Goals - Articulating Your Vision for the Class

In contrast to outcomes, which speak to the things students should be able to do at the end of class, this section focuses more on the process by which students reach those outcomes. It’s also a chance to articulate your hopes for the class.

This part of the planning process begins to shift the focus to process. How will students learn what they need to meet the course outcomes? It’s also a chance to express some of the things that you, as an instructor, think are important to students in the discipline that you teach. Also, in your professional opinion, what pedagogical approaches are a good fit for the subject?

Some things to consider:

• How do you want students to interact in the class?
• Are there a variety of perspectives you want students to hear?
• What actions should students take to learn the material?

Examples of some goals that other instructors have elucidated:

• I want students to do more writing about the material.
• I want to be more involved with my students' learning.
• I want students to bring in relevant concepts and experiences from their own culture.
• I want to spend less time answering administrative questions and more time talking about concepts and content.
• I’d like the online discussions to be less dreadful to grade.
• I’d like to close the success gap for students of color and first generation college students.
• I don’t want students to buy an expensive textbook.

What are you hoping your class will look like? Take a moment to write down your goals for the class. Keep that document handy for the next sections of this course.

For more information

"Cult of Pedagogy Links to an external site. is run by a team of people committed to making you more awesome in the classroom."