Colin,
I agree, the course objectives should have a direct connection with all of the course content. When students are not able to see the connection in a particular assessment or an assignment, it is a good idea to discuss the relationship to them, even if it is indirect. If not, students may lose focus on the assignment and possibly the entire course.
Tremayne Simpson
mark,
This is an effective way to explain the importance of course learning objectives to students. I use a similar analogy, however I compare it to a video game (we have a large game design program), in that each objective represents a level and as we conquer the levels, we are able to acquire the desired skill.
Tremayne Simpson
Bruce ,
I agree with your methods. In many cases, a curriculum develpment team creates the learning objectives for courses and it is important that we are able to summarize and appropriately explain the primary goals of the objectives to our students.
Tremayne Simpson
Constructing coherent learning objectives is really the basis for everything else in the curriculum for a particular course. The objectives serve as an outline for lectures, demonstrations and assessments, and the objectives give the students a structure for their learning.
I agree, the learning objectives do help keep the instructional information in align with the goals and expectations of the students. When we reivew the course syllabus and lesson plans for a course, I always make sure and state the importance of each objective and how each one will help them when they are out in the "real world". Students want to learn what the sonographers are doing out in the field and so they like to feel that everything they are learning in class is being taught for a reason.
Objectives are just as important for the instructor as the students. It gives them both the satisfaction of knowing where the class is headed and can actually build trust between them because they know that they are staying on task. When students can see that the objectives given them at the beginning of the day are met each day, they are confident that they are on task as well as the instructor. Its the skeleton of the entire learning experience. Almost like watching yourself step up the ladder rung by rung. Each objective being the rung on the ladder. Soon you will reach the top together!!!
If they are unclear to me I will seek out the counsel of the curriculum advisory board, or a member thereof. However, if it's unclear to the students (if I was to present it in that manner), I would adapt the language to the audience in which I'm teaching.
Bruce ,
How do you proceed in situations where the course learning objectives are written in an obscure or unclear method?
Tremayne Simpson
Julie,
This is a great point. The learning objectives are created to provide "concrete" topics that will be attained in the particular course. Instructors can provide "abstract" reasoning (and clarify further) during individual, topic-specific lectures.
Tremayne Simpson
David,
This is a great method for the first day of class. I have a similar method and ask the students to highlight key words in the learning objectives of each individual assignment. Once they review all of their assignments, they can clearly see the alignment of course goals.
Tremayne Simpson
It is important to isolate the relevant goals for stutend learmning so that students have a sense of an uinderstanding of what is expected of them and to give the course a sense of relevance in the broader scope of the students education.
James,
I agree. The verbiage for learning objectives is "general", in order to provide the instructor with viable options to assist the students in obtaining them. With each individual assignment, lecture or demonstration, the instructor can further clarify the learning objective and attained skill set.
Tremayne Simpson
Carol,
I agree with you and Stephen. It is important that the students understand the "synergy" of course content as they pertain to the learning objectives. This is an ongoing task that must be illustrated to the students, each day of the course, through activities and lectures.
Tremayne Simpson
Carol,
How do you proceed in situations where it is difficult to assess (i.e. difficult to test or create an assignment) a particular learning objective?
Tremayne Simpson
Because well written objectives give the students and instructor, a clear path of what is expected during, throughout and in conclusion of each class. It also, gives the instructor a clear defined blueprint as what to follow and cover and re-affirm.
It gives the students a concrete agenda of what topic is to be covered and myself a guide or plan that will help me to implement what needs to be done for student learning on that particulat subject
Learning objectives are a look forward at the beginning of and throughout the class. The students probably have an idea of what they think they should be learning in a class, and what their skills will be after completing the class. But what better than actual objectives to communicate to the students what you and the school expect them to be able to accomplish and what they will actually be learning about through the course you are teaching them?
On the first day of class of any session, I always cover the syllabus and learning objectives. When I read the objectives aloud, I make sure to emphasize key learning points that I think the students should be highlighting as I read them. I will literally tell them to underline or highlight that part of the sentence.
I think that the objective may be more general than the learning experience itself, and therefore the principle of the lesson can be grasped.
Hi Stephen,
Good point, and this is why I often remind students to refer back to the course objectives. Objectives help the teacher organize the course, and they help students understand what they are working toward.
Carol Myslinski, Instructor
Hello,
Objectives are extremely important because the entire course, lesson plans, rubrics, tests, etc., is creation is based on the objections.
Carol Myslinski, Instructor
