Learning Objectives are the Corner Stones

2. Learning Objectives are the Corner Stones Michael Reimann, ISN

3. The metaphor „Corner Stones“ • Implies „house“, „room“, „space“-> “The universe of learning objectives” • Implies „basics“, „foundation“, „quality“-> The functions of learning objectives • Implies “to build“, „to construct“-> Building a „Learning Management System (LMS)“ using learning objectives

4. “The universe of learning objectives”

5. A little warm-up experiment: • Please have a look at the following slide, and consider it as a “learning resource”. • Then think for a moment about what someone could possibly learn from it.

6. OSCE EAPC PFP NATO CIS Canada, USA Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Georgia, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Romania, Sweden Switzerland, Slovakia, Slovenia Finland,Austria CFSP-EU Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russian Federation, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Belarus WEU Belgium, Germany, France, Greece, United Kingdom, Italy, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain Tajikistan Denmark Iceland, Norway, Poland, Czech Rep., Turkey, Hungary Andorra, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia*, Liechtenstein, Malta, Monaco, San Marino, Holy See, Cyprus *readmitted in 2000 Status: March 2001 European Security “Architecture”

7. Possible „Lessons Learned“: • Factual knowledge:Someone may know which state is member of which organization(s). • Organizational/structural knowledge:Someone may know European security structure (incl. inclusions, overlappings, etc.). • Historical knowledge:Someone may know European Security Structure at a certain point in time. • Political analysis:Someone may get insight to the complexity of European Security Structure. • Didactico-methodological synthesis:Someone may recognize: “One learning resource – several learning objectives”

8. „The Universe of Learning Objectives“ Didactico-methodological synthesis Organizational knowledge Political Analysis Factual knowledge Historical knowledge

9. Political Analysis Basic components of a „Learning Object“ A learning objective Learning resource(s) or a piece of text Didactical methods

10. The functions of Learning Objectives

11. Orientation and Search • Information about learning content is not enough! You‘ll get lost in „universe“! • Learning objectives give learning resources a specific direction, they tell where a specific learning content may lead to • A student can use information about learning objectives to search, find and choose the learning material he needs or wants

12. Development of Didactical Methods • Learning objectives suggest appropriate didactical methods; e.g.: • „Factual knowledge“ as a learning objective may suggest „learning by heart“ • „Organizational knowledge“ may suggest „Visualization methods“ • „Political Analysis“ may suggest „Group discussions“ • Etc. • Learning objectives facilitate the development of didactical methods

13. Evaluation • Learning objectives provide criteria for the evaluation • of the „Learning Object“ itself: Did I reach my objectives? • of students: Did he or she reach that objective? • of didactical methods: Was the didactical method to reach that objectiveeffective? • of learning resources: Is this a good learning resource to reach this or that objective? • Learning objectives enable evaluation

14. Course Compilation • Without learning objectives you cannot interconnect „Learning Objects“ or make up reasonable sequences of „Learning Objects“ • Learning objectives allow to combine „Learning Objects“ into courses

15. Reusability of Learning Objects • Learning objectives allow to combine „Learning Objects“ into different courses • Learning objectives are a precondition for reusability of learning resources and of „Learning Objects“

16. Example: Political Science Course: Course in Geopolitics: „The Use of the Internet for the Security Policy Practitioner“:

17. Building a „Learning Management System (LMS)“

18. Two Theoretical Approaches • Instructional Design • Constructivism

19. “Instructional Design”:The teacher-centered approach The teacher as the subject expert defines learning objectives • Consequence: Some of the possible learning objectives in the “universe of learning objectives” might not be recognized by the teacher, they might be forgotten, ignored, or else • Rather narrow approach: “The universe only consists of the stars I can show to you”

20. „Constructivism“:The student-centered approach Every student, with his own mindset, in his very own situation, and in his very own social context, constructs knowledge during the learning process, guided by and following his own objectives • Consequence: It is impossible to define learning objectives beforehand, because there are as many objectives as there are learners • Rather broad approach: “There are too many stars in the universe to pick only one (or some) of them”

21. What can we learn from both views on learning? • The teacher or the producer of a learning content can and should provide meta-information about learning objectives (instructional aspect). • But: The teacher’s definition of learning objective(s) is incomplete and provisional (not „wrong“!!) (constructivist aspect). • Consequence: The teachers and the students should be given the possibility to suggest and add learning objectives!

22. A process-oriented approach:Building a „Learning Management System (LMS)“ • An LMS can combine instructional and constructivist aspects: • By providing teachers and course developers with the possibility to give meta-information about learning objectives (instructional aspect), • by helping students compile courses according to their learning objectives (constructivist aspect), • and allow teachers as well as students to suggest„supplementary“ learning objectives (constructivist aspect).

23. Such an LMS would • Constantly grow, • continuously „learn“ more about the „Learning Objects“ in its repository, • become more and more flexible in satisfying learners‘ needs, • and maybe „reconcile“ instructional and constructivist approaches to learning objectives

24. Thank you very much!