2 Course and subject objectives

2.1 University objectives
2.2 Policy on course and subject objectives
2.3 Responsibilities of academic units

The aim of teaching is to bring about some changes in the knowledge, understandings, skills and attitudes of students, not to present a range of topics or to conduct a set of classes. It follows that course and subject planning should start with a definition of the intended learning outcomes - the changes we wish to see in our students.

Learning outcomes are not all easy to define, nor can they all be anticipated. Indeed, if students are active, independent learners, then it cannot be assumed that they will all follow pre-defined paths. However, as long as they are not unduly prescriptive or narrow, objectives can `map' the territory for students in very useful ways, while allowing them room for their own exploration.

Just as learning outcomes are not all easy to define, they are not all easy to measure or observe. `Understanding', for example, cannot be directly observed, but it is nonetheless an appropriate term to use in a statement of educational objectives, and improving it is an entirely appropriate ambition for educators. It can also be measured indirectly: answering assessment questions correctly is `an indicator or proxy for the change in understanding'[*] .

It should not be assumed that the only valid objectives are those that can be fully mastered within a given program of study. As Ramsden argues, the effect of this is to focus on low-level learning outcomes. Some understandings and skills are `infinitely improvable', and objectives relating to these should be conceptualised in terms of progress towards a goal. If minimum standards need to achieved, as in areas of professional practice, these should be separately specified.[>]

2.1 University objectives

The university, in its statement of goals and objectives, has made a commitment to equipping its graduates with:

the knowledge, competence, skills and attitudes that will enable them to operate in their chosen fields at a level at least equal to the best of their peers in Australia or overseas;
a broad and critical understanding of knowledge in order to encourage and enable a continuing professional approach to work, community responsibilities and personal development;
intellectual and cultural curiosity as a preparation for lifelong learning;
other skills and attributes, for example computing skills, problem-solving and interpersonal skills;
an understanding of different cultures, both within Australia and overseas, that enriches experience and challenges assumptions.

One important aspect of preparing graduates to operate effectively in their chosen fields is the provision within courses of opportunities for students to develop employment-related generic skills. These include written and oral communication skills, the capacity to work in teams, and some ability to use technology effectively.

2.2 Policy on course and subject objectives

The Academic Board will oversee the processes whereby objectives are defined for all programs of study, ensure that they are in keeping with this broad vision of a Monash education, ensure that they are clear and coherent, and that they form the basis of the teaching and assessment activities that take place in all faculties.

The formulation of objectives for courses and subjects in the university shall be based on the principles set out below. In these statements, the terms `course' and `subject' are to be understood as:

`course' - the accumulation of subjects, according to a set of rules, that leads to the award of a qualification (eg BA, BE);
`subject' - any single unit of study in which a student enrols, and in which a grade is recorded (eg HSY2550 Modern Jewish history).

2.3 Responsibilities of academic units

2.3.1 The descriptions of each course shall begin with a statement of the learning outcomes[[hungarumlaut]] expected in the students who undertake that course. They must be consonant with the educational objectives of the university, as expressed in the statement of university goals and objectives, and relate to the workload expected of students.

2.3.2 The learning outcomes specified for each of the university's courses shall indicate a clear progression during that course towards a more expert, more competent state. The descriptions of each course's expected learning outcomes shall make such progressions clear and explicit.

2.3.3 The expected learning outcomes specified for each of the university's courses shall include generic capabilities (eg communication skills, analytical skills, independence of thought) as well as reference to the capabilities associated with individual disciplines where appropriate (see 2.3.4).

2.3.4 The extent to which discipline-specific outcomes are incorporated into the general course outcomes will depend on the nature of the faculty. In medicine, for instance, the faculty is in a position to specify the necessary conceptual understandings for all of the disciplines that contribute to a medical degree. In arts, where students have a wide range of options, the definition of discipline-specific outcomes must be undertaken at the department or school level, as appropriate, and the faculty should refer students to these statements. However, faculties shall specify those learning outcomes appropriate to all students enrolled in each of their courses.

2.3.5 Each academic unit within a faculty (or, where appropriate, the faculty itself, as in the Faculty of Law) shall:

specify the learning outcomes to be expected of graduates in its discipline or field;
demonstrate that the learning outcomes specified for its subjects constitute a clear progression towards a more expert, more competent state in the discipline or field and in generic capabilities;
ensure that the level of each offered subject reflects this progression towards expertise in the discipline or field and in generic capabilities.

These outcomes shall be consonant with the objectives of the faculty and the university.

2.3.6 The descriptions of each subject shall:

specify the learning outcomes expected in the students who undertake that subject;
indicate how the teaching and assessment procedures are related to the stated objectives;
outline the place of the subject in the course of which it is a part, with particular reference to its contribution to students' progression towards expertise.

2.3.7 Subject coordinators shall provide students with copies of the objectives for the subject no later than the commencement of teaching in that subject. It may not be possible to include in the faculty handbooks full statements of objectives for subjects, particularly in the large faculties. A brief summary statement of objectives is sufficient for this purpose; more detailed statements can then be distributed to students in the first week of classes. Departmental statements of educational objectives for students taking a major in the discipline or field and faculty statements of objectives for courses shall be printed in the faculty handbooks.

[* ] Ramsden P Using aims and objectives Centre for the Study of Higher Education, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, 1989

[> ] Ramsden P Learning to teach in higher education Routledge, London, 1992

[[hungarumlaut] ] To assist academic staff in the formulation of objectives, a `Guide to writing objectives for courses and subjects' is available from the Professional Development Centre. The centre will also conduct regular workshops on the subject.

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