Learning objectives are the heart of the Quality Matters Rubric, establishing a foundation upon which the rest of hybrid or online course is based. Everything in a hybrid or online course -- from the module objectives to instructional materials and activities, and even the technologies and tools -- must consistently support the course learning objectives.

General Standard 2 for Learning Objectives looks for measurable learning objectives at the course and unit level, which will help your students know what they will need to do to successfully complete the course. A unit can be defined in multiple ways such as a week or module, and these are typically described in specific, observable terms and in smaller, discrete pieces. For example, here is a course objective for a freshman writing course with three unit-level objectives:

Course Objective:

Upon completion of this course, learners will demonstrate mastery of rules of punctuation.

Unit-Level Objectives:

1. Learners will write sentences that demonstrate correct use of commas, semicolons, and periods.

2. Learners will use apostrophes when, and only when, needed.

3. Learners will use double and single quotation marks correctly in quoted material.

Learning objectives should be appropriate for the course level, written with the student in mind, and consistently linked to course activities. Bloom’s Taxonomy is very helpful to ensure appropriate learning objectives, and many instructors use a numbering system to show how the learning objectives align to course activities.

All five elements in this standard are essential and other QM standards evaluate the success of course and unit-level learning objectives. Alignment, therefore, is critical to support General Standard 2. Alignment emphasizes the idea that certain critical course components (course materials, assessments, learning activities, and tools) will work together to ensure that students achieve the desired learning outcomes for your course.

Talk of construction has tickled the thoughts of UMBC students. The library pond is finally finished. The Commons rooftop eventually patched down. The new Event Center is well underway and the Old Theatre is scheduled to be demolished next mid-semester. But what you probably didn’t hear about was the new pool at the library. Now you don’t have to go to the gym and spend $5 for a membership (or free with your red card) to slam dunk your own body into a huge vat of chlorine and children’s piss. The new library pool is so new that Hrabowski himself wasn’t even aware that construction had even started.

  The pool is supposed to replace the Retriever Learning Center (or the RLC) where students make themselves at home and find a comfy corner to take a 5-day nap. Heading this construction is HraBROski, the president’s slightly cooler and totally brosome bro. Found chillin’ by the tunnels at the library pond, he comments: “Ya, I totally thought of this idea when the cops kept tellin’ me that I can’t actually swim in the pond and I got kicked out of the RAC like a bunch of times for stealing the shower water to make Erickson Field a pool.”

  This isn’t just any ordinary pool that’s being built. It is going to have a built-in laptop bar with working outlets and high tables for your homework. This design was made with the students in mind. Geography major and IS and graphic design minors, Greg Sweis, is unapologetically happy: “I can’t believe this is happening! I’ve always wanted to be able to swim some laps and then do my WebAssign. This. Is. Innovation”.

Life would be so much easier if someone could tell us what we were good at. Imagine if we all could sit under a “sorting hat” and be told what characteristics dominate our personalities, what kind of person we are, or even have the chance to see what kind of person we don’t want to be (I’m looking at you, Lucius Malfoy).

Figuring out our skills and talents is hard. There have been so many times where I’ve laid in bed, staring at my ceiling, thinking about how I’m not exceedingly good at anything, but instead mediocre at everything. I’ve doubted my career path so many times, even the one that has been my dream since I was 15 years old, simply because I don’t know if I have what it takes.

How are we supposed to articulate our strengths to employers, whether it be through cover letters, interviews, resumes, or personal statements if we don’t know them? What steps do we take to discover what they are? Do we just learn as we go, or is there a way we can know, now?

These are just some of the resources the Career Center offers students to help them find out things like how they learn, what they are good at, or potential career paths that might fit their personality:

Career Assessments:

The Dependable Strengths Workshop:

On Friday, October 7, from 1-5 PM, the Career Center is hosting a Dependable Strengths Workshop for Arts, Humanities, and Social Science majors in Commons 329. While this workshop already has reached its maximum registration limit, be sure to register early for the next one on January 13. Seats fill quickly! Why in the world would so many people care to spend 4 hours of their Friday at one of these workshops?

The Dependable Strengths Workshops are meant to help clarify your career goals and allow you to pick a path that fits what your interests are. You learn how to market your degree, identify your strengths, and how to articulate those strengths and transferable skills to employers. This critically acclaimed program is meant to boost your confidence and help you determine what your assets are.

Finding out what you’re good at is especially important for college students. Now is the time when you are forging your future and deciding where your career will take you. Knowing what your strengths are will help guide you. I know that it’s difficult to understand what those characteristics are, but if you take the initiative and use the tools at your disposal, you’ll be making sure you don’t end up in Slytherin House when you’re clearly a Gryffindor.