Internet Learning Volume 3, Number 1, Spring 2014 | Page 16

Collaborating with Faculty to Compose Objectives
Scenario 3: Faculty member has course
objectives but doesn’t have module/unit
objectives.
In this scenario, perhaps the faculty
member or instructor-expert has course
objectives that are mandated by a department
or program, or it’s possible that the
collaboration team has just graduated from
Scenario 2. The recommended course of
action is to ask the question, “What must
students be able to do before accomplishing
the course objectives?” The answer to
this question will provide the team with the
enabling or module/unit-level objectives.
However, be sure to differentiate between
enabling objectives and entry/prerequisite
skills.
Scenario 4: Faculty member has some
or all objectives that are immeasurable,
vague, or “fuzzy.”
This scenario is arguably the most
common. Instructor-experts, as described
earlier, often feel equipped to provide their
own learning objectives with little or no
background in education or sound instructional
design practice. When an instructor-expert
comes to the table with learning
objectives that don’t meet QM Standards,
the recommended action is to inquire as
to how that particular objective will be assessed
in the course. If the answer is a multiple
choice exam, chances are good that an
appropriate verb for the learning objective
is “identify.” If the answer is fill-in-theblank
questions, more appropriate verbs
include “recall,” “name,” and “recite.” If the
assessment instrument is an essay or a project,
the prompt or instructions become the
objectives themselves, although they may
have to be generalized. For example, an essay
prompt of “Compare and contrast the
propaganda techniques of the Black Panther
Party and the Socialist Workers Party”
lends itself to an objective of “Students will
be able to evaluate propaganda techniques
of 20th-century revolutionary movements.”
Scenario 5: Nothing else has worked.
You’ve reached a “brick wall.”
Some instructor-experts remain absolutely
convinced that either their subjects
are too abstract to warrant measurable objectives
or that their immeasurable objectives
are already suitable with no revision
necessary. The recommended action in
this case is to present the following situation:
“Your student is going to work at an
entry-level job in the area of this course.
What is he/she going to do at work? What
earns him/her a paycheck?” This doesn’t
necessarily give the collaboration team
any direct answers, especially in liberal
arts-type subject areas, but it can provide
a jumping-off point or conversation starter
to get on a productive and positive path.
Summary
The interaction and collaboration that
take place between an instructional
designer and instructor-expert tend
to be unique, partially as a result of the widely
varying backgrounds of the two parties,
and can be somewhat complicated by the
notion that part of an instructional designer’s
skill set is innate and can be performed
solely by the instructor-expert. Part of this
collaborative process can include the composition
of course- and module/unit-level
learning objectives, either (ideally) during
the design phase or (less ideally) retroactively
after the course has been developed.
In either case, properly written, measurable,
and appropriate learning objectives
are vitally important because they provide
students clear expectations, they inform
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