Optimizing Boundaries for Learning by Carefully Crafting Learning Goals Why are Learning Goals Important? 

Carl Wieman Science Education Initiativei The University Of British Columbia Optimizing Boundaries for Learning by Carefully Crafting Learning Goals STLHE, McGill, 2012; Francis Jonesii and Jackie Stewartiii ~ Why are Learning Goals Important? Arguments for the use of learning objectives: •
•
•
•
•
•
•
Self‐regulated learning requires students to have “goals” to work towards (Winne, 1997) Deliberate practice requires learners to have goals to work towards that allow them to make incremental progress. Too general or broad goals do not provide the boundaries needed to make progress toward expertise (Ericsson & Kampe, 1993). Students report that learning goals help them determine what they need to know and help organize the course material for better understanding (Simon & Taylor, 2009). Can help improve the accuracy of assessment if both students and instructors know what the goals of the course are, and assessments are aligned with objectives (Biggs, 1996). Curriculum is more easily communicated between learners and educators and between educators and their colleagues by using objectives (Goldsmid, 1981). Allows for better judgment about whether or not a course or lesson is meeting its goals (Goldsmid, 1981). Allows for criterion‐based assessment (assessment according to a standard) (Goldsmid, 1981). Arguments against: •
•
•
Part of “learning” is deciding what is important and what is not important in a particular course/domain. Rebuttal: Deciding what is “important” from what is not important to learn is a task that novices have a hard time with. They do not have enough knowledge/skill to determine this. More support earlier, with less and less support in senior years is advised. Form a “contract” that litigious students may take advantage of. Rebuttal: as long as students know that the learning objectives are a guide/starting point and better than NOT having them, they are unlikely to argue minor details on assessments. Learning objectives are difficult and time consuming to construct. Rebuttal: Instructors report reduced time and stress when developing and adjusting activities and exams when learning goals with good verbs are in place. Behavioural learning objectives references •
•
•
•
•
Aboderin, A.O. & Thomas, M. (1996). An evaluation of the influence of behavioural learning objectives on Nigerian students’ cognitive achievement in biology. Research in Science and Technological Education, 14, 193‐204. Busch, P., Wilson, D.T., & Dolich, I.J. (2007). Behavioural objectives and the quantitative methods course. Decision Sciences, 5, 128‐139. Duchastel, P.C. & Merrill, P.F. (1973). The effects of behavioural objectives on learning: A review of empirical studies. Review of Educational Research, 43, 53‐69. Goldsmid, C.A. (1981). Why formalize the aims of instruction? Teaching Sociology, 8, 263‐289. Jenkins, J.R. & Neisworth, J.T. (1973). The facilitative influence of instructional objectives. The Journal of Educational Research, 66, 254‐256. •
•
•
•
•
Melton, R.F. (1978). Resolution of conflicting claims concerning the effect of behavioural objectives on student learning. Review of Educational Research, 48, 291‐302. Simon, B. & Taylor, J. (2009). What is the value of course‐specific learning goals? Journal of College Science Teaching, 39, 52‐57. Simons, H.D. (1973). Behavioural objectives: A false hope for education. The Elementary School Journal, 73, 173‐181. Tobias, S. & Duchastel, P.C. (1973). Behavioural objectives, sequence, and anxiety in CAI. Instructional Science, 3, 231‐242. Winne, P.H. & Jamieson‐Noel, D. (2003). Self‐regulating studying by objectives for learning: Students’ reports compared to a model. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 28, 259‐276. Deliberate practice references •
•
•
•
Colvin, G. (2006). What it takes to be great: Research now shows that lack of natural talent is irrelevant to great success. The secret? Painful and demanding practice and hard work. Fortune Magazine, 154, 32‐37. Colvin, G. (2008). Talent is overrated: what really separates world‐class performers from everybody else. New York: Penguin Books. Ericsson, K.A. & Krampe, R.T. (1993). The role of deliberate practice in the acquisition of expert performance. Psychological Review, 100, 363‐406. Plant, E.A., Ericsson, K.A., Hill, L., & Asberg, K. (2005) Why study time does not predict grade point average across college students: Implications of deliberate practice for academic performance. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 30, 96‐116. General self‐regulated learning & goal‐directed learning references •
•
•
•
Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (2002). Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation: A 35‐year odyssey. American Psychologist, 57, 705–717. Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (2002). Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation: A 35‐year odyssey. American Psychologist, 57, 705–717. Schwartz, L.S., & Gredler, M.E. (1998). The effects of self‐instructional materials on goal setting and self‐
efficacy. Journal of Research and Development in Education, 31, 83‐89. Winne, P. (1997). Experimenting to bootstrap self‐regulated learning. Journal of Educational Psychology, 89, 397‐410. Instructional design references •
Biggs, J. (1996). Enhancing teaching through constructivist alignment. Higher Education, 32, 347‐
364. • Chasteen, S. V, K. K Perkins, P. D Beale, S. J Pollock, and C. E Wieman. 2011. “A Thoughtful
Approach to Instruction: Course Transformation for the Rest of Us.” Journal of College Science
Teaching 40 (4): 70–76.
• Gronlund, N. E., S. M. Brookhart (2009). “Gronlund’s Writing Instructional Objectives”, 8 edition,
Prentice Hall, ISBN-13: 978-0131755932.
• Mager, R.F. (1962). Preparing instructional objectives. Palo Alto, California: Fearon. • Spencer, K.A. (1988) The Psychology of Educational Technology and Instructional Media, London: Routledge. (Particularly Chapter 3: Behavioural objectives and systematic instruction, which is a bit of a historical perspective on learning objectives.) i
CWSEI: http://www.cwsei.ubc.ca/ and http://www.eos.ubc.ca/research/cwsei/ UBC, Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences, http://www.eos.ubc.ca/about/faculty/F.Jones.html iii
UBC, Chemistry, http://www.chem.ubc.ca/our‐people/profiles/jackie‐stewart ii