General objectives are written for courses and programs. From the general objective the specific learning objectives are written.

Although general objectives are not measurable, they are used to develop the evaluation of students’ learning. For example, in the objective

• Learners will know accounting concepts and principles

the students will be expected to know the accounting concepts and principles that were taught. The specific learning objectives may specify which concepts and principles.

The range of general objectives for a course is between 2-8. There are exceptions to this guideline with some courses with one objective and other with 10 objectives.

There is no rule that states that general objectives must be taught in the same order as listed on the course outline. It depends on the course and the course content (for example, often in math courses the objectives are taught in the same order but in communication courses this is not so.

General objectives provide focus for the instruction and assessment without limiting the instructor’s flexibility in selecting instructional methods and material