Learning Objectives
In writing your own course-level learning objectives, consider the following questions:
- What should my students be able to do/know after completing my course? Note: be sure to include action-oriented verbs that make learning objectives more explicit and observable.
- Within my course, how will I measure (e.g., assessments) whether or not students are achieving the learning objectives I’ve written?
- How do these learning objectives relate to students’ likely prior knowledge plus the amount of practice and feedback they will get during the course?
Sample 1: Learning objectives from Engineering
In this course you will learn to apply the principles of chemical kinetics to the design of reactors. By the end of the semester, you should be able to:
- Choose a reactor and determine its size for a given application.
- Analyze kinetic data and obtain rate laws.
- Work with mass and energy balances in the design of non-isothermal reactors.
Sample 2: Learning objectives from Architecture
This course is intended to allow students to synthesize technical knowledge and design intention regarding issues of site design and construction. Students should be able to:
- Identify multiple ways of relating to site in precedents and their colleagues' work, generate their own alternatives, and synthesize them into a cohesive project.
- Demonstrate building construction, structural design, and architectural composition gained in prior semesters’ courses.
- Demonstrate an ongoing exploration of the details of occupancy.
- Collaborate in a team to generate, evaluate and document design decisions.
- Show evidence of a consistent exploration of alternatives.
Sample 3: Learning objectives from Business
When you have successfully completed this course, you should be able to:
- Analyze a business situation to determine information management need.
- Design a database to address those needs.
- Write SQL queries to retrieve information from a relational database.
Sample 4: Learning objectives from Statistics
Students should be able to design an experimental study, carry out an appropriate statistical analysis of the data, and properly interpret and communicate the analyses.
Sample 5: Learning objectives from Mathematics
- Solve problems using matrix techniques and algorithms.
- Recognize and recall major linear algebraic definitions and theorems.
- Develop short but rigorous proofs of true mathematical statements and construct counter-examples for false statements.
- Apply major linear algebraic theorems to prove other results.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.