Improving the Quality and Use of Your Learning Objectives

Concurrent Session 6

Session Materials

Brief Abstract

This session will review evidence-based practices for using learning objectives to design effective courses. Participants will critique sample LOs and alignment of LOs with sample assessment items. Participants will walk away with a peer-reviewed instructor checklist that they can use immediately.

Presenters

Lead Presenter: Rebecca Orr, Collin College

Rebecca B. Orr is a Professor of Biology at Collin College in Plano, Texas where she teaches introductory biology for science majors. She earned a B.S. at Texas A&M University and a Ph.D. at U.T. Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. Rebecca has a passion for investigating strategies that result in more effective learning and retention and is a certified Team-Based Learning Collaborative Trainer Consultant. She enjoys focusing on the creation of learning opportunities that both engage and challenge students. Rebecca is a coauthor of Campbell Biology and Campbell Biology in Focus and serves as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) BioInteractive Ambassador.

Additional Authors

Melissa Csikari, HHMI BioInteractive

An educator with more than 10 years of experience in high school and community college settings, Melissa focuses primarily on outreach and content development for undergraduate introductory biology courses. She also manages logistics for all outreach and professional development events. Before she began teaching, Melissa managed a research lab in the cardiology department at the University of Pittsburgh. She holds a master’s degree in chemical and life sciences from the University of Maryland.

Extended Abstract

Learning objectives (LOs) communicate the purpose of instruction to students, other instructors, and the academic field. Done well, they convey the expectations that the instructor--and by extension, the academic field--has in terms of what students should know and be able to do after completing a course of study. As a result, LOs help students better understand course activities and promote an increase in student performance on assessments. Learning objectives also serve as the foundation of course design, as they structure the nature of classroom practice and define the focus of assessments. Instructor and student use of LOs can be improved and refined by understanding the body of educational research studies on this topic as they apply to effective construction of LOs, use of LOs in aligning assessment and classroom activities, and benefits to student outcomes. The focus of this workshop is to provide actionable advice based on the literature for instructors to use when creating, revising, and using instructional LOs in their courses. We will review evidence-based practices for writing and aligning LOs with formative and summative assessment and classroom instruction to design effective and transparent courses. The workshop will also include a discussion about the evidence of the benefits of student LO use. Using a checklist, attendees will work in small groups to discuss and improve LOs. Participants will also review and critique the alignment of sample LOs and assessment items. Participants will walk away with a peer-reviewed instructor checklist of evidence-based practices for writing and using LOs that they can immediately put into practice. An assessment workbook will be provided, which allows participants to actively engage in the content and provides a comprehensive guide for them to return to after the presentation.