Learning Objectives

Learning objectives are statements that describe precisely what a student will be able to accomplish after the completion of a course/module/unit. The use of learning objectives has long been a topic of debate in education. Some are of the opinion that well-written learning objectives are beneficial to students and the overall learning process. Others see any time spent on crafting learning objectives to be arduous and redundant. Indeed, why should one put forth the time and effort to tediously re-word and format the content of one's course? Why not simply include in the syllabus a list of topics to be covered in the course? Exactly what is it about properly crafted learning objectives that is helpful to the student? Further, how does the process of constructing learning objectives benefit the instructor,if at all?

• Creates a common reference point when providing feedback
• Provides a clear purpose on which students can focus their time and effort
• Provides a self-monitoring mechanism
• Communicates to students that you have planned and organized their learning experience

• Guides the selection of content and the overall course development process
• Aids in the selection of assessment and instructional resources
• Provides foundation for course alignment
• Provides insights and re-orients one to a course they have taught for many years

Course level objectives should be broad, overarching, and cover large swaths of course content. As a general rule of thumb, most courses should have somewhere between 5 and 10 course level objectives. What are the big questions you intend for students to be able to answer upon completion of the course? What is the 10,000 foot view of your course? Think of the way you approach any task of great size and significance. You can't do it all at once. It must be broken into pieces and completed a little at a time. This is akin to the logic we should be applying when constructing learning objectives for our course with the course level objectives being the large chunks of our to-do list and the module objectives being the many things we do on a daily basis to complete those larger goals.

CLO Example A: Simplify or solve problems related to radical expressions

CLO Example B: Comprehend the requirements and scope of practice for nursing assistants and home health care providers.

Module level objectives should be specific, measurable, and should directly support one or more course level objectives. As a general rule of thumb, each course level objective should be directly supported by somewhere between 3 and 6 module level objectives. When redesigning a current course, it is very common to look at your existing assessments for a good starting point of what your module level objectives should cover. For example, if an exam question prompts students to describe the process of mitosis, then there should definitely be a module level objective related to the process of mitosis. In this particular case the objective may in fact be: Describe the process of mitosis.

MLO Example A: Complete arithmetic operations involving radical expressions.

MLO Example B: Describe common health care agency standards and reimbursement processes.