Developing
a Clear Goal Statements for Your Course:
Course goals set out the benefits
students will derive as a result of the course.
1. Find the answer to the question, “What
personal benefits have former
students in this course derived?” Sources for this
information are direct (former students who’ve completed
the course) and indirect (colleagues, Dept. Chair or Dean,
Institutional Effectiveness Office). Obvious answers are:
- this is a required course, so students’ benefit
= advancing in their degree program
- this course will provide them with tools needed
to succeed in their chosen fields
Less obvious answers might be:
- my best friend is taking this course, and I want
to hang with him
- my parents want me to be a doctor, so I have to
take this course
Here, the concept of student motivation is important because
students who recognize personal benefits are generally more
motivated as learners.
2.
Cull the list so that only the most generally applicable
benefits are included.
3. Include the list as part of your syllabus
and preface it with a statement that engages students’
interest in reading the list. Here’s a start: “You
may wonder, as other students have, how you will benefit
from taking this course. That’s a good question, and
there are some good answers. . . .”
(by Mark Ferrer, Santa Barbara City College)
Professional
Development
