There are three types of learning identified by a committee of colleges, led by Benjamin Bloom (1956):

• Cognitive: mental skills (Knowledge)
• Affective: growth in feelings or emotional areas (Attitude)
• Psychomotor: manual or physical skills (Skills)

The Bloom group worked out details on the Cognitive Domain which involves knowledge and the development of intellectual skills. As shown below, it is a continuum from Lower Order Thinking Skills (LOTS) to Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS). In this blog, bottom two categories are considered LOTS, and top four categories are HOTS.

ITaP provides Purdue instructors with a selected suite of instructional technology tools which could facilitate the assessment of students’ growth in intellectual skills. The goal is to provide opportunities to make students aware of their understanding of a subject and their abilities, inform instructors to teach accordingly, and improve student achievement.

LOTS:

HOTS:

For questions about learning technologies to assist with instruction, please email us tlt-consulting@purdue.edu.

References:

Bloom B. S. (1956). Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, Handbook I: The Cognitive Domain. New York: David McKay Co Inc.