I believe it is unfair NOT to have clear goals and objectives for students. As a student myself, and a manager, I do NOT like to know what is expected of me--I enjoyed this program because once I got it down, I was able to move through it easily, and it was enjoyable. Wendy
So that the students have a clear knowledge of what will be expected of them and give them a clear picture of what the course or class will be covering and the content
Hi Dr. Volz,
Well said. I am surprised at the number of instructors that don't have clear goals and objectives for their classes and students. I couldn't teach without them because I wouldn't know where I was trying to go and it would be sure that the student's wouldn't know what is going on.
Gary
This is a great question, Dr. Meers. Having clear, broad goals and specific objectives for courses allow students to know what is expected of them. They will understand the direction of the course and the pinpointed activities they will have to master in order to obtain the desired grades.
Dr. Stephen Volz
Having clear goals and objectives for my course has proven to assist students in questions they have or may have about what will be gained from the course. I list my goals and objectives in a power point presentation and go over during the first class. This presentation has given my students insight on what is expected of them each and every class. Having clear goals and objectives has made teaching much easier.
Hi,
It is important to have a clear idea about my teaching objectives, so I can discuss methods that I use to achieve or work toward those objectives.
I think it will help me to display my knowledge and share it with the students, so that will make my teaching objectives more clear and I will be able to discuss how each approach is designed for a purpose.
Having goals and objectives for the course let's the students know what will be accomplished in the class. The objectives and goals need to be concrete so that after the class a student can look back and say, "Yes, I know how to do that!"
Having clear goals and objectives for the course provides your students the "road map" of the course. The goals tell the students what they should learn in the course and the objectives tell them how they will get there.
Hi Joanna,
Good point about the need for clear goals and objectives. For many of us educators to have clear goals and objectives seem obvious but you would be surprised at how many instructors don't have them or even list them for their students. I have no idea how they make it through a course or know when they have finished the course except that time is up.
Gary
As we learned so far, simply without clear goals and objectives for the course you and the entire class would be running in circles confused with no directions. It would be like everyone in the room had a different language and had no clue what each other were doing. No one would have direction.
Having clear goals and objections provides the road map of where the course is heading from first day of class to finals week. They enable the learner to understand where they are going and how they will get there.
Clear goals help to create a positive learning environment. Students know what is expected and how to successfully navigate the course.It helps to focus student's minds on the task ahead.
Clear goals sets expectations on how to accomplish those goals together as a class. The objectives, or requirements, should be established through labs, lectures and other means of involvement. It's important to develop goals and objectives as they point you in the right direction of accomplishment.
Having clear goals and objectives for your course is not only important but essential. If your goals are too hard to understand then the person being instructed will tend to do the wrong process which will result in failure.
Hi M. Clinger,
Right you are and the more clear you can make your goals and expectations they easier it will be for the students to understand what they need to do to be successful.
Gary
It provides clear direction of where the course is headed and where it will end. Clear goals helps the instructor and student with focus. Objectives provide the means of obtaining the goals.
Hi Andrew,
Good comments about helping students to see value to the course content. This increases the motivation level as well as an understanding of application and relevancy.
Gary
It gives students an understanding of what the coarse is about and what is expected. It allows students to see their own progress and comprehention with the matierials and how their understanding is relating to outlined goals and objectives
It is important to have clear goals and objectives because it keeps all involved focused on the course. The instructor can therefore use her best practices to see that the students reach those goals. They should inform the students each time a goal has been met. That way, the students will feel a sense of accomplishment and be prepared for an assessment.
By the instructor developing clear goals and objectives, it starts with helping the instructor understand their vision for the class. Once the instructor has clearly identified their own goals and objectives, then sharing with students helps to clarify what this course is about and what the expectations are for what will be learned. This communication between instructor and student leads to more satisfaction at the end of the course for both.
I have found that clear understandable goals is a key factor in helping my students when they are studying. I try to connect with these goals throughout teaching on the subject.
