I have had a couple of questions about unit objectives and the how they fit into course development so I thought I would spend a little time talking about course objectives.
Within the GEN network every course has a master syllabus that identifies a variety of course objectives meant to guide the outcome of the course. These objectives have been designed to illustrate exactly what a student should be able to do when they are finished with the course. There are often anywhere from 5 to 10 objectives listed.
There are only 5 objectives but my course is 12 and 10 units long. I know I am supposed to identify course objectives for each unit but I don’t know exactly how I am supposed to do that?
When the course objectives were created they were meant to identify the results of a student at the end of the course. However, as a student works through the course, it is the job of the course developer to identify smaller objectives that will add up to the results that the larger objective has identified. Each of these smaller objectives identified by the course developer will be identified in the introductions of each of the units. As a student looks through the course they should be able to clearly see how the smaller unit objectives “map” to the larger objectives identified on the master syllabus.
In order to see an illustration please see below for some syllabus objectives for a fictitious course on Bike Riding:
- The student will identify and analyze the kinds of bicycles
- The student will diagram the important elements of a bicycle
- The student will be able to recommend an appropriate bicycle for various riding situations
For the purposes of this illustration I will identify the course objectives for the first three units of this course:
Unit 1:
- The student will describe downhill bicycle, bicycle enduro, cross bikes, road bikes, and mountain bikes
- The student will critique and assess downhill bicycles, bicycle enduro, cross bikes, road bikes, and mountain bikes
- The student will select which bikes are appropriate for specific situations when considering downhill bicycles, bicycle enduros, cross bikes, road bikes, and mountain bikes
Unit 2
- The student will identify the different types of bike parts when considering such elements as age of rider, rider disabilities, and weather conditions
- The student will create a pamphlet about bicycles considering the parts that buyers should be most aware of when investing in a bicycle
Unit 3
- The student will describe important clothing choices when riding a bike in inclement weather
- The student will demonstrate how to repair a bicycle when in the middle of a ride
As you can see, the unit objectives identified in the first three units of this fictitious course map to the larger objectives identified on the master syllabus.
I have heard that it is hard to write objectives. What guidelines do I need to follow when I write objectives?
It is not difficult to write objectives, but there are a few guidelines that should be followed:
- Objectives should be measurable. They should identify how will you know a student understands something or has learned course content.
- Learning objectives should break down the task and focus on specific cognitive processes
- Learning objectives should be student centered
- Learning objectives should use active verbs
Here are some great links to help you learn even more about writing learning objectives:
Carnegie Mellon: Design and Teach a Course
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