Pros And Cons Of Learning Objectives

Introduction:

Program planning for adult learners can be a difficult and time consuming task. However the use of program objectives can give clarity and understanding to the program developer, resulting in greater understanding of what is needed to achieve specific goals. Program “objectives are specific action statements… They are the most specific level of description used… Objectives say what the student will be able to do or think or feel or say as a result of the planned learning/teaching event”. This essay will critically discuss the two theories of learning objectives created by Knowles, including educational and operational learning objectives. Each theory will also acknowledge it’s positive and negative aspects, and why it essential …show more content…
Therefore this has created many positive aspects of the idea. Firstly, educational objectives create structure to adult education. Much can be gained from having structure in a learning environment, including awareness of what is expected from the teacher and what is needed to gain a certain mark in an assignment or exam. This structure can help students sent ‘bench marks’ or
‘goals’, for which they can aspire to achieve. For example, a student could set a goal, to attend all lectures and tutorials, and also do 15 hours of work outside the classroom to hopefully achieve a specific mark in an assignment. Another positive about setting educational objectives is the idea that educational objectives tend to be set to a group of learners, not solely one individual. This means that instead of working and studying individually, students can ‘buddy up’ and work together. “Having students work with each other is an effective methodology because it forces students to be active learners and to talk through course concepts in their own words”. This can give the individual learner greater knowledge and understanding of work and could potentially help them lift their grades higher. Educational program objective contribute many positive aspects to the adult learning environment as explained above, however it also has its …show more content…
Firstly, operational objectives take into account the ever-changing world of technology. What is meant by this is, in the twenty-first century, everyday jobs and activities are involving more and more technology, therefore by using operational learning strategies to form objectives, technology will be a factor assessed and incorporated when developing the program. This is an advantage to learners because they will be ‘keeping up with the times’ and their learning could be enhanced from this experience. Secondly, an online program would be more flexible for adult learners because they can still attend other commitments and complete the work when it is suited to them. This allows for a smoother work flow and less stressed students as they know they will not lose marks for not being able to attend classes, and they can still participate in extra curricular activities and have a part-time/full-time job. This can allow struggling students to be able to afford the costs of living, studying and extra activities they are