Objectives and Goals
Objectives and goals should be a part of every department, class or course taught. Writing clear objectives and goals will ensure that the student learns all that is needed in the subject area.
Without objectives and goals, there is no clear direction for the course to go. In addition the objectives have to be specific to support the goal. A broad and general goal will mean little without detailed objectives in place to ensure achieving the goal. Instructors who write broad goals are not doing their students any favors without specific objectives to support how the goal will be achieved.
I like to use objective and goal writing for my students personal lives as well. Many have goals they want to achieve, but have no way of knowing how to go about making them a reality. By showing them how to determine or write objectives, they now have a step-by-step plan to follow to achieve their goals. When they achieve one of their goals they are so motivated, they are ready to tackle others and to add others to their lives. I love helping students this way!
I agree with you 100% on how important goals and objectives are to anyone who is in school. Once a course of action is put in place it gives the individual purpose and a reason to accomplish what is set before him.
When I was new to teaching, at the beginning of a new class I left the objectives fairly vague, even though I told them class goals. In the past 2 years I've begun giving detailed objectives of my class right off the bat, and class motivation seems to be higher now.
I agree that with no clear goals the learner will not be able to achieve the most they can in the learning environment. With out this in the program I teach in it makes building on a knowledge base even more difficult to a studnet who has reached my classroom. With an instructor who was not teaching the material and was not mandating completion of skills testing before passing on to the next class I now have a classroom of students who are surprised about the knowledge they have to have because it was not presented as important by the previous instructor.
If the objectives had been met then my classroom would be full of students well prepared for new information.
Each class needs to have objectives!!
Greetings Colleagues,
The primary goal that I aspire to accomplish in all of my business, marketing, and management courses is for students to become involved in the subject matter. Through the course of instructing, I have found that it is essential for students to understand how the subject matter discussed in the course applies to their own lives; and, more importantly their careers or career aspirations.
Many students are working adults balancing both careers and distance education. I believe it is not only the institutions’ obligation to provide an interactive, yet, flexible learning environment; it is also the obligation of the instructor. Providing students access to assignments such a group projects, interactive quizzes, and open discussion forums that reinforce the weekly lesson being studied creates an opportunity for individual discovery of knowledge and groupthink to occur.
R. Green
