Delphi Center for Teaching and Learning

Start with the End in Mind: How to Create Meaningful and Useful Course Learning Objectives


Would you like additional hands-on practice and support?

Are you interested in connecting with presenter(s) and other participants? The room and presenter(s) will be available until 1:30 p.m. Feel free to stay, exchange ideas, and ask questions.

One of the first things our students want to know is: "What am I going to learn in this course?" This is not the same as "What will this course cover?" Clearly describing what will be learned is the vital first step in creating a rich and meaningful educational experience. This workshop will provide you with a primer on how to write learning objectives that are measurable, observable, and learner-centered. You will practice writing learning objectives that align with critical course components and lay the groundwork for you and your learners to achieve course goals.




As a result of attending this session, you will be able to:

  • Differentiate between goals and objectives;
  • Define “good” learning objectives; and
  • Create meaningful learning objectives that are measurable, observable, and student-centered.

Session Date

Presenter Bio

Deb Hatfield, M.Ed., instructional designer at the Delphi Center for Teaching and Learning, has a B.S in business from Spalding University and a M.Ed., in education from the University of Louisville. As a member of the Delphi Center’s staff, Deb combines her previous instructional design, project management and facilitation experience to the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of web-based instruction. She collaborates with subject-matter experts to define content and develop online courses for the Delphi Center. Deb also has experience in online course delivery facilitation as an adjunct faculty member with the University of Louisville and the University of Phoenix Online.

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