It is important to have clear goals and objectives for each course, and equally important, each class so students are aware of what is to be holistically expected. I remember in college, I thought objectives to be needless and a jargon term in education. However, as I developed myself professionally, I realized that I, as much as the students, rely on these goals to keep me focused and responsible. It keeps the instructor and the students from straying off course and maintaining clarity.
I agree. Having clear goals and expectations makes the learning process easier for students - and their academic performance is better as a result!
Mark McMullen
Having clear goals is important so that students clearly know and understand course expectations. All goals should be written in SMART format - i.e. Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic and Trackable. The more specific and measurable the goal, the better the goal!
Mark McMullen
Clear goals and objectives lay the foundation of the next few sessions. In the classes I teach time is limited. There are times when students become so engaged that precious time could be lost and contribute to getting off track.
Writing goals and objectives is important to any course. When i first began writing objectives I have to admit that they were poorly written. It is important to use all four elements taught in this module to write effective objectives. I have also learned the value of verbs in writing objectives. Verbs such as discuss verus describe set the tone for what is expected ie critical thinking and more in depth disccusion of topics.
Isabel
Putting myself in the student situation, it will be very dificult if there are not clear goal and or objective of the class. With that said, I think that having a clear goal in the class is benefitial to both, the student and the instructor.
To me having clear goals and objectives makes the students aware of what the class goals and the expectations are. In the other hand it is easier for me as instructor to follow a clear and already setup path for the class.
Thank you for the insight. As a continuing education lecturer in the past I would follow the tenet to tell your audience what you are going to cover, then tell them the material, then recap what you just told them. You have taken it one more step and asked them to identify what was a stand out concept in your course for them. Nice feedback technique and it forces them to review the knowledge that they have attained to answer the question.
Because it shows the students exactly what to expect. It also gives you a clear picture of where you are going with the class.
It helps give the students expectations of the course and also gets them familiar with the content so they know what they will be learning, and to know what is expected of them. It also helps plan for the course.
Hi Martin,
You are on the right track. You have a clear goal and supporting objectives that keep the students moving forward in their learning.
Good job!
Gary
So the students understand and know what to expect from the course and what they will/should be learning. Clear goals and objectives also allow me to focus on what to teach.
Gary,
To understand this further I would like to provide an example and please tell me if I am on the right track.
Goal: To understand the relationship between hardware and software in a computer system.
Objective 1 - Understand software and the various types such as system and application
Objective 2 - Identify hardware components and what they do.
Objective 3 - Understand how software communicates with hardware.
Thanks,
Martin
Hi Mark,
Goals are general directional indicators of what you want to accomplish in the class. Objectives are the specific learning points along the way that enable you to accomplish the goal.
As long as you know what you want to accomplish with your students and what their outcomes should be then you don't need to get hung up on language.
Gary
Hi Mark,
Thanks for sharing your method of getting started as a new instructor. Your advice will be of great help to other new instructors as they approach the classroom for the first time.
Gary
Having clear goals and objectives is essential to assuring that all learners will understand what the expectations of a given class are. This is particularly important when teaching a course that appears to have no relationship to a learner’s degree program. The learner may enter into the classroom environment feeling resentful or angry that they are required to take the course, but feel better after reading goals and objectives, provided they are effective and demonstrate that the course is not “just a waste of timeâ€.
Phyllis
I learned a really cool thing from a Director of Curriculum. When ever I write down my objectives I thing of "SWBAT" which stands for, Students Will Be Able To (what). Describe, explain, demonstrate, label,give an example of....If I used action verbs to get their attention then this would also keep me motivated and keep me on track to what I was teaching.
Clear goals and objectives provide a true understanding of the course subject matter. There is no guesswork on the instructor or students part on what to expect. They facilitate learning in the sense that any aspect of confusion is significantly reduced.
It's hard for me to get a handle on the difference between a goal and an objective. I've read the definitions, but don't find them really helpful, maybe because I see them misapplied so often. I don't know that I've ever seen a syllabus with listed goals - they all list objectives. And some of those 'objectives' looked more like goals, as defined by this module.
Does it really matter what we call them, as long as they are giving us clear direction?
I find it easy to meander off the path, to move into areas which are interesting (to me, at least!) and related to the day's topic, and maybe even important. A learning objective is an anchor that keeps me from wandering too far afield.
