It helps to keep the instructor and students on the same course. The students get a clear picture of what is expected of them and the instructor has an outline to follow
Cindy,
Good question and the answer depends on several issues. Many career colleges provide instructors with a formal syllabus and set of goals and objectives. In this case the instructor needs to look at the goals and objectives and see how he/she can personalize them to their style of teaching. In other situations, if a new instructor is given a good set of goals and objectives then that instructor can use them to teach the course and interject their own stories and examples. The third method can be the one you list and that would be use the goals and objectives as guides and create your own. For a first time instructor I would suggest you use the provided goals and objectives and concentrate on your instructional delivery. You will be busy enough preparing your content and delivery the first time through. The next time you teach the course you can review the goals and objectives and make any adjustments you feel are needed. Continue to do this each time you teach the course and you will be continually refining and improving your course.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Clear goals and objectives lay a good foundation and keep the instructor organized. It also gives the students a clear understanding of what is expected of them. From reading the material it looks like a good instructor will spend a good amount of time setting goals and objectives. For new instructors is it a good idea to use the goals and objectives of the instructor that taught before you? Or should you use their information as a guide and create your own goals and objectives for the first time you teach a new class?
Tammie,
I have found the same in my teaching. This is a good thought to consider in planning your instructional delivery. It is fun to be a teacher when you have students that are seeking more and are eager to learn.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Tara,
Good point. We need to be clear and concise when we share the expectations of our courses. This way the students can see the big picture of what is going to come. You are right humans don't like surprises when it comes to performance based efforts like classes.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I have found that students who are given a clear base of goals can meet the objectives in a timely fashion and usually gain a hunger for just that little bit more. The goals are a great jumping point especially if you leave a hint that you are only scratching the surface and even better stuff is just a new goal away.
I think it's only fair to give the students a "heads up" of what they are getting into so they can mentally prepare themselves for the future. I'm currently a student myself and I don't like to be surprised!
I feel that having clear goals and objectives for a course is important on two levels. It is important for students to have a clear understanding of what they are expected to learn from a course, as well as what kind of work they will be responsible for throughout the duration of the course. In addition to this, it is equally important for an instructor to lay out clear goals and objectives for a course to build the framework for the course, and to help guide the process of instruction throughout the duration of the course. This helps the instructor stay on-task and also helps to assess whether or not students are progressing satisfactorily.
Clear goals and objectives create the learning path and keeps the focus of the learning experience in tact. It is a road map to what needs to be accomplished. Without goals and objectives, the structure of the course is loose and can loose focus. Accountability is lost and learning validation cannot occur.
Having clear goals and objectives will help the instructors direct the students to learn the relevant topics, in an efficient manner.
Kimberly,
I would highly recommend that you revisit the goals and objectives midway through the course for two reasons. One, students forget quickly so they need the reminder of why they are taking the course and how it fits into their career development and two, how much progress they have made in a few short weeks. They sometimes get so focused on being successful in the course they forget they are really learning a lot so this mid-course reminder helps them to see the progress they have made.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
It is important for the the students in their first day of class to understand the goals and objectives of the class. This will provide the direction they will need in order to feel the sense of accomplishment in achieving the guidelines necessary to pass the course. I refer them to the syllables where they will see the objectives of the course laid out.
I am curious if other instructors have found it useful to revisit these goals and objectives midway through the course, to be sure all the students feel on target?
James,
The term "drifting" comes to mind when you don't have goals and objectives. You and your students just wonder around the material with no defined outcomes. Good points, thanks for sharing them with us.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Jesse,
Clear goals and objectives make it easier for everyone. You because you know how to plan for the course and the students because they know expectations as a result of the shared goals and objectives.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
without goals and objectives you have no direction and therefore you have no plan. you must set goals and objectives to better yourself and to help you stay focused on the plan for helping each and every srudent. this also will give the students an understanding of what to expect from you as the course progresses
Defining clear goals and objectives will help the students understand immediately where this course will be taking them and what they will be able to do with that knowledge after going through the course.This can ease the students' concerns of how relevant the course will be in helping them advance in their career.They will also know what paths they will be taking to learn this information.
Mark,
I agree. They need to feel a sense of accomplishment over and over again throughout the course. The small or short term goals help them to have such feelings.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Catherine,
I wish you much teaching success. Enjoy the interaction with your students and look for ways to increase your expertise in teaching and before you know it you will be feeling very comfortable in the classroom.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Clear goals and objectives generally set the tone and pace of the class, it gives the course structure and organization. They enable me to teach the course in the quickest and most direct way for maximum students' learning without missing out the important points. They also give the students the relevant information about the course, the level of performance expected of them upon completion and guides them through the course.
Clear goals let the student know where they can be by the end of the specific course - whether it is 6 weeks long or a 15 week semester. Notice I said "can" be because at times we have students at least in the technical school where I teach that cannot or will not make the effort to reach the goals. It should give them an idea of how much effort they will need to expend to reach the goals. Clear Objectives give them a road map showing how the instructor intends to guide them to the goals. It breaks it down into smaller steps that hopefully seem more "doable" for the student. Objectives should further define for the student what it will take for them to reach those goals, and perhaps suggest methods they hadn't thought of as a way to accomplish the goals.
