It is important to have clear goals and objectives that are specific enough to benefit both the student and the instructor. Clear goals and objectives clearly define what will be expected for mastery and/or a demonstrated proficiency in the course by the student. Vague or general objectives only stimulate confusion and the lack of understanding for both the student and the instructor.
Hi Tonia,
You have a great situation by having only two students. Since your 2 students are doing well you can use this time to refine your planning and writing of goals and objectives. This way you will be ready for this course the next time you get to teach it.
Gary
Hi Johnny,
You are right about the long days and sorry about the misstep on the words. Right now looking forward to Turkey day and some time away from the office.
Gary
I thought I could approach things "week by week" and didn't realize how important having a complete understanding of the whole course was. Now 1/2 way through I'm finding myself lost & so are my students. Having goals gives gives not ONLY myself but the students a clear mindset as to where we are going & how we're to get there. I'm trying to make adjustments to salvage the quarter. Luckily my students (all 2 of them) are still doing well despite me.
Hi Gary,
I'm assuming your having long days as well and meant "why" instead of "what."
At the risk of stating the obvious, having clear goals and objectives is as big a help to me as it is to my students. I realize I often assume this is implied in my syllabus, but, in life, assumption is the catalyst of misunderstanding.
Hope all is well,
Johnny
It is important to have clear goals and objectives,in order for the students to know what will be covered and what is expected of them.
Hi Sandra,
You are so right. Thank you for sharing this with us because new instructors need to realize how important having clear goals and objectives are to their teaching success.
Gary
Mark,
The students won't be riding along after a while. It is just that simple. ~ Sandra
Well that's excellent John! Clarity is the key. ~ Sandra
The surest way to receiving a scathing evaluation is to not have clear goals and objectives for the students to work with. It is frustrating to the learners and time-consuming for the faculty to try and explain. ~ Sandra
Hi Jacqueline,
Your comments make your courses come alive. I want to take some of your courses. You are showing your students application and relevancy in course areas that normally are thought of as being only required courses. Great work!
Gary
The courses I teach, Humanities 301 and 302, Art History, are a requirment for students hoping to secure a bachelor's degree with expertise in their chosen fields such as Interior Design, Game Design, Digital Media, Fashion Design, Graphics, and so forth. Often they do not know why the course in Art History/Humanities is a requirment. Also, they resist the frequent writing of short MLA papers. I find that from the beginning, they must see that there is relevency in all of their writing, whether they try to see themselves dealing with customers after graduation or even within their "business" say of Game Design,where they will be expected to write their ideas and make them understandable for members working on "parts" to be able to proceed with the process of utilizing all of the members of a team working on one game. One has to communicate, no matter where in life one ends up. Thus the goal of writing becomes understandable for the course and as a lifelong goal. (The idea that one can always improve and grow as far as writing skills can also become a goal.) Another class goal is to try to understand why the artwork was created in relation to its culture and then to see why it says a great deal historically, even in materials and technology used along with subject matter itself. Then, hopefully, the student can talk intelligently about the past and even the present, showing what art means and how it is relevant to what is going on now. For me, one of the jewels of this type of course is seeing how humanity began to step forward in the realm of achieving individual freedom. This is often championed in artworks which show the great events of history, all vital to each student for valuing our own freedom. All of this is for the individual to realize that he or she is becoming an educated person (an ongoing process) enable to free himself or herself from the slavery that any systems or threats might pose even within the times we live, a person capable of reasoning and searching for valid information, plus free to express himself or herself well.
Hi Chris,
Clear goals and objectives are create a road map of learning for the students and helps to get them invested in the course early because they know what is going to occur in the coming weeks.
Gary
The objectives need to be clear so the student will have a solid and accurate point of reference. We need to teach the students to look ahead in their studies and to prepare ahead of time. Having a solid goal concerning class objectives does that.
Hi Rebekah,
Good example of why concrete goals are so important. You can achieve a goal if you don't know what the goal is. Helping them define their goals is a part of being an educator, plus it is great to see when they are able to verbalize their goals.
Gary
I have to agree with Amanda here. Starting each day with a list of objectives that I check off as I go along has really helped students gain confidence day by day in my challenging math classes.
I always tell my students that having a clear concrete goal to work towards will help them to identify the specific steps that they must take on their way to that goal. If their goal is “happiness†but they don’t know what happiness means to them, how are they going to get there?
Clarification of goals and objectives lessens the stress and frustrations within a classroom setting. The explicit knowledge of what is expected of the students including their grading and benefit expectations could be motivating factors during their learning experience. This positive motivation will deliver their dreams.
Gives them an opportunity to see what they will be learning and prepare for the class. Also it gives them a general idea of the will be able to learn and know when have reached that point.
Hi Jay,
You are right this is an ongoing process. They need to be reminded the reason they are in school and what they are getting out of all their effort. This helps to keep the motivation level up.
Gary
