Using Objectives as a Learning Contract

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Using Objectives as a Learning Contract

• Educational Grand Rounds
• November 18, 2005
• David M. Thompson, Ph.D., P.T.
• Assistant Professor Dept. of Biostatistics and
  Epidemiology College of Public Health, OUHSC
• http//moon.ouhsc.edu/dthompso/objectv.htm

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A moment for teachers
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• Prof. Marvin Bressler, on the occasion of his
  retirement from teaching

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• "Unlike most people, teachers don't confront the
  agony of choice between God and Mammon. They
  don't have to be exceptional people -- they do
  holy work as a routine obligation of their
  careers. The trustees tell me my job is to
  instruct the young on the splendors of the true,
  the good, and the beautiful, and they regularly
  send me a check for my pains. Less fortunate
  people, occupied with selling companies to each
  other, are obliged to redeem their lives outside
  their work."

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• also from Prof. Bressler

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• "Teachers may justly reply to the taunt, 'those
  who can, do, and those who can't, teach' in the
  words of the nineteenth century divine 'We are
  both engaged in the Lord's work, you in your way,
  and I in His. "

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Using Objectives as a Learning Contract
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Using Objectives as a Learning Contract

• Objectives (meta-objectives?)
• List the components of a useful course objective.
  
• List educational goals that are served by course
  objectives.
•  
• List parts of the teachers contract that
  course objectives help specify.
•  
• List parts of the learners contract that
  course objectives help specify.
• Identify resources to facilitate the writing of
  learning objectives.

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Components of useful course objectives

• Audience
• Behavior
• (Overt and measurable performance)
• Condition
• Degree
• (Level of performance)

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Examples of specific course objectives

•  
• http//moon.ouhsc.edu/dthompso/objectv.htm
•  

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Why so many?

• Enables (forces) the instructor to present
  concretely the courses structure.

• Reinforces the structure for the student.

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Why such detail?

• Settles questions about what will be on
  examinations

• Establishes the goal level of student
  understanding

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Defines a division of labor

• between the instructors obligation to provide a
  variety of experiences
• lectures
• problem solving sessions
• labs

• and the students obligation to
• attend class
• solve problems
• read
• do homework

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Eliminates need for checking attendance

• (Are you going to say
• anything important?)

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Matches expectations

•   Instructor must specify what students must
  know
• and acknowledge what is nice to know.

• Students derive comfort in understanding
  expectations.

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Resources to facilitate writing of objectives

• Online tutorial
• Performance taxonomies for three domains
  (cognitive, affective, psychomotor.