It is important to have clear goals and objectives so students have a clear understanding of where they stand.
Candace,
This is one of the challenges of being an instructional leader. You have to keep the students on course toward the end goal of knowledge and skill acquisition. As you say sometimes this can be very hard to do but it must be done.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
To give the student comfidents and help them reach their goals
I find even with a roadmap, our discussions go offroad for a bit and sometimes it's hard to get back. I let them go if the distraction is productive and if not, I have to take the wheel back and get on with our journey
Ted,
Right you are about goals and objectives. They guide the students throughout the course because they can see where the objectives are taking them.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Helps keep students focused on the subject at matter and helps them work toward completing the goal.
Candace,
Right you are about the roadmap. Without a well defined roadmap no telling where you will end up or how lost you will be. This cannot happen in teaching. The stakes are too high.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Pamela,
Good point because if the goals and objectives are not clear then the students will soon start to get confused and frustrated since they don't know where the course is going or what it takes to be successful in it.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
The goal gives the student an end result...and objectives show how they will get to that end goal.
This tells the students exactly what they will be learning ahead of time. This gives them a chance to use their critical thinking skills while learning.
Goals and objectives are the roadmap for your students to follow through out the course. They also serve as a guide to make sure the instructor is staying on track and is progressing.
Also I think having them laid out in a clear, concise format on the Syllabus is very important as well. Since students feel overwhelmed by looking at the Syllabus, trying to find information it should be as simple as possible.
I feel it is important to have clear goals and objectives because then the students are not left wondering what they will be doing, how they will be doing these things, when they are to do them, and how they are to know if they have learned them.
Sometimes the objectives are written in a syllabus for us and are confusing or not consistent so as an instructor, I feel I must do what I know I need to do to help the students learn in a more successful manner!
David,
I like the example you give in relation to football. So true in terms of being clear and concise with objectives. I see many instructors that do not do this and then they are frustrated when the students don't seem to be engaged in the course. A simple solution could be there for them -- Share Objectives With The Students.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Without establishing clear objectives and goals is a lot like playing football without having goal lines, goal posts and yard lines. Developing clear objectives and goals allows the student to tackle the main goals with bite size objectives. The student can look back and see how he or she was when they started their program and they can gain self-confidence as they steadily move forward in a positive direction. As a clinical dental hygiene instructor I see a marked increase in the skill and ability when the student has clear objectives aqnd goals.
Clear goals and objectives are needed to be able to develop a plan, or road map , showing how theses objectives are to be achieved. The must be clearly understood by you and also the student, quantifiable,and realistically obtainable if you are going to reach the desired outcome of the course.
Simply stated: goals and objectives provide everyone with direction (professor and students). These statements make it clear about what will be learned and how.
Goals and Objectives are needed for both the student and teacher to keep on tract. I find that discussions can take some strange turns. Having daily goals can get an intresting discussion back toward the learning objective, with out stifling the students energy level.
Mike
As a teacher having clear goals and objectives helps not only yourself but also the students. Each day will be a building block from the prior day and when the course is over everyone will know if they accomplished/or got the most out of the material covered
So the students can have a clear communications fo what is expected of them through the course.
