A learning contract expresses the objectives of a course in concise, descriptive statements. These statements are based on the ultimate goal of the course. For example, if the goal of a college English literature course is to familiarize students with literature from a particular time period, learning objectives will further narrow the goal into such categories as "Students will analyze prose and poetry from the 17th century."
Learning contract objectives benefit not students and teachers alike. When faced with a fast amount of course material and subject matter to cover, an educator may feel overwhelmed and unsure where to begin. Crafting objectives helps an instructor create a plan for the course that he can implement practically.
Learning objectives give students realistic expectations of what they will learn from a course. Rather than approaching an algebra course expecting to come out a math whiz at the other end, students can read that they will be learning to perform algebraic functions. At the end of the semester, learning objectives give teachers and students a measure with which to evaluate student progress.
The types of relevant learning objectives vary by course. A humanities course such as English or history will contain mostly cognitive objectives that relate to understanding and knowledge. Courses with hands-on activities, such as a science or fine arts class, may also include psychomotor objectives that involve performing an action. Affective objectives deal with emotion and mainly apply to courses whose goal is to broaden a student's horizon or introduce them to new types of art, cultures or ideas.
Before an instructor plans a course, she needs to decide on the learning objectives that will guide her choice of course materials, activities, assignments and teaching style. An instructor should write on a piece of paper what she expects students to be able to do or get out of the course by the end of the semester, beginning with the statement, "By the end of the semester, I expect students to be able to...." Effective learning objectives contain strong verbs such as "demonstrate," "analyze" or "describe" and should be clear as well as realistic.