Goals are general statements of the program's purposes and aims based on perceived language

and situational needs. In a brand-new program, these perceptions may be based solely on a
formal needs analysis. In an established program, such perceptions will more likely be based on
information gathered along the way. Goal statements are attempts to delineate in general
terms what the program hopes to accomplish within the time allotted. They may be functional,
like in the statement: "The goal of our course is that the students will be able to converse in
social German with a focus on greetings." 

Instructive objectives are statements that describe the knowledge, behaviors, and/or skills that
a learner will be expected to know or perform at the end of a course or program. Direct
assessment of the objectives will provide evidence that the instructional objectives, and by
extension the program goals, have been achieved or not. Students should aim to develop oral
language skills that will enable them to participate in class discussions, make oral presentations
before an audience, and respond to questions. The single most distinguishing feature between
goals and objectives is their level of specificity.The trick is to decide whether the statement is
closer to the general or the specific end of the continuum. In developing curriculum, it may be
necessary for planners to derive objectives from goals, or vice versa. The activity will force
curriculum developers to think about the purposes of the program at several levels by dividing
it into sub-commons and sub-categories.