Although the noun forms of the three wordsaim,objective andgoal are often usedsynonymously,[1] professionals in organisededucation define theeducationalaims andobjectives more narrowly and consider them to be distinct from each other: aims are concerned with purpose whereas objectives are concerned with achievement.
Usually an educational objective relates to gaining an ability, a skill, some knowledge, a new attitude etc. rather than having merely completed a given task. Since the achievement of objectives usually takes place during the course and the aims look forward into the student's career and life beyond the course one can expect the aims of a course to be relatively more long term than the objectives of that same course.[2][3]
Course objectives are a relatively shorter term goal which successful learners will achieve within the scope of the course itself. Objectives are often worded in course documentation in a way that explains to learners what they should try to achieve as they learn.[citation needed]
The term learning outcome is used in many educational organisations, in particular inhigher education where learning outcomes are statements about what students should be able to do by the end of a teaching session. Learning outcomes are then aligned toeducational assessments, with the teaching and learning activities linking the two, a structure known asconstructive alignment.[4] Writing good learning outcomes can also make use of theSMART criteria. Types of learning outcomes taxonomy include:
In some organisations the term learning outcome is used in the part of a course description where aims are normally found.[5][6] One can equate aims tointended learning outcomes and objectives tomeasured learning outcomes. A third category of learning outcome is theunintended learning outcome which would include beneficial outcomes that were neither planned nor sought but are simply observed.
Critical thinking can be more challenging to formalize and assess through learning outcomes.[7] The effect of differentteaching methods on outcomes of learning was found to be generally small orinsignificant.[8] Some outcomes of learning can be quickly forgotten.[9]
