Using Learning Objectives for Course Design and CurriculumImprovement

摘要

Learning Objectives are statements of specific observable actions a student should be able toperform after an established period of time (a lecture, course, or curriculum). LearningObjectives, which are also commonly referred to as Instructional, Teaching, or EducationalObjectives, clarify the expectations of faculty in terms of measurable or observable studentperformance. In other words, these statements describe the ability of students to demonstratethey have indeed learned what was expected of them. As such, learning objectives are apowerful tool for course design and curriculum improvement. Learning objectives can be usedfor course design by identifying critical material, facilitating course activities, writingexaminations, and maximizing student learning. Learning objectives can be used for curriculumimprovement by communicating course expectations to faculty and students, organizing keypoints of learning throughout the curriculum, eliminating excessive duplication of material, andproviding assessment of course performance. However, if objectives are not sufficiently welldefined, both testing and assessment based on those objectives are unlikely to be effective indetermining if students have mastered the required topic. This paper and associated presentationwill describe learning objectives in detail and provide assistance on how to effectively write andimplement objectives. The goal is to assist new engineering educators in designing their courses,communicating information to their students and fellow faculty, and focusing their instruction onstudent learning as opposed to teaching.