Questions for Formulating Significant Learning Goals

"A year (or more) after this course is over, I want and hope that students will think
critically about information that is presented to them.”

My Big Harry Audacious Goal (BHAG) for the course is:

Students will analyze and interpret data to determine scale properties of objects in the solar
system and communicate their findings.

Foundational Knowledge
 What key information (e.g., facts, terms, formulae, concepts, principles, relationships, etc.)
is/are important for students to understand and remember in the future?
Objects are often not shown to scale.
There is a lot of empty space in space.
Objects in the solar system vary greatly in size.
Think critically about information that is presented.

 What key ideas (or perspectives) are important for students to understand in this course?
Ratios
Scale
Scientific notation
Locations of objects in the solar system

Application Goals
 What kinds of thinking are important for students to learn?
 Critical thinking, in which students analyze and evaluate
 Creative thinking, in which students imagine and create
 Practical thinking, in which students solve problems and make decisions

Students will mainly be critical thinking, analyzing and evaluating their findings about the scale
of the solar system. There will also be an element of practical thinking, as students solve
mathematical problems, as well as issues that arise while they are creating their model.

 What important skills do students need to gain?

Worksheet questions adopted from: L. Dee Fink, (2003) Creating Significant Learning Experiences: An Integrated
Approach to Designing College Courses. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
Students will need to work fluently with mathematical problems involving ratios, scale, and
scientific notation. They will be required to learn how to use measurement tools.

 Do students need to learn how to manage complex projects?

This project isn’t terribly complex, but students will need to work on managing the project.

Integration Goals
 What connections (similarities and interactions) should students recognize and make…:
 Among ideas within this course?
 Among the information, ideas, and perspectives in this course and those in other
courses or areas?
 Among material in this course and the students' own personal, social, and/or
work life?

Students should make connections between the activities in this project and the math lessons
covered. They should also make connections between this activity and other lessons they have
previously had regarding space science. In a larger sense, students should begin to question
other representations of information that may not have been accurate.

Human Dimensions Goals

 What could or should students learn about themselves?
 What could or should students learn about understanding others and/or interacting with
them?
Students should learn to question their preconceived ideas about the world around them. They
should develop an understanding that other people may perceive information differently. They
should also continue to develop the skills necessary to work in a group.

Caring Goals
 What changes/values do you hope students will adopt?
Feelings?
Interests?
Values?

I hope students will develop a curiosity about their environment, earth, and space that will lead
to more discovery in these areas.

Worksheet questions adopted from: L. Dee Fink, (2003) Creating Significant Learning Experiences: An Integrated
Approach to Designing College Courses. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
"Learning-How-to-Learn" Goals
 What would you like for students to learn about:
 how to be good students in a course like this?
 how to learn about this particular subject?
 how to become a self-directed learner of this subject, i.e., having a learning agenda
of what they need/want to learn, and a plan for learning it?
Students should learn how to learn about space and how to apply previously learned
mathematical skills to new content. They should also continue to develop self-direction skills, as
they move through the project.

Worksheet questions adopted from: L. Dee Fink, (2003) Creating Significant Learning Experiences: An Integrated
Approach to Designing College Courses. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass