The Purpose and Perception of Learning Objectives

ABSTRACT

Much of existing assessment and instructional design strategies revolve around the use of learning objectives. Learning objectives are used by faculty, by instructional designers, by accreditors, by assessment offices, and by students. But even as the use of learning objectives becomes more widespread, the definition and purpose have remained unclear. Instructional designers argue that learning objectives exist to provide a focused mindset for students engaging in the content, while faculty often view learning objectives as an administrative requirement that has little impact on teaching or student performance. Existing research on the subject is primarily normative and/or qualitative in nature (Harden 2002; Torrance 2007). In this article, the researchers seek to use empirical evidence to examine the definitions, purpose, and impact of learning objectives on student performance. We find that there is no shared understanding of definitions and purpose, and using an experimental design, we find that learning objective wording and use in the classroom does not affect student performance.

KEYWORDS:

• Assessment
• learner outcomes
• undergraduate education

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kristina M. W. Mitchell

Kristina M. W. Mitchell is the Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Political Science at Texas Tech University. She received her BA from the University of North Texas (2006), her MA and PhD from the University of Texas at Dallas (2010; 2012). Her research has appeared in the Journal of World Trade and PS: Political Science & Politics. She also coordinates the online education program for the Department of Political Science and conducts research on online educational delivery practices.

Whitney Ross Manzo

Whitney Ross Manzo is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Meredith College in Raleigh, NC. At Meredith she also serves as the prelaw adviser and has won two teaching awards. Her research interests include women and politics, election law, and issues in higher education. She is currently President-Elect of the North Carolina Political Science Association.