Writing Learning Objectives for your Course

Learning objectives are an important opportunity to communicate what you want students to learn by the end of your course. Articulating knowledge and skill expectations as learning objectives will help faculty define outcomes/assessments and help students self-monitor their learning. Further, by linking objectives to the UC Irvine School of Medicine Program Objectives and Core Competencies (through the Ilios curriculum mapping tool), all key players (faculty, staff, students) involved in medical education can understand how your course fits into the overall curriculum.

Here are some guidelines to help you write effective learning objectives:

• Limit to 5-10 objectives for a course; detailed objectives can (and should) be defined at the individual session/presentation level
• Focus on what students should learn rather than what faculty will teach
• While the SMART checklist is most appropriate for writing session objectives, it is useful when writing course objectives as well:
  • Specific – should relate to specific skill or knowledge domain
  • Measurable – how can you assess or evaluate the outcomes of the objective?
  • Achievable – the objective can be attained or achieved with the time and resources available to the course
  • Results-oriented – outcomes are relevant and aligned to School of Medicine program objectives and competencies
  • Time-bound – there is a realistic timeframe in which the objective can be achieved
• Start objectives with phrases like “At the end of the course, students should be able to _____” or “The student will be able to _____” and then add an action verb (see list of suggestions below)

Examples from Medical Pharmacology:

1. The student will be able to identify a range of drugs used in medicine and discuss their mechanisms of action (where known).
2. The student will be able to report the clinical applications, side effects and toxicities of drugs used in medicine.
3. The student will be able to explain the mechanisms of action and pathology of ethanol and drugs of abuse.
4. The student will be able to translate pharmacological principles into clinical decision-making.

For more information on writing learning objectives and a reference list of action verbs:
UC Irvine SOM Podcast: Creating Learning Objectives
CMU Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence and Educational Innovation – Learning Objectives
CMU Eberly Center List of Action Verbs

Reminder: EEE Workshop – Canvas Pilot Demonstration of Features on July 17, 2015

OIT’s EEE group at UCI (main campus) is conducting a workshop to help faculty learn more about Canvas as a part of the larger scale Canvas Pilot they have been conducting since the Spring quarter. Here is an upcoming workshop that you may be interested in attending:

Date: July 17, 2015
Workshop goal: Provide a brief overview of the types of tools and activities available within Canvas.
Time: 12:30-2 p.m.
Location: AIRB 1020
Signup: EEE Canvas Features Workshop Signup