{"id":798,"date":"2024-09-11T06:30:44","date_gmt":"2024-09-11T10:30:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bsu.edu\/teaching-innovation\/?p=798"},"modified":"2024-09-09T14:23:09","modified_gmt":"2024-09-09T18:23:09","slug":"destination-learning-objectives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bsu.edu\/teaching-innovation\/2024\/09\/11\/destination-learning-objectives\/","title":{"rendered":"Destination: Learning Objectives"},"content":{"rendered":"

In my childhood, whenever my family prepared for a road trip, one of the first things my mother would do was get the state atlas down from the shelf in the kitchen and locate our destination. Before determining the route, before making lists of things to pack, and before even making arrangements for lodging, it was important to know where we were going to be in the upcoming weeks or months. This concrete reality, that we were going to be in *that* spot on the map, was an essential first step to the rest of the journey\u2019s planning.<\/span><\/p>\n

Quality Matters and Stated Learning Objectives<\/strong><\/h2>\n

When I conduct a Quality Matters Review,<\/a> a feedback process for measuring and ensuring the quality of a course, a common learning objective issue often brings this memory of planning a family trip bubbling to the surface. According to Quality Matters, objectives should be measurable, precise, and clear descriptions of what learners will be able to do if they successfully complete the module or course.<\/p>\n

However, a common mistake I see instructors make is that their objectives describe what the learners will be doing in the course rather than what they will be able to do when they reach the end of it. This distinction is important, because objectives are not<\/strong> a set of directions or instructions\u2014they are the destination<\/strong> that learners are working towards. To that end, they should be \u201cskills-centered,\u201d not \u201cassessment-centered.\u201d<\/p>\n

As an example of what I mean, let\u2019s look at an objective focused on what the learners will be doing (the journey) and revise it to be focused on what they will be able to do (the destination).<\/p>\n