Using the Online Course Design Tool to Plan Your Course



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Re-envisioning Bloom’s Taxonomy

Bloom's Taxonomy is a well-known learning framework used by educators to identify the depth (or level) of learning desired of students and to craft learning outcomes.

Originally shared in 1956, Benjamin Bloom's original framework focused on the cognitive domain only, but in the years since has been expanded to other domains. Bloom’s work in the cognitive domain was extensively revised and reinterpreted in 2001 by a group of cognitive psychologists, curriculum theorists, and instructional experts to make it more dynamic, action-oriented, and learner-centered. This Revised Taxonomy also addressed many of the concerns Bloom himself had about his original work (see Wilson, 2020).

Although the cognitive domain remains the most commonly used, today’s taxonomy currently includes three domains of learning:

  1. cognitive (mental knowledge)
    • First developed by Benjamin Bloom (1956) but revised extensively in 2001
  2. affective (feelings/emotions)
    • Developed in 1964 by David Krathwohl
  3. psychomotor (manual/physical doing)
    • Emerged in the 1970s based on the work of Harrow (1972) Simpson (1972) and Dave (1970).

What do you think?

Some scholars argue for further expansion of the taxonomy into new domains, like a Digital Taxonomy. What do you think of this idea?

Let's pause here and watch a video on the "why" and "how" of Bloom's Taxonomy (specifically, the cognitive domain), along with a few examples of the taxonomy in use.

As you likely noticed in the video, Bloom’s Taxonomy is commonly arranged in a pyramid shape from lower order to higher order. Working within the cognitive domain, the video presented the following order (from low to high):

An inforgraphic of blooms taxonomy, each element relies on the one that came before it, from remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, to create.
Humber College

Bloom’s Taxonomy progresses through six different levels of thinking, as follows:

  1. Remember: Recall facts and basic concepts. Verbs associated with this level include: define, duplicate, list, memorize, repeat, state.

  2. Understand: Explain ideas or concepts. Verbs associated with this level include: classify, describe, discuss, explain, identify, locate, recognize, report, select, translate.

  3. Apply: Use information in new situations. Verbs associated with this level include: execute, implement, solve, use, demonstrate, interpret, operate, schedule, sketch.

  4. Analyze: Draw connections among ideas. Verbs associated with this level include: differentiate, organize, relate, compare, contrast, distinguish, examine, experiment, question, test.

  5. Evaluate: Justify a stand or decision. Verbs associated with this level include: appraise, argue, defend, judge, select, support, value, critique, weigh.

  6. Create: Produce new or original work. Verbs associated with this level include: design, assemble, construct, conjecture, develop, formulate, author, investigate.

The unfortunate side-effect of this hierarchical structure is that it gives rise to the misconception that certain types of thinking or learning are more important than others. The reality is quite the contrary: when a learner engages in the higher orders of thinking on the pyramid, they are also relying upon the types of thinking that come below it. After all, can you analyze something without remembering and understanding it? Of course not!

Bloom’s Taxonomy is a useful tool for course designers and developers because it helps them carefully think about the types of thinking and learning that have to take place in order to achieve a specific outcome. Each level of Bloom’s Taxonomy is associated with appropriate verbs that can be thoughtfully selected when writing learning outcomes and lesson objectives to achieve the correct depth or level of learning. Understanding the different levels of cognitive demand will also help you match assessments with the different levels of learning outcomes to ensure that learners are going to meet those goals.

Try the Interactive Bloom’s Taxonomy Tool

Humber’s Innovative Learning team has created an interactive taxonomy tool focused on the cognitive domain. Please try searching one or more verbs from learning outcomes you have worked with in the past. You can also select a level by clicking a specific tile to view a list of suggested verbs and assessment types. You will want to understand how to use this tool, as you will find it helpful as you draft your own outcomes and select assessments, so please take some time to explore it now.

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