Lisa,
Right you are about how goals and objectives should be structured and shared with students. This helps them to see the end results from the first day.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
James,
What are some ways you help your students to set goals of excellence in your class?
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Students need to know where the course is going and how to get there. Establishing goals helps the instructor to teach from a "goal oriented" perspective. Not only do the students know where they are going but the instructor is continually reminded of the end goal. The objectives then support the goal(s); breaking down the goals into manageable objectives.
when you developing a goals for a student should you want the student have the the desire,to exceed
Rhonda,
Good strategy. As you say this way they will know when they have achieved the goals and objectives. In addition, by writing them down the students are being held accountable for their own learning since they have in their own writing what they said they were going to accomplish.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Toni,
Without clear goals and objectives the class will be drifting and learning will be by chance. Also, at the end of the course no one will be sure what has occurred.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Having specific, defined goals and objectives for a class gives students an understanding of what information we will discuss, what they will know at the end of a quarter, and how we will accomplish them together. I have my students write goals using: How much? Of what? By when?
It's important so that everyone (students and instructors) knows where they are going; what they are working toward. It helps to give them benchmarks toward their progress.
I believe that establishing goals gives the student an opportunity to consider possible answers/solutions/methods to problem in that class and will, therefore, be more motivated to participate by sharing their deductions and hypotheses as well as to discover the correct answer to test their own reasoning.
Sharon,
The more realistic picture that can be painted for them the more engaged they will be in the learning process because they can see the ROI in what they are studying. They need see the connection between courses and their future and how all of this applies to their career success especially as they prepare to sit for their exams.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
It is imperative for the students to understand what they are expected to learn and what skillsets they will take away from the course. I teach in the area of accounting, so for those students looking to sit for the CPA or CMA exams, they need to understand exactly what they will be learning in the course (i.e., how to read financial statement, develop budgets, etc). I also believe that clear goals and objectives focus the students learning.
MARISSA,
Your last sentence is a good summary of why we have to work hard in providing the most up to date content in our courses. To do less is to cheat the students and when we cheat students we waste their time and money not mention that we are not being professional.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
John,
In this case the industry has set the goals for your course for you. By using the industry standards you know where your students need to be at the end of the course and you can develop the instructional experiences to get them there. Throughout the course then it is a building process as knowledge is built upon knowledge.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Fernando,
There is not a specific answer to your question. I like to blend the two forms of objectives. One part being a more global approach so students can see how the content can be transferred to other settings and the other part being content and skill acquisition within the specific class being taught.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
It is extremely important to have clear goals and objectives for the course I am teaching. These goals and objectives are set forth in the syllabus.I teach clinical classes. It is imperative that students know that at the end of the course, they are equipped with the necessary skills that were set forth in the syllabus.Instructors therefore have a marker to achieve. We must not lose sight of this marker. We must therfore strive to react it. Losing sight will result in wasted time and effort.
My course, Sound for Picture, deals in an industry built upon deadlines. Whether it be production or post-production, the tasks at hand must be performed accurately, efficiently, & delivered on time. Having clear goals and objectives sets the tone for life after class in the real world. Conversely, we have a short period of time to cover a broad curriculum in a linear fashion. It's important that the class as a whole reach these goals in order to not stifle our progress.
John M.
I have a question. when Developing the goals and objectives should we aim for the Complete Thinking Skills Objectives or Aim a littler lower for the Mastery of the Objectives for our students. Mainly because it is difficult to show how material learned in one class can be transfered over to another.
This is probably the most important thing, because our students need to know what they are going to learn, on top of that our outlines provide a clear and concise contract for the student
Jennifer,
Consistency is a must as you know and when it is missing the challenges start just as you mention. I would suggest that you talk with your Dean of Instruction and strive to get a uniform model for how goals and objectives will be developed and shared with students. This way the students will know the format that they will encounter as they start a new class and they can go to the goals and objectives to see what is going to be covered in the course.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Having clear goals is important so both students and instructors know what they're trying to accomplish. Our campus has had issues with inconsistent messages regarding student's goals and that's created challenges for instructors and students alike.
