Bloom's Taxonomy
Course objectives and student learning outcome (SLO) statements should begin with
verbs from Bloom’s Taxonomy, a widely used system of classification for learning skills
and aims. Bloom’s Taxonomy offers a hierarchical model of learning, where the achievement
of skills at higher levels is indicative of critical thinking, and presupposes the
achievement of skills at lower levels.
Initiators are encouraged to articulate course objectives and SLOs so as to identify
those skills from the taxonomy that most accurately identify both the type and level
of learning that takes place in their courses. The table found below (based upon the
2001 revision by Lorin Anderson and David Krathwohl) focuses on learning outcomes
in the cognitive domain.
For a guide and a checklist for evaluating outcome statements of taxonomical language in the affective and psychomotor learning domains, see here.
For a more detailed description of the origin and applications of Bloom’s Taxonomy, see here.
To learn how educators are reframing Bloom’s Taxonomy through the lens of online and hybrid learning, watch this linked YouTube video.
| Visual Representation | Category | Overarching Learner Skills | Sample Verbs |
|---|---|---|---|
 Visual representation of increasing complexity from bottom to top |
Creating/Synthesis (Critical Thinking) | New ideas and information are developed based upon what has been previously learned. | Act, Assemble, Blend, Combine, Compile, Compose, Concoct, Construct, Create, Design, Develop, Devise, Formulate, Forecast, Generate, Hypothesize, Imagine, Invent, Organize, Originate, Predict, Plan, Prepare, Propose, Produce, Set up |
| Evaluating (Critical Thinking) | Decisions are informed by reflection, criticism and assessment | Appraise, Argue, Assess, Choose, Compare, Conclude, Criticize, Critique, Debate, Decide, Deduce, Defend, Determine, Differentiate, Discriminate, Evaluate, Infer, Judge, Justify, Measure, Predict, Prioritize, Probe, Rank, Rate, Recommend, Revise, Score, Select, Validate, Value | |
| Analyzing (Critical Thinking) | Information is 'broken up' into its discrete parts in an attempt to identify justification for conclusions | Analyze, Appraise, Arrange, Calculate, Categorize, Compare, Contrast, Criticize, Debate, Detect, Diagram, Discriminate, Dissect, Distinguish, Examine, Experiment, Group, Infer, Inquire, Inspect, Investigate, Order, Probe, Question, Relate, Research, Scrutinize, Separate, Sequence, Sift, Subdivide, Summarize, Survey, Test | |
| Applying | Information is used in new or novel situations | Adapt, Apply, Calculate, Change, Collect, Compute, Construct, Demonstrate, Dramatize, Draw, Exhibit, Generalize, Illustrate, Interpret, Interview, Make, Manipulate, Operate, Paint, Practice, Sequence, Show, Sketch, Solve, Translate | |
| Understanding | Information is properly interpreted and translated | Account for, Annotate, Associate, Classify, Convert, Define, Describe, Discuss, Estimate, Explain, Express, Identify, Indicate, Interpret, Observe, Outline, Recognize, Reorganize, Report, Research, Restate, Retell, Review, Translate | |
| Remembering | The learner can recall and restate learned information | Choose, Cite, Enumerate, Group, Label, List, Listen, Locate, Match, Memorize, Name, Outline, Quote, Read, Recall, Recite, Record, Relate, Repeat, Reproduce, Review, Select, Show, Sort, State, Underline, Write |