Identifying and Developing Objectives The Importance of Learning
Objectives in Economics Because most faculty receive little
training as educators, course design is traditionally relegated
to what we know best- content. Such objectives are necessary for
establishing the foundational knowledge to be covered throughout
a course, however economics is more than facts and figures, it
is a way of knowing (Siegfried et al 1991). Understanding how to
think like an economist can be enhanced when complementing
content objectives with learning objectives. What is a Learning
Objective? Taxonomies of learning can be traced back to the work
of Bloom (1956). This taxonomy suggests a hierarchal development
of learning as students progress from knowledge to
comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and finally to
evaluation. In economics, Hansen (1986, 2001, 2004, and 2006)
has developed a taxonomy based on proficiencies that suggest by
the time students have completed the economics major they should
be "effectively eq