Evaluation and Assessment | Teaching Practices |Teaching with Technology| Sample Course Evaluation Forms
Teaching Tools
2. Teaching Practices
2.2. Course Objectives
Develop Clear Statements of Course Objectives
Benefits of Stating Course Objectives
- They communicate your intentions clearly to students and to colleagues.
- They provide a framework for selecting and organizing course content.
- They provide a framework for selecting appropriate teaching and learning activities.
- They guide you in decisions about assessment and evaluation methods.
- They give students information for directing their learning efforts and monitoring their own progress.
Questions to Ask in Evaluating Your Statements of Objectives
- What do you expect your students to be able to do as a result of the course?
- What prerequisite knowledge do students need to begin the course?
- Are there skills or attitudes which students should develop to achieve these goals?
- How will students be able to demonstrate that they have achieved the course objectives?
- What are your areas of interest and expertise related to the course?
Defining and limiting the course content
- What do all students in the course need to master?
- What should students seeking a good knowledge learn?
- What optional material will be provided for students with special skills or interests?
- What resources are available to assist your teaching?
Organizing the course content
- What order of course content will aid students' understanding of the course?
- What pace will both address the course objectives and accommodate variations in students' learning?
Planning learning activities to enable students to achieve the objectives
- What learning activities will students do in class?
- What learning activities will students need to do outside of class, for example, to get sufficient practice using new concepts or skills?
- How will out-of-class learning activities be related to or integrated with in-class activities?
- How will the learning objectives fit with students' individual interests and objectives?
- What kind of feedback will students receive about the learning activities?
Planning methods of evaluating student learning and providing feedback
- What type of evaluation methods are consistent with the course objectives?
- For what type of evaluation methods can you provide sufficient feedback to students?
- How many assignments constitute a reasonable workload for an N unit course?
- Which learning activities will be graded?
Adapted from the Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence at Carnegie Mellon University
