Following is a brief overview of how to determine learning objectives for a course and/or for assignments. Learning objectives are those skills or attitudes students should gain from a course or an assignment. They might also be understood as levels of cognitive knowledge that we hope students will achieve. You may also have heard about learning outcomes. These are similar to objectives but are typically associated with assessment and are measurable.
The act of writing can, in itself, develop knowledge and skills.
Some common, but by no means exclusive, goals for "W" courses would be to develop the ability to:
communicate with various audiences (e.g., lay, expert, managerial, general public)
think critically, or view ideas or events from different perspectives
argue effectively for one side, or for a compromise position
design documents for readability and usefulness
learn to appreciate a subject aesthetically or ethically
evaluate and compare events, texts, ideas, or objects
express a personal or organizational stance
critique a text, argument, object, or idea
Another way to view the knowledge/skills gained by writing is to consider what rhetoricians call "aims." Any given document, they claim, can be seen as having an underlying purpose, or "aim":
To explore (think from different perspectives, consider alternative views, create new perspectives)
To explain (explore underlying principles, demonstrate, or teach)
To persuade (argue for a position or stance, propose a course of action)
To express (make clear a stance, emotion, or identity)
To entertain
To evaluate (provide a critique or assessment)
To learn (rehearse information, synthesize information, or acquire new information)
A document might have one of these aims (or a variation thereof) as primary; on the other hand, some documents have multiple aims. From this list, it is clear that by writing a document with one of these aims, students also practice skills such as argument, communication, or critical thinking.
Likewise, rhetoricians sometimes classify writing according to "modes," which also provide a way of thinking about possible learning objectives for writing. The modes include exposition and argument as primary categories:
Exposition (Explanation)
Description
Narration
Process (Steps or Stages)
Comparison/Contrast (Likeness/Difference)
Analysis
Argument
Definition (Categorical Proposition, or, x is y)
Cause/Effect (Consequences)
Analogy
Evaluation
Again, several modes may be present in a given document, but one may dominate.
One advantage of using the modes to develop learning objectives is that many rhetoric texts provide help in writing based on the modes. For example, the typical handbook will include sections on writing a "Comparison/Contrast" essay or an "Extended Definition"; some writing textbooks also provide samples of writing that primarily demonstrate one of these modes.
A proposal might define a problem (definition mode); assert the consequences of inaction (cause/effect); or explain how a similar problem has been solved (analogy). The document's aim would primarily be to persuade, but it could also explain and perhaps evaluate.
Consider a possible series of assignments leading to a formal proposal:
a one-page memo to instructor defining a problem (mode: definition; aim: to explore and/or explain)
a one to three-page annotated bibliography investigating the current state of knowledge regarding the problem (mode: description; aim: to explain/learn)
a two-page letter to a person of authority explaining the consequences of acting or not acting to correct a problem (mode: cause/effect; aim: to persuade)
a seven to nine-page formal report to an audience capable of action, defining the problem and its current state, suggesting a solution, arguing for its feasibility and its necessity (modes: analogy or cause/effect; aim: to persuade).
Additional Resources
Walvoord, Barbara, and Virginia Johnson-Anderson, "Making Assignments Worth Grading" in Effective Grading: A Tool for Learning and Assessment, pp. 17-26 (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1998).
Angelo, Thomas A. and K. Patricia Cross. "The Teaching Goals Inventory" in Classroom Assessment Techniques. pp. 13-23 (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1993). Available in Evans Library (link).
Also useful is a chart based on
Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives, available at the University of Victoria's Counseling Services.
Classroom Management 
