When designing learning objectives, reflect on what is really happening at work.
Go back to the work situation and understand that the learner is not living in a static world.
Recognize that our learners are working in a world with a lot of interruptions, deviations, and potential problem areas that they need to constantly attend to and/or fix.
So, although it is efficient for us to use 1,2,3, etc. steps, it may not be the best design for the learners.
Always remember that learners:
- Do not live in a static world
- Are constantly changing, making decisions, fixing, solving, and improving work
I wonder if a (partial) solution might be to shift our objectives to be less granular and more focused on the fluid application of knowledge. IOW, could we foreground objectives that emphasize critical thinking about and reflection on the content itself? An example: "Learners will be able to evaluate situations involving X, Y, and Z and select one of multiple possible solutions." On the one hand, this sort of objective does what Will Thalheimer might call "subtly nudging action" on the part of both learners and other stakeholders (i.e., they start recognizing the value of critical thought and reflecting through problems to find solutions). On the other hand, it pushes us to rethink our designs (i.e., rather than questions or quizzes or scenarios with clear answers, we present representative situations with multiple possible resolutions and encourage learners to recognize the different possibilities, problems, and benefits those resolutions entail).