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Course Structure Keystone

Checklist: Course Overview & Objectives

Let objectives guide every aspect of course design.

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Course Description

The syllabus includes a college-approved course description.

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►Include an Official Course Overview in the Syllabus.

Refer to the Hostos CUNY Course Catalog for the official course overview. Include this overview in your syllabus to provide students with a clear understanding of the course structure and expectations.

Hostos CUNY Course Catalog

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Course Objectives

The course contains objectives that guide structural design, aligning content, assessments, and activities with intended educational outcomes, ensuring coherence, focus, and a measurable basis for student evaluation.

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Course objectives form the foundational framework of the entire course, significantly shaping its structural design. They guide the alignment of all instructional elements—content, assessments, and activities—with the intended educational outcomes. This alignment streamlines the teaching process, provides a focused and measurable basis for student evaluation, and maintains coherence and evaluative integrity.

►Clarify Each Objective With a Measurable Action Verb
Use supporting language to clarify departmental objectives for students. Where possible, add measurable verbs that convey clear, observable actions, and avoid vague terms like ‘know’ or ‘appreciate’ that can lead to ambiguity.

bulb Tip – Design Objectives to Span Cognitive Levels for a Balanced Approach
Consider utilizing Bloom’s Taxonomy as a guide in creating course objectives. Ideally, objectives should span various cognitive levels to provide a balanced and comprehensive learning experience. Course objectives can range from lower-order thinking skills (LOTS) like Remembering and Understanding, to higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) like Analyzing, Evaluating, & Creating.

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Example

Course Objectives
Students will be able to

  • analyze and assess the quality, accessibility, security, and appropriateness of specific technology applications
  • demonstrate how to effectively manage a classroom that incorporates technology into daily routines and that includes digital learning environments
  • incorporate the components of digital fluency into lessons across the curriculum
  • describe computational thinking and implement developmentally appropriate instructional opportunities and assessments

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UDL

UDL icon - yellow Long-term goals are broken into short-term, achievable objectives.

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Divide overarching goals into smaller, actionable steps and assign realistic timelines for each stage. Provide scaffolding tools like templates or examples to guide your students.

Periodically remind students of the course objectives and the importance of helping them maintain focus. This can be done through class discussions, visual aids, or digital reminders (LMS announcements and emails).

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Accessibility

Accessibility icon- yellow Numbered or bulleted lists are used for course objectives.

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In text editors, such as Word, use numbered or bulleted lists for course objectives. Screen readers can identify list structures and relay that information to students.

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Use multiple methods, such as text labels or patterns, in addition to color to convey information or distinguish between elements. This ensures accessibility for screen reader users and those with colorblindness.

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Evaluation

Checklist icon- yellow  Reflection tools for students to self-assess goals are included.

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Create opportunities for students to provide feedback and reflect on course objectives through surveys, discussions, reflection journals, or feedback forms. This feedback helps you assess how well course objectives are communicated and understood, and identify areas needing clarification
or adjustment.

Reflect on the objectives by asking, “Can a student demonstrate this action?” and “Can I assess if a student has achieved this?” Regularly review and refine objectives to keep them clear, relevant, and measurable.

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 Resources & Support

Gear icon - yellow Syllabus includes details on course modality, tools, and technical support.

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Include the official course modality in your syllabus, as defined in the CUNY teaching modalities.

CUNY Modes of Instruction

Provide the course resources (e.g., readings, videos, tutorials) for each learning objective, that will aid students in achieving that objective. Consider diverse learning styles and preferences by offering resources in multiple formats (e.g., text, video, audio).

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