Creating Learning Goals and Objectives

Establish learning goals for the course. Learning goals can be broke down into three categories (though not every course has all three learning goals directing its content).

Sample learning goal statement: After completing the course, learners will be able to complete the following [items, etc.].

  1. Affective goal – what affective position or investment(s)—arising from the application of course material—do you want students to experience at the end of the course?
    1. Example: Develop a familiarity with advertising that transcends stereotypes and encourages wide social use.
  2. Behavioral goal – what behavioral change—arising from the application of course material—do you want students to experience at the end of the course?
    1. Example: Apply the obtained knowledge to become a successful advertiser.
  3. Cognitive goal – what understanding or knowledge—arising from the application of course material—do you want students to demonstrate at the end of the course?
    1. Understand the process, components, strategies, and etiquette of advertising.

Establish learning objective(s) for every class session. Generally instructors provide 1-3 learning objectives per session. The learning objectives always tie back to the learning goals.

Sample learning objective statement: Upon completing this session, learners will be able to do [items, tasks, etc.] within [X] amount of time.

  1. Example: Upon completing the training program, undergraduate students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will be able to connect U.S. advertisements to larger histories and multicultural experiences of the industry. By identifying U.S. advertisements as a global phenomenon which they may have experienced in other contexts, learners will become more familiar and individually comfortable with the requirements of participating in U.S. advertising. (Affective goal)
  1. Example: Upon completing the training program, undergraduate students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will be able to apply the knowledge they learned in the course to successfully create a compelling advertisement portfolio in eight weeks. (Behavioral goal)
  1. Example: Upon completing the course, undergraduate students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will be able to identify the process, components, strategies, and etiquette of advertising in eight weeks. (Cognitive goal)