Two related studies were undertaken at Southern Illinois University on how students in the School of Medicine use the instructional objectives faculty prepare for them. Students in the classes of 1978 and 1979 were surveyed in their final month of training. The second survey was modified, based on responses from the first. The five research questions were: (1) How much do students use objectives? (2) How do they use objectives? (3) What factors influence this use? (4) What are student attitudes toward objectives? and (5) Do students feel objectives inhibit their learning in any way? Results show that although objectives are perceived essential early in the curriculum, they decreased in effectiveness throughout the four curriculum sequences. It is concluded that in the future the emphasis on objectives will be reduced, and more emphasis placed on other instructional elements to assure that evaluation, both clinical and nonclinical, will be appropriate to objectives and learning experiences. Appended charts and tables present collations of responses on objectives' usefulness in the curriculum sequences and in each clerkship; reasons for using objectives; and agreements and disagreements with statements about objectives and their use. (MSE)