Goals vs.

Objectives
Course Goal
A course goal indicates a broad learning outcome students will acquire at the end of the
course. The goal aims at providing a good overview about the course. However, the
goal must be realistic and achievable (Steere & Domenico, 2002), but is not usually
measurable. Many criteria such as time, expertise, and resources, determine if a goal is
realistically achievable in one setting compared to others.
Examples of course goals:

 The students will work effectively as a team leader.

 The students will learn effective strategies to prepare for debates.
 The students will develop advanced skills in using the Microsoft Word 2013 application.
 The students will learn useful survival skills in wilderness.

These goals indicate broad learning outcomes because many skills need to be learned
within each goal. The first three goals sound realistic and achievable in a typical
classroom setting. The fourth goal may be achieved in a different setting. However,
these goals are not measurable because it is difficult to know when students learn the
skills successfully.
If a goal is not measurable, how would we know when it is achieved? That's why we
need course objectives that are measurable to inform when the course goal is obtained.

Course Objective
Unlike a goal, a course objective indicates a specificlearning outcome, which is derived
from the course goal (Steere & Domenico, 2002). A course goal usually has multiple
course objectives. All course/learning objectives should be measurable (Mager, 1984),
which means that it is easy to observe when/if students succeed or fail to learn a
specific task. When all course objectives are met, their corresponding goal is said to be
achieved.

Examples
Goal: Students will work effectively as a team leader.
Objectives: When asked to work on a group project, students will be able to:

 Define an achievable project goal that is agreed by the majority of the group
members
 Value other members' inputs by incorporating good ideas and suggestions in the
project
Goal: Students will learn effective strategies to prepare for debates.
Objectives: When asked to prepare for a school debate, students will be able to:

 Choose the school's approved research databases to search for supporting

documents
 Evaluate those documents by assessing their relevancy to the debate topic
 Develop a matrix that summarizes the relevant ideas and include correct references
of the documents

The following chart lists the characteristics of a course goal and objective (Kissel, Miller,
& Young, n.d.).

Comparison chart

Goal Objective

Something that one's efforts or actions

The purpose toward which an
Meaning are intended to attain or accomplish;
endeavor is directed.
purpose; target.

Broad: in the sense that goals

are general intentions and are Precise: Objectives are set for
Scope
not specific enough to be certain tasks in particular.
measured.

General: general intentions

Specific: precise actions
Specificity towards the attainment of
for accomplishment of a specific task.
something

Goals may not be strictly

Measure Must be measurable and tangible.
measurable or tangible.

Orientation Teacher-focused Learner-centered

Time frame Longer term Mid to short term

In some situations, a course objective may sound a little broad (but still measurable, of
course). If it is the case, it needs to broken down into module/unit/chapter objectives.
The unit objectives identify specific sub-tasks of the course objective. The module
objectives should also be measurable. Click on Difference among course goal, course
objective, and unit objective to learn more.

Reflection

o Is your course goal achievable given the available resources?

o Are your course objectives derived from the course goal?
o Does any of your course objectives need unit objectives?

Review
The course goal communicates the overall course outcome(s) that the students will be
able to perform at the end of the course. The goal should be long-term, broad, and
achievable but not necessarily measurable. The goal helps keep instruction focus on
the targeted content. On the other hand, course objectives inform specific learning
outcomes and are derived from the course goal. All objectives should be measurable.
When a course objective is broad (still measurable), it needs unit objectives to further
identify specific sub-tasks. Unit objectives should also be measurable.

A vision statement looks forward and creates a mental image of the ideal state that the
organization wishes to achieve.

Direction is defined as the path that something takes, the path that must be taken to reach a
specific place, the way in which something is starting to develop or the way you are facing.

a. An example of direction is when you go right instead of left.

b. An example of direction is knowledge of where you are going and how to get where
you want to end up.
c. An example of direction is when a plan starts to go wrong.
d. An example of direction is when you climb to the top of a mountain and can see 360
degrees around you.

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direction
1.the act of directing; management; supervision
2.[usually pl.] instructions for doing, operating, using, preparing, etc.
3.an authoritative order or command
4.the point toward which something faces or the line along which something moves or
lies: “north,” “up,” “forward,” and “left” are directions
5. an aspect, line of development, way, trend, etc.: research in new directions
6. THEATER
a. the director's plan for achieving certain effects, as of acting, lighting, etc.
b. the instructions for this to the actors and others
7. MUSIC
a. a word, phrase, or sign showing how a note, passage, etc. is to be played
b. the work or art of directing a choir, band, etc.
Origin of direction
Middle English direccioun from Classical Latin directio

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direction
noun
1. The management, supervision, or guidance of a group or operation: The manager's direction
of the sales campaign has been highly effective.
2. The art or action of directing a musical, theatrical, or cinematic production.
 3. a. An authoritative order or command: The supervisor shouted directions to employees in the
warehouse.
b. Music A word or phrase in a score indicating how a passage is to be played or sung.
c. directions Instructions in how to do something or reach a destination: read the directions
before assembling the grill; asked for directions in how to get to the lake.
4. a. The course along which a person or thing is moving or must move to reach a
destination: The boat left the bay and sailed in a northerly direction.
b. The point toward which a person or thing faces or is oriented: The twins stood back to
back, looking in opposite directions.

5. A course or line of development; a tendency toward a particular end or goal: charting a new
direction for the company.
Origin of direction
Middle English arrangement from Latin dīrēctiōdīrēctiōn- from dīrēctus past participle
of dīrigereto direct ; see direct.
Related Forms:
 di·rec′tion·less
adjective

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright ©
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Noun
(plural directions)

1. The action of directing; pointing (something) or looking towards.

What direction is the railway station?

2. Guidance, instruction.
The trombonist looked to the bandleader for direction.

3. The work of the director in cinema or theater; the skill of directing a film, play etc.
The screenplay was good, but the direction was weak.
4. (archaic) An address.
 5. The path or course of a given movement, or moving body; an indication of
the pointtoward or from which an object is moving.
Keep going in the same direction.

Related terms
 direct
 directions
 director
 directive
 misdirection
 redirection
 under the direction of

Origin
From Old French, from Latin dīrēctiō.

English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.

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Synonyms

Sentence Examples

 She faced the direction from which she'd come.

 Isn't this the direction technology inevitably is heading?
 A faint pulse of life came from the direction of the gym.
 Are we moving in the direction of the solution now?
 The police sometimes don't even hear the entire tip... just enough to lead
them in the right direction, and find the person.
A strategy is a solution to move from where you are now (A) to where you
want to be (B)…or put another way, it is what you want to happen to achieve
an end. Strategy is a class of solution that deals with uncertainty – the
possibility that opposing forces may inhibit you reaching (B) or reaching it in
acceptably good form.

A strategy should raise the probability that its employer will reach (B) in good
form. It does so mostly by creating conditions that favor success. For
example, a strategy can be that you will only support businesses where you can
be a first or second tier player, where your objective (B) is to build a product
solutions portfolio that fits that defined nature. Building a portfolio of first or
second tier only product solutions is what you want to do. It is a solution to a
problem associated with running a type of business that you determined third
or less tier product solutions will not support. Your strategy does not
specifically say how you will arrive at this end. That is where your plan comes
in.

A plan is how you will move from (A) to (B). As such it should support your
strategy by providing a way to reach (B) that provides an acceptable balance of
risk and reward. So your strategy is what you want to do and your plan
is how you will do it. For example, you may decide as a strategy that you need
to acquire lots of patents in an area to help you maintain freedom of
operation, and then your plan is how specifically you will do that…R&D,
acquisition, license, etc. This is, of course, oriented on the level of
organization you are dealing with. Company, divisional, team, and personal
plans and strategies take place simultaneously, which creates issues of
alignment that we can cover in a future post.

Understanding the difference between a strategy and a plan allows you to

make useful strategic planning decisions that separate the two. It allows you
to act in line with General George S. Patton’s insightful quote, “Never tell
people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with
their ingenuity.” You can include statements of intent within your planning so
that when plans go wrong, which they often do, people can adjust their how-
to-do-it (the plan) in a way that makes sense with what you want them to
achieve (the strategy).

A process, in contrast, is a defined way of doing a task. It can be a linear in

nature – do A, then do B, then do C – or it can have branches – do A, then B,
and then C or D depending. A process sets strict parameters to the “how” that
can, if misapplied, allow the “how” to take priority over the “what.”
Since a process is so anchored in the “how,” it can never be a strategy. If used
well, a process can be an essential part of a strategy. For a strategist, the chief
purpose of any process is to drive out uncertainties that do not need to be
there within a plan. For example, no matter the strategy and plan you chose
regarding IP, you want to anchor that strategy and plan on good IP. As a part
of a strategy and plan you can set processes in place for idea review,
documentation, and protection that assure you will have the quality of IP
protection you need as circumstances arise. Then you can address all the
uncertainties of what competitors, partners, and customers may do to
challenge or advance your IP portfolio without also having undue uncertainty
about whether you can present good IP documentation when you need it.

So when you do strategic planning for IP, you and consulted team members
first determine what you want to do – your strategy. You next determine or
appropriately delegate how you want to do it – your plan. You and your team
then look at all the uncertainties associated with your strategy and plan with
the mindset to drive out those uncertainties that do not need to be there. To
drive out uncertainties, you may incorporate processes – often as simple as
checklists – so that those executing your strategy can focus their talents where
uncertainty remains. You do all of this in context with your opposition
because you can win or lose any strategic contest on any or all or your
strategies, plans, or processes.

In real life, or in corporate life, Situation analysis helps you define where you are
standing currently, and what should be your actions to progress further. Situation
analysis also means forecasting the results if a decision is taken in any direction.

visionnoun
UK /ˈvɪʒən/ US

[ C or U ] the ability to imagine how something could develop in the future, or the ideas that
come from imagining in this way:
There's a lack of leadership, a lack of vision, and a lackof organization in the industry as
a whole.

the vision to do sth The company management had the vision to give its employees a share of
the profits.
The deal will be the first of several pieces needed to achieve the vision.

Unless everyone agrees that this is the vision of the company's future, we can't move forward.

The educational vision puts forward the purpose of the school, and as such it should underpin
the

rest of your application. It provides the basis for all other decisions, including the way you
organise

your curriculum and your pupils, the range of staffing, how you allocate the budget and the
premises

in which the school will operate.

A clear vision is the foundation of a strong application

Priority comes from the word prior, which means to come before something else. A priority is
the concern, interest or desire that comes before all others. “His first priority was to establish
his career and get married later.” “When seeking the perfect wave, Jeff and Wayne made it
their priority to be the first surfers on the beach.” "The new CEO's top priority was firing her
predecessor's hires."