The learning objectives for the course are the measurable outcomes that you would like your students to be able to accomplish at the end of the course. Course goals and learning objectives are often used interchangeably. They are measurable, and there should not be more than five or six for your entire course. Then, for each chapter or unit, you'll have unit learning goals, and they will tie to your overall course goals/learning objectives.

How do you actually frame learning objectives on the course and the unit level? How do you ensure that you frame them so that they're measurable and also at the correct cognitive level?

Bloom's Taxonomy is the standard used for writing learning objectives, particularly in the cognitive domain. Bloom's Taxonomy is used to classify educational learning objectives into levels of complexity and specificity. First developed in 1948 by Benjamin Bloom, and later modified, the tool provides a framework for selecting the verbs used in describing outcomes and then mapping them to activities.

As one can see in the following diagram, in Bloom's Taxonomy, the lowest rung of the ladder is the least in complexity, and it ascends to finally achieve the highest level:

For the source of the image, visit https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/Bloom%27s_Taxonomy.png

The value of using Bloom's Taxonomy for developing a course as well as an instructional strategy is that it assures both clarity and consistency in design.

Further, by using Bloom's Taxonomy, one can ensure that they follow a sequence from less complex to more complex and properly scaffold the learning so that concepts and skills build on each other in levels of increasing complexity and difficulty.