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  Home > Resources > Effective Assessment > Learning Goals and Objectives

Learning Goals and Objectives

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Learning Goals describe large-scale aims of the course/program. They answer the question: What will students know and be able to do at the end of the course?
Here’s an example from Dr. Phil Busey’s course on turf-grass science: "Students will learn the biology and management of turf grasses."

Learning Objectives/ Outcomes describe the student behaviors that indicate that the students have accomplished the learning goals. How would a student who had “learned the biology and maintenance of turf grasses” behave? Learning objectives are often  (but not always) broken into three parts: 1) Circumstances 2) Behavior 3) Criteria.  So, given a particular set of circumstances a student will be able to perform a particular task with a particular degree of accuracy/depth, etc.  For example, "Given the depth of roots, soil moisture reserve, rainfall and irrigation distribution, students will be able to determine a watering system and schedule that will maintain a uniform turf."

How do you determine your Learning Objectives? Begin by asking yourself, " What do people in my field do? What kinds of tasks and activities are we engaged in?" Imagine you are hiring someone in your field, what would the job description be?  Once you have done this, try to imagine yourself as a college student, better yet several kinds of college students (international, returning, non-traditional, etc.) If you heard this description, would it be clear what you needed to do to be successful? Consider this, often we use words like analyze, describe, situate, contextualize, etc., because they have deep and specific meanings for us. But these meanings aren't necessarily transparent to students.

Other Kinds of Learning Objectives:  Remember that your students are likely still learning how to learn, so your learning objectives can focus on study/life skills that are necessary to success in your discipline, but not necessarily tied to your topic. Some ancillary objectives might focus on time management, critical thinking, and research skills.  A learning objective for digital literacy might be:  Students will be able to effectively organize, manage, and present data, using contemporary software applications such as spreadsheets, word processing, databases, and electronic presentation software.

Relationship to Assessment: Students are very concerned about their grades, so shouldn’t we use assessment to direct this considerable energy toward the focus on the extent to which students can successfully complete the tasks outlined in the learning goals and objectives. In a sense, all assessment (low and high stakes) should provide students with an opportunity to practice these tasks. Rubrics should provide students with a road map to completing these tasks.

Helping Students Understand/Buy In:  Outside of assessment, what is generally important to students in your course, where does their attention naturally go? How can you integrate Learning Goals/Objectives into these areas? Is it possible to organize the course (Syllabus, Schedule, Learning Units) around Goals/Objectives rather than content? Do students have opportunities to reflect on their development in relation to these Goals? Can students participate in creating some of the Learning Goals?

Resources:

An Introduction from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business:
http://www.aacsb.edu/resource_centers/assessment/ov-process-define.asp
This site is an excellent, short introduction to writing and using learning goals and objectives.

Comprehensive Site from Park University
http://www.park.edu/cetl/quicktips/writinglearningobj.html
This site includes a useful checklist that helps instructors determine how integrated their goals, objectives and assessments are.

Expanded Definitions of the Common Verbs Used for Learning Objectives:
http://www.adprima.com/verbs.htm
I really like this site because it breaks verbs like "define" into their component parts. These definitions give students a more complete understanding of objectives.

Computer Science Learning Goals and Objectives/Outcomes:
http://csdept.smumn.edu/assessment/lgo.html
This site breaks learning goals into achievable outcomes and connects those outcomes to specific assessment strategies.

Nicholls State University Goals and Objectives For General Education
http://www.nicholls.edu/general_education/general-education-goals-and-objectives/#humanities
 This site has learning objectives and goals for difficult to define skills such as critical thinking, communication, art appreciation, diversity understanding, and information literacy.

Ohio University’s Site for Learning Objectives (for the whole campus!) 
http://www.ohiou.edu/learningobjectives/
This site offers learning objectives for departments across campus. Not all of them are specific enough  (in my opinion.) The professional schools are better than the liberal arts. But I recommend it as a place to start.

 

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