Like a rudder in deep waters, specific Goals/ Objectives steer the ship such that by week 8 you have blue skies instead of mutiny. :-)
Students need to know what is expected of the course and what materials that will be covered. Everytime you begin a new chapter you have a list of objectives telling you what you can expect to learn. The goal of the student should be that they would want to accomplish the objectives to accomplish the goal. This is for every class, book, chapter, etc. This is also listed in the syllabus as well.
A clear set of goals and objectives will allow the students to develop questions about what they do not understand or are having a difficult time with. If they do not understand what they are suppose to be doing how can they ask for help?
By having clear goals & objectives laid out at the initial start of your course will allow for a clear and specific expectations of the class and of the student. This will prevent and misunderstandings later in the course and eliminate surprises for the student.Give them concise and precice clarity as they go through the course and allow them to pace themselves as they see fit to allow them to manage their time more efficiently.
Clear goals and objectives are important because they let the students know what is expected at course beginning and what is to be accomplished or learned by end of course.
I think it is important to know where you are starting and where you are ending in order to stay on track with the course
Geoffrey,
This is a good way to bring accountability into your instruction and content. You know you can measure the outcomes since you have quantifiable objectives and competency points.
Gary
Dr. Meers;
I always like to check to make sure my goals and objectives are "measurable and observable"; that is, that I can evaluate them via some quantifiable method.
Clear goals and objectives help the students know what is expected of them and what information and skills they should have by the end of the course.It also lets them prepare for a better learning experience.
It is important to have clear goals and objectives to be able to deliver the material so that the students understand and retain the information.
helped to keep things organized and on track.
It is important to have clear goals and objectives for a course. This would allow students to know exactly what they need to know in the course and what is expected of them inorder to meet the objectives. By realizing the relativitiy of the the objectives as to how it relates to their future careers; their goals willthen be met.
Brenda,
How to you share your goals and objectives with your students? Thanks for your input on this.
Gary
This sets the learning focus for the course.
Goals and objectives define the outcome, what the students will learn and put into practice later on. The goals and objectives should answer the why? Students always want to know why the class is required and how it will benefit them in their career.
If the goals and ojectives are not clearly stated and followed the class has little focus and can wander from subject to subject with no known reason of what is important to learn or how the class fits in to the overall career path.
Zekrayat,
So true. This is the foundation for getting the students off to a good start in the course. Knowing what is to come and what the expectations are helps them to see how they can be successful in the course.
Gary
It is important to have goals and objectives for every class so the students know what type of knowledge they will gain, what is expected of them, and how to apply it to their careers.
To provide a recipe for student success and to help them understand what they are expected to learn by the end of the coarse. They can see what they need to learn and the end point when goals are achieved.
I agree with many of the responses. Students need to know what is expected of them, the boundaries, and the skill set or knowledge they need to master. Providing a thought out, well written and plan sets them up for success and as someone else commented, does not surprise them. As adult learners they are in charge of the outcome.
Having well-written goals will help your students understand where they will be going in your classroom. It is necessary to have well-written objectives in order to help them understand the steps they will be following to get to the end of the course with the results, skills, and knowledge needed to be successful in their chosen field.
If we as instructors do not do a proper job of informing our students about what the will be learning or what is expected of them we are not giving them the necessary tools needed to perform in the subject we are teaching them. We have to enable them to learn not just teach them to learn.
How can we accomplish this when many of our students are working students who are attending school at night in order to obtain a better education to change careers?
