accounting program of study 5731 - Internal System Error

5. OPERATIONAL OBJECTIVES5.1 DEFINITIONAn operational objective is defined for eachcompetency to be developed. Competenciesare organized into an integrated trainingprogram designed to prepare students topractise the trade or occupation. This systematicorganization of competencies producesbetter overall results than training byisolated objectives. More specifically, itfosters a smooth progression from one objectiveto the next, saves teaching time byeliminating needless repetition, and integratesand reinforces learning material.Operational objectives are the main,compulsory teaching/learning targets and theyare specifically evaluated for certification.There are two kinds of operational objectives:behavioural and situational.- A behavioural objective is a relativelyclosed objective that describes the actionsand results expected of the student by theend of a learning step. Evaluation is basedon expected results.- A situational objective is a relativelyopen-ended objective that outlines themajor phases of a learning situation. Itallows for output and results to vary fromone student to another. Evaluation is basedon the student's participation in theactivities of the learning context.Operational objectives cover the learning thatthe students need to develop a competency:• The specifications or the phases of theobjective determine or guide specific learning,thereby allowing the competency to bedeveloped step by step.• The objective as a whole (i.e. the six componentsand in particular the last phase of asituational objective–see Section 5.2) determinesor guides the overall learning and theintegration and synthesis of this learning,allowing the competency to be developedfully.To attain the objectives, the following learningactivities may be prepared:• specific learning activities aimed atdeveloping the required knowledge, views,skills and attitudes• specific learning activities for the specificationsor phases of the objectives• general learning activities for the objectives15