangethecommunicationinhis/hermind,orinovert responses,toreflectaparallelformmoremeaningfultohim/her. Verb examples that represent intellectual activity on this level include: classify, explain, extrapolate, interpolate,locate,translate. ExamplesfromtheSyllabus: Locateandclassify essentialresultsofsolutionsandtestdata Interpretboundsandtrends Explaindiscrepanciesinresults

B1

TableB1:BloomCognitiveVerbsAppropriateforTechnicalTopics

Level Group Knowledge Recognize List Describe Match Compr ehensi Locateand classify Explain Translate Interpolate Extrapolate Application Prepare Use Practice Resolve Analysis Analyzeand test Categorize Discriminate Synthesis Plan Create Construct Rearrange Evaluation Assess Evaluate Defend

Verbs label,name,recognize,recall,underline list,record,repeat,reproduce,state define,describe arrange,match,order,relate arrange,classify,identify ,indicate,locate,sort discuss,explain,express,giveexamples,report, summarize convert,interpret,paraphrase,restate,translate interpolate,infer extend,extrapolate,generalize choose,prepare,schedule,select, sketch apply,change,employ,manipulate,modify,operate,use, utilize demonstrate,execute,illustrate,practice,show compute,measure,solve analyze,appraise,calculate,elicit,examine, experiment,question,test breakdown,categorize,diagram,inventory,outline, separate,subdivide compare,differentiate,distinguish,discriminate, reconcile collect,plan,propose compose,create,design,devise,formulate,generate,set up,tell,write arrange,assemble,construct,combines,compiles,manage, organize,synthesize,setup modify,rearrange,reconstruct,reorganize,revise,rewrite assess,conclude,estimate,predict,rate,score attack,criticize,critique,evaluate,value argue,defend,justify,support

Verbsnotused outline knows,recite identify,select

predict,describe defend distinguish,rewrite comprehend,estimate

produce,relate discover predict construct identify,pointout infer,relate,select illustrate,deconstruct categorize,prepare explain,conduct relate summarize appraise,explain, summarize compare,interpret, appraise contrast,relates,select describe,discriminate

3. Application is theabilitytousepreviouslylearnedmaterialinsituationswhichareeithernew,or containnewelements,ascomparedtothesituationinwhichtheabstractionwaslearned.Thismeans thattheproblemshouldbedrawnfrommaterialthestudentisnotlikelytohaveyethadcontactwith,or beaproblemknowntothestudent,buthavingadifferentslantthathe/sheisunlikelytohavethought of.

B2

Verbexamplesthatrepresentintellectualactivityonthislevelinclude: practice,prepare,resolve,use . ExamplesfromtheSyllabus: Preparemarginsandreserves Practiceengineeringcostbenefitandriskanalysis Useassumptionstosimplifycomplexsystemsandenvironments 4. Analysisisthebreakdownofmaterialintoitsconstituentpartsanddetectionoftherelationshipof thepartsandoftheway theyareorganized. Whileclear linescanbedrawnbetween analysisand comprehension or analysis and evaluation, it is useful to think of it as an aid to more complete comprehensionandasapreludetoevaluation. Verbexamplesthatrepresentintellectualactivityonthislevelinclude: analyze,categorize,discriminate, test. ExamplesfromtheSyllabus: Analyzepossibleimprovementsintheproblemsolvingprocess Discriminatehypothesestobetested Testhypothesesandconclusions 5. Synthesisis definedastheputtingtogetherofelementsandpartssoastoformawhole.Thisisthe categoryinthecognitivedomainthatBloomtellsusmostclearlyprovidesforcreativebehavioronthe partofthelearner,butwithinthelimitssetbytheframework. Verbexamplesthatrepresentintellectualactivityonthislevelinclude: construct,create,plan,rearrange. ExamplesfromtheSyllabus: Planevolutionaryadaptationovertime Createonesprofessionalportfolio Constructtheabstractionsnecessarytomodelthesystem 6. Evaluationisthemakingofjudgmentsaboutthevalue,forsomepurpose,ofideas,works,solutions, methods,material,etc.Itinvolvestheuseofcriteriaandstandardsforappraisingtheextenttowhich particularsareaccurate,effective,orsatisfying.Itmaybequantitativeorqualitative. Verbexamplesthatrepresentintellectualactivityonthislevelinclude: assess,defend,evaluate. ExamplesfromtheSyllabus: Assessonesskills,interests,strengthsandweaknesses Evaluatesupportingevidence AwayinwhichtoviewthestructureoftheBloomverbsisshowninTableB1,whichgivesthesixlevels, andidentifiesthreetofivekeyverbswithineachlevel.Somecommonsynonymsforthosekeyverbsare alsolisted.VerbsinItalicsofTableB1arecommonlyusedBloomverbs,andthoseinregularfontwere addedtobetterfitwithtechnicallyorientedtopicsoftheSyllabus.Theverbsinthecolumntothefar rightofTableB1arecommonlyusedBloomverbsthatwerecommend notbeusedwiththeSyllabus. Thisisbecausetheverbseitherappearattwolevels,andthereforeareambiguous,orbecausetheyhave atechnicalconnotationapartfromtheircommonmeaning,whichcausesthemtobemisplacedinterms oflevel.EntriesinboldwillbeusedintheBloomverbpatternsdiscussedbelow.

B.2TheAffectiveDomain

B3

Theaffectivedomainrelatestotheemotionalcomponentoflearning.Itemphasizesafeeling,tone,an emotion,oradegreeofacceptanceorrejection. Affectencompassesarangefromsimpleattentionto organization and characterization of complex, but internally consistent, qualities of character and conscience.Krathwohl,BloomandMasia (1964)developedfivelevelsintheaffectivedomain. 1. Receiving(attending):Receivingspeakstoanawarenessthatalearnerisconsciousofsomething,that he/shetake intoaccount asituation,phenomenon orstateofaffairs. Italso addressesthelearner's willingnesstoreceiveinformation.Inotherwordstheclimatemustbesetsothatstudentsattentionis grabbedanddirectedinaparticularmanner. Verbexampleswhichrepresentintellectualactivityonthislevelinclude: ask,accept,hold. ExamplesfromtheSyllabus: Acceptstheneedforacommitmenttoservice Acceptsthegoalsandrolesoftheengineeringprofession 2. Responding: At the responding level, students are sufficiently motivated that they are not just willingtoattend,butareactivelyattending.Itinvolvesacontinuumfromacquiescenceinresponding, towillingnesstorespond,tosatisfactioninresponse. Inotherwords,itisactiveparticipationbythe studentsintheirownlearning. Verbexamplesthatrepresentintellectualactivityonthislevelinclude: answer,assist,discuss. ExamplesfromtheSyllabus: Discussthemotivationforcontinuedselfeducation Discusstheimportanceofbothadepthandbreadthofknowledge 3. Valuing:Simplyput,somethinghasvalueorworth.Atthislevel,behaviorissufficientlyconsistent andstableastobecharacterizedasabelieforattitude. Thestudentisperceivedasholdingavalue. Thislevelrangesfromacceptanceofavalue,topreference,tocommitmenttoavalue. Verb examples thatrepresentintellectualactivityonthislevelinclude: demonstrateabeliefin,embrace, follow,join,share,value. ExamplesfromtheSyllabus: Embraceonesresponsibilityforselfimprovement Valueawillingnesstoworkindependently 4. Organization referstotheprocesslearnersgothroughaftertheyinternalizevaluesandarefaced withsituationsforwhichmorethanonevalueisrelevant.Thisnecessitatestheorganizationofvalues into a system, determining the relationship among them, and establishing dominant and pervasive values.Theemphasisisoncomparing,relating,andsynthesizingvalues. Verbexamples thatrepresentintellectualactivityonthislevelinclude: alter,combine,complete,integrate, order,organize,relate,synthesize.

B4

ExamplefromtheSyllabus: Integratethepotentialbenefitsandrisksofanaction 5. Characterization by a value or value complex: At this level the individual acts consistently in accordancewiththevalueshe/shehasinternalized. Abehaviorispervasive,consistent,predictable, and characteristic of the student. Student beliefs, ideas, and attitudes are integrated into a total philosophyorviewoftheworld. Verbexamples thatrepresent intellectualactivity onthislevelinclude: discriminate,display,influence, presuppose,qualify,resolve,solve,verify. ExamplefromtheSyllabus: Resolvesconflictingissuesinthebalancebetweenpersonalandprofessionallife

B.3ThePsychomotorDomain
The psychomotor domain emphasizes physical skills. It involves muscular or motor skill, some manipulationofmaterialsandobjects,orsomeactwhichrequiresaneuromuscular coordination. It capturesthecomplexityofgrace,strength,andspeedthatisofteninvolvedinphysicalactivityorskill acquisition. WhilethereareafewexamplesintheCDIO Syllabusthattouchonthepsychomotordomain,these topicsallhaveanimportantcognitivecomponentaswell.Thereforethecognitiveverbsareconsistently usedforthesetopics,andthepsychomotorcategoriesarenotusedintheSyllabus. Forcompleteness,itisworthoutlining thebreakdown ofthisdomain by Simpson(1972)intoseven levels. 1. Perception isdefinedastheabilitytousesensorycuestoguidemotoractivity.

2. Setreferstothereadinesstotakeaparticularcourseofaction.Thisincludesphysicalandemotional setaswellasmental. 3. GuidedResponse:referstoimitationandtrialanderrorinwhichtheadequacyoftheperformanceis judgedbytheinstructororbyadefinedsetofcriteria. 4. Mechanism: describe learnedresponsesthathavebecomehabitual,movementscanbeperformed withsomeconfidenceandproficiency. 5. ComplexOvertResponses: istheskillfulperformanceofmotoractsthatinvolvecomplexmovement patterns.Proficiencyisindicatedbyaquick,accurate,andhighlycoordinatedperformance,requiringa minimumofenergy.Inthiscategory,responsesareautomatic. 6. Adaptation: is the level at which skills are so well developed that the individual can modify movementpatternstofitspecialrequirementsortomeetaproblemsituation. 7.Originationisthecreationofnewmovementpatternstofitaparticularsituationorspecificproblem. Outcomesatthislevelemphasizecreativitybaseduponhighlydevelopedskills.

B.4BloomVerbPatternsfortheCDIOSyllabus
In specializing the CDIO Syllabus to any particular program and thereby creating a framework of learningobjectives,oneBloomverbmustbeselectedforeachoftheover300lowestleveltopicsinthe

B5

Syllabus.TheBloomverbchosenshouldcorrespondtotheexpectedproficiencylevelofagraduating engineer,developedthroughthesurveyandconsensusprocess. Theactivitybasedproficiencyrating canbetranslatedtoaBloomverbdomainandlevelusingtheroughequivalencelistedinTable8. Inordertosimplify thisprocess,wetriedtocreatea menu ofBloomverbsforeachoftheover300 entries. Inthisway,afacultyspecializingtheSyllabuscouldsimplychoosetheBloomverbforeach topicthatcorrespondedtothedesignatedlevelofproficiency. As an example of creating such a menu, consider subsection 2.1.1, Problem Identification and Formulation(undersection2.1EngineeringReasoningandProblemSolving).ThefollowingBloomverb menuoptionscanbecreatedforeachentry: 2.1.1ProblemIdentificationandFormulation Recall/Recognize/Identify/Analyze/Evaluate dataandsymptoms Recall/Describe/Explain/Analyze/Evaluate assumptionsandsourcesofbias Recall/Define/Discuss/Demonstrate/Evaluate issueprioritization{CP} Recall/Describe/Interpret/Choose/Formulate aplanofattack wherethefiveverbsindicate,respectively,thefirstthroughfifthactivitybasedproficiencylevels(Table 6).Theverbrecall,amongtheweakestoftheBloomverbsforknowledge,isusedtoconnotetheresultof anexposure,thelowestactivitybasedproficiency. Recognize,describe and define arerepresentativeof beingabletoparticipate,thesecondactivitybasedproficiencylevel.Atthethirdactivitybasedlevel, identify,explain,discuss and interpret connotebeingabletounderstandandexplain. Analyze,practice and choose denoteskillsofapersonwhoisskilledinthepracticeof,thefourthacvitybasedlevel. Finally,atthefifthlevel,evaluateandformulateareverbswhichconnotetheabilitytoleadorinnovate. InattempingtocreatetheequivalentfiveverbmenuforeachofthelowlevelentriesintheSyllabus,it becameobviousthattherewerearelativelysmallnumberofunderlyingpatterns,ratherthan300odd uniquemenus. ThosepatternsassummarizedinTable7. Thepatternsweredeterminedbysimple reverse engineering. First the specific verbs were assigned for the customized MIT version of the Syllabus listed in Appendix C. Then all the verbs actually used, listed in bold in Table B1, were examinedforpatterns. Firstapatternwaschosenfortherelativelysmallsetofaffectivetopics,whichcarrytheannotation{A}. ItwasfoundthatallaffectiveentriescanbelinkedtothepatternofBloomverb: Hasbeenexposedto/Acceptstheneedfor/Engagesindiscussionof/Embraces/Resolvesconflicting issuesin Wheretheentriesmaptoactivitybasedproficiencylevels15. Likewiseallcognitiveprocesses,whichareannotated{CP},fitwiththepattern: Recall/Describe/Discuss/Demonstrate/Evaluate Thesetwopatternsarelisted,alongwithsomecommonsynonyms,inTable7. ThevastmajorityofthelowlevelentriesintheSyllabusarecognitiveobjects.Theserequirearicherset of Bloom verb patterns. Through several iterations, it was found that all entries map to about 27 patterns. Thesepatternsaremadeupof3patternsforverbsinactivitybasedproficiencylevels13, combinedwith9optionsatlevels4and5,asshowninTable7.Therearearelativelysmallnumberof verbs at the lower levels which make sense when combined with engineering topics and learning objectives.Atthefourthactivitybasedlevel,tobeskilledinthepracticeorimplementationof,amajor split occurs. Some topics are primarily outside of the control of engineers. For these topics, the appropriateverbsaresomeformof analyze.Thefifthlevelwhichcorrespondstoananalysistasktends tobe evaluate. Incontrast,fortopicswhichtendtobeunderthecontrolofengineers,theappropriate fourthlevelverbtendstobeapply.Thecorrespondingfifthlevelverbissomeformof synthesize. B6

ThestructureofthemenuimpliedinTable7reflectsthesetrends.ForanylowestlevelSyllabustopic, thereisoneofthethreeverbsetsfromlevels13,denotedwithalettera,borc,plusoneofthenine patterns from levels 4 and 5, which tend to be either a Synthesis or Evaluation pattern. Synthesis patternsaredesignateS1throughS5,whileEvaluationpatternsaredesignatedE1throughE4. The annotationinbracketsisjustthenotationforoneofac,followedbythenotationforoneofthenine higherlevelpatterns Again,referingtotheexampleinthetext,wecanconsiderthepatternsforthesubsection: 2.1.1ProblemIdentificationandFormulation Dataandsymptoms{cE1} Assumptionsandsourcesofbias{aE1} Issueprioritization{CP} Aplanofattack{bS2} The topic data and symptoms is ultimately evaluated by engineers (at least as a part of Problem IdentificationandFormulation),andsocarriesthepattern{c}atthe13levels,andthepattern{E1}atthe 45level. Issueprioritizationisacognitiveprocess,andmapstothatpatterninTable7. Aplanof attackisultimatelysynthesizedbyanengineer,andthereforeisapattern{S2}atthe45level. UsingTable7andtheannotationinAppendixC,afiveverbBloompatternisthereforesuggestedfor eachlowleveltopicalentryintheSyllabus.

B7