Your course objectives are critical, but their impact is necessarily short term. How key points can help you consider the lasting effects of your course.
If you’ve created a course, you’ve probably been told to start by establishing “learning objectives.” I can write Bloom-style objectives with my eyes closed and my hands tied behind my back. But after decades in professional education, I’ve realized that an objective alone doesn’t tell the whole story. There’s something else that matters just as much. It’s what I call a key point. To understand the difference between objectives and key points, and how to design smarter courses with key points, let’s start by defining and describing each.
What’s an objective?
A learning objective defines what the learner will be able to do by the end of instruction. It’s performance-based, measurable, and observable. It’s the destination we want learners to reach.
- The learner will be able to measure blood pressure using a manual cuff.
- …analyze a marketing campaign’s return on investment.
- …perform a basic blues progression in 12/8 time.
Each of these statements focuses on action. The action is something we can see, evaluate, or verify. Objectives guide our assessment methods and define success.
What’s a key point?
A key point is not something the learners “do” during a course. It’s something learners carry with them long afterwards. A key point is the essential fact, principle, or concept (or perhaps procedure or process) that underpins the objective and helps learners apply it in the real world.
It’s the “aha!” that sticks after the course is over.
- Accurate blood pressure readings depend on proper cuff size and arm positioning. (Principle)
- Profitability isn’t just about revenue; it’s about understanding margins and lifetime customer value. (Concept)
- The emotional tone of a blues piece comes from the tension between structure and improvisation. (Principle)
- Water boils at 100°C (212°F) at sea level. (Fact)
Each of those statements captures something worth remembering — something that changes how the learner thinks or approaches a task, not just what they do.
Why key points deserve more attention
Objectives are essential. They give structure and accountability to our teaching. But key points are what make learning stick. Oddly, I find that key points indicate both learning in the moment (hence they are great for knowledge checks during the course), and for longer term learning and real-life application.
I might say that objectives drive assessment (such as a post-test), while key points drive a longer-term remembering that fosters on-the-job application. I include key points in the course workbook, and I try to verbally reiterate them many times throughout the course. (3–5 key points is about right for one hour of learning.)
Maybe you’ve caught yourself saying something like, “Oh, I heard Marie teach ten years ago, and she said, ‘Watch the baby, not the clock.’” At the time, you probably met the stated objective and aced the post-test questions about newborn satiation. But a decade later, what stayed with you wasn’t the objective. It was the key point: watch the baby, not the clock.
That’s why I tie my knowledge checks directly to the key points, not just the objectives.
If learners can recall or apply a key point, they’ve shown true long-term understanding and application of the knowledge. Knowledge checks are the perfect place to reinforce those takeaways — a quick question, a short scenario, or even a single reflective prompt can bring a key point back to life.
To design smarter courses with key points, consider this: The objective is the destination; what the learner will be able to do. The key points are the signposts along the way; the ideas they must remember to get there.
How to tell when it’s a key point
I can’t always explain how I know something is a key point. I just feel it. If I find myself thinking, “This is something I’d want to remember when I’m back on the job,” it’s a key point.
Key points are the bits of content that make me stop and think, “If they forget everything else, they need to remember this.”
Over time, I’ve realized that the things which trigger my gut-level reaction tend to fall into five well-recognized categories in instructional design:
1. Facts: solid, verifiable pieces of information
Human somatic cells have 46 chromosomes (23 pairs.)
2. Concepts: categories or ideas that help organize knowledge
“Customer journey” describes the stages a buyer goes through before purchase.
3. Principles: cause-and-effect relationships
In photography, more light doesn’t always mean a better image; contrast and direction matter more.
4. Procedures: step-by-step methods
To de-escalate a conflict, start with validation before offering solutions.
5. Processes: sequences that unfold over time
The creative process involves cycles of exploration, frustration, and refinement.
When something fits one of these categories and it feels like knowledge I’d use again later, it’s almost certainly something that will help me design smarter courses with key points.
A few more cross-disciplinary examples of key points
- In healthcare: Hand hygiene remains the single most effective way to prevent infection. (Principle)
- In entrepreneurship: A business plan is a living document, not a one-time exercise. (Concept)
- In education: Adults learn best when they can connect new information to prior experience. (Principle)
- In technology: Automation saves time only when the underlying process is sound. (Principle)
- In cooking: A crisp, golden crust on salmon depends on a dry surface and a hot pan — not constant flipping. (Principle)
- In creative work: Creative work moves in loops, not lines — draft, reflect, refine, repeat. (Process)
- In driving: To stop safely on snow, ease off the accelerator, steer gently, and brake in short pulses. (Procedure)
- In manufacturing: Continuous improvement follows a cycle of planning, doing, checking, and acting (PDCA). (Process)
- In daily life: Water freezes at 0°C (32°F). (Fact)
- In healthcare: A blood pressure cuff that is too small for the arm will produce a falsely high reading.
Each of these statements distills an important truth that supports performance but also transcends it.
Putting it all together
When I’m designing a course, I start with clear, measurable objectives — because that’s how I know what success looks like.
But I also try to identify and highlight the key points because that helps learners to experience learning that will last long after they’ve passed the test or completed the course.
If you design learning experiences — in healthcare, business, art, or anywhere else — try listing your key points beside your objectives. See how it changes what you teach, and what your learners remember. That’s how you design smarter courses with key points.