Writing Learning Objectives for Courses
By Jessica Parr, Associate Professor (Teaching) of Chemistry – October 15, 2020
When I first started teaching, I taught directly from the textbook. My only thoughts of what my students needed to learn was what I had learned when I took the class. I ploughed through material with very little reflection as to why I was teaching it to my students. It is very easy to get into the habit of defending the choices with the statement: That’s what we have always done. Over the years, I have determined that this defense is not a good one. If we were still doing things the way they were always done, we would never have made significant discoveries like hamburgers, pot stickers and cheese.
I have slowly adapted my classes so that I am preparing them for future classes and focusing on material that will help students be successful in their pursuits. It wasn’t until about five years ago that I was introduced to the use of Learning Objectives. Learning Objectives are clear measurable goals that faculty can use to identify students who have mastered the material to the desired level. Learning Objectives also help students to better understand the purpose of the class that they are taking and how it fits into the bigger picture of their overall education.
When writing learning objectives, it is not necessary to start from scratch. When I started teaching, I had a list of topics that I would cover in a certain order. As I developed the Learning Objectives for my classes, I took those lists of topics and thought about the broader scaffolding that holds the topics together and how they interact with each other. Once there is a clear set of Learning Objectives for the course, it becomes easier to explain to students why the material that is being covered is important to them
The Center for Excellence in Teaching has a whole host of handouts and videos on preparing effective Learning Objectives. These references are clear and concise. They also offer concrete examples for various fields. The instructional designers are also very helpful and willing to help revise Learning Objectives for your classes.