Aims: some guidelines and Exemplars
This site is evolving and we would welcome some additional exemplars: to barrie@niacedc.org.uk

If learners are clear about aims or have identified and agreed them with a tutor or leader, they are in a better position to identify their capabilities and needs in relation to initial assessment.

The aims of a programme or community activity are often taken for granted by everyone concerned. However, without aims, either set in advance or negotiated, it is easy to veer off course. Most tutors/leaders know what they hope to achieve but unless they talk to people about this, participants may be unclear about what they are trying to achieve or what standards are expected of them. Good practice includes:

• Sharing/exploring aims in relation to a) Courses b) Community activities b) Individuals.
• Letting people have a hand in shaping the aims – participant ownership of aims will tend to increase focus and involvement.
• Encouraging people to think about experiences, knowledge or skills they may already have that may help their participation.
• Limiting aims to manageable proportions – 3 or 4 may be enough for most people.
• Winning people over by developing a sense of camaraderie and fun from the outset.

Examples of how to explore aims
Use a card sort or similar exercise in which people select from a range of aims those that are the most important to them.

Use of incomplete sentences:
‘By the end of this course/activity I want to be able to…’
‘By the end of this course/activity I would like to be better at…’
‘Three things I want from this course/activity are…’