Define objectives to plan and outline instructional content, materials and methods. Write objectives to define what you want your students to do. You can use course objectives to help decide whether your students are successfully carrying out the work of the course. Objectives help students organize their plans for what they need to do to succeed in a class.
Write learning objectives in clear language that is not subject to interpretation by your students. Course objectives describe your planned outcome for the class. A well-written course objective includes consideration of audience, behavior, condition and degree. The objectives name the audience -- the student who will perform the action. Course objectives outline behavior -- what the student will be able to do after completing the course. Conditions describe the tools the student will be able to use to aid in learning. The degree dictates how well the student must do in the class. Units of measure for degree include speed, accuracy and quality.
Group objectives by the three domains in which learning occurs: cognitive, affective and psychomotor. Cognitive objectives describe what a student can do, affective objectives describe how a student chooses to act, and psychomotor objectives describe what a student can perform. In written form, cognitive objectives and psychomotor objectives are in the domain of "learner will be able to." In written form, affective objectives are in the domain of "learners will choose to."
Course objectives describe what learners will be able to do at the end of the course. Write course objectives describing the intended result of course instruction, not the course instruction itself. Course objectives are narrow, precise, tangible, able to be validated and specific. Use action verbs to communicate to your students the specific steps they can take to be successful in the course.
Course objectives must align with your teaching methods. From reading the course objective, students should clearly understand how you would assess their performance in the course. Course objectives are a guide for students for how to succeed in your class, including steps and instructor expectations.