University instruction has become much more objective-oriented: assignments, courses, and course sequences are designed not only to convey technical or conceptual content, but with a set of goals for what students should be able to do as a result of the activity. (See the learning objectives for the Geography major and the learning objectives for the various concentrations within UW's Geography major).
In addition, students (and certainly, parents and employers) recognize that college is more than a set of courses that provide exposure to a list of facts, techniques, or theories -- each of which will become obsolete in a matter of years. Rather, it's important to ask oneself "What capabilities will I gain or hone from this assignment, course, or internship?" Then, it should be a little easier to answer the question "What have I gained from this experience?"
It's useful to carry that same attitude away from college,
into our life experiences. What do we hope to gain from a particular
task, project, or job? Are we gaining it? When it's over, what
have we learned?
| INSTRUCTOR'S OBJECTIVES (Why did (s)he assign this?) | PERSONAL OBJECTIVES (What do you want to get out of this?) | LEARNING OUTCOMES (What did you gain from this?) | ||
| Assignment (reading, exercise, project) | Sometimes made explicit; feel free to ask | It's important to decide this in advance, to motivate and guide you through the assignment. | Document this in your portfolio | |
| Unit of a course | Sometimes made explicit | Again, deciding this will help your motivation and learning. | ||
| Course | Generally in the syllabus | Why take this course? Either know in advance, or make it up as you go along! | Document this in your portfolio | |
| Concentration or "track" | See Geog concentration objectives | Why did you select your concentration within Geography? | Document this in your portfolio | |
| Major | see learning objectives for the Geography major | Why did you select Geography as your major? | Document this in your portfolio | |
| Extracurricular experiences (jobs, internships, athletics, hobbies) | You decide | Document this in your portfolio | ||
| College career (major, electives, extracurricular activities) | You decide | Document this in your portfolio |
| SUPERVISOR'S OR INSTITUTIONAL OBJECTIVES | PERSONAL OBJECTIVES (What do you want to get out of this?) | LEARNING OUTCOMES (What did you gain from this?) | ||
| Task | Your learning may or may not be an explicit goal of the organization... | ...but learning should be an explicit goal of yours! | If you give explicit thought to this, job interviews and requests for promotions will be a lot easier. | |
| Project | Your learning may or may not be an explicit goal of the organization... | ...but learning should be an explicit goal of yours! | If you give explicit thought to this, job interviews and requests for promotions will be a lot easier. | |
| Job (particular postion in a particular setting) | Some organizations move employees through a sequence of jobs, as learning opportunities. | Think of this when you write the "Objectives" section of your resume. | If you give explicit thought to this, job interviews and requests for promotions will be a lot easier. | |
| Occupation (line of work) | No organization decides this for you; you're on your own in deciding what you want/need to learn from a specific occupation or career... | ...so what do you want to learn? | What skills or knowledge transfer from your current/past occupations to your desired occupation? | |
| Career (sequence of jobs and occupations) | No organization decides this for you; you're on your own in deciding what you want/need to learn from a specific occupation or career... | ...so what do you want to learn? | ? | |
| Avocational activities | Hobbies, parenting, volunteer activities are definitely sources of learning and gaining capabilities. | Can you document what you've learned? | ||
| Life overall | One of your goals in life should be lifelong learning. | Can you point to what you've learned so far in life? |