Download - Elements of Successful Course Design · overview of course. • Identifies behaviors and skills students are expected to learn. • Helps students be aware of their learning responsibility.

ElementsofSuccessful

CourseDesignIgorAkpovo,Ph.D

FacultyConsultantforInnovativeTeaching

JanelleColeman,Ph.DFacultyConsultantforAssessment

JohnWalker,M.A.ExperienceLearningAssessmentCoordinator

teaching.utk.edu

Bytheendofthissession,participantswill…

1. Applyatleastoneconceptualplanningmodelwhencreatingaspectsoftheircourse.

2. Articulatethecharacteristicsandbenefitsofclearlearningoutcomes.

3. Identifystrategiesforengagingstudentsthroughthelearningprocess.

AreasofNeed• Establishingaclearorganizationforyourcourse.• Ensurethatformativeandsummativeassessmentsareproperlyintegrated.• Makingcontent/materialrelevanttostudents.• Ensuringthatstudentsareengagedasactiveparticipantsintheirlearning.

PlanningTools

PlanningCourseContent:WhattoConsider?1. Contextofthecoursewithinthelarger

curriculumoftheprogram:• LeveloftheCourse• RequiredorElective

2. Disciplinaryornational/regionalstandardsthatdictatewhatmustbecovered

3. StudentCharacteristics/Backgrounds

4. LearningEnvironment

PlanningMethod#1:ConcentricCircles

howtousetimeeffectivelyforcollege;howtothinkabout

academicgoals;howtotalktoyouradvisor;howtoprioritize

howtousethelibrary(basics);methodsforeffectivereadingeffectivestudy(forcollege);waystoplanforgraduation

EnduringUnderstandings

forFYS:

ImportanttoKnoworDo:

Worth beingfamiliarwith

Otherservicesoncampus;ideasaboutgettingmostofcollegeeducation

PlanningMethod#2:Difficult(Threshold)Concepts

• Whatarethedifficultconcepts?• Examineunits.• Adda“star”totheonesthatmaycauseproblemsformanystudentsconsistently.• Research/analysisonhowbesttoaddressdifficulties.

ConceptualPlanningActivity

• Identifyasetofskillsorconceptsthatyouwouldlikestudentstolearninyourclass.

• UsingtheConcentricCircleModel,prioritizethoseskillsand/orconcepts.

• Next,putastarnexttothoseskillsorconceptsthatmightbethresholdconceptsforyourstudents.

• Insmallgroups(3or4),discusshowyoumightmitigatethosedifficultiesinyourcourse.

PlanningMethod#3:ThreeColumnApproachtoCourseDesign

StudentLearningOutcomes

“Whatwill the studentbeabletodo?”

FormativeAssessment

“Whatwillstudentsdotodemonstratetheyare

learningthecontent?”(i.e.,whattheyarecurrently

learning)

SummativeAssessment

“Whatwillthestudentsbeabletodotoindicatethattheylearnedaconcept

withinatimeframe?”(i.e.whattheyhavelearned)

1.

2.

3.

SettingtheCourseDevelopingClearLearningOutcomes

SettingClearLearningOutcomes…

So,whyisthisimportant?

ImportanceofClearLearningOutcomesandObjectives

• Providesinstructor,studentwithanoverviewofcourse.

• Identifiesbehaviorsandskillsstudentsareexpectedtolearn.

• Helpsstudentsbeawareoftheirlearningresponsibility.

• Createsroadmapforcourseplanning.

• Providesoutlineandcontextforinstructortodevelopcourseexamsandotherassessedassignments.

CharacteristicsofStrongLearningOutcomes(SLOs)

Outcomes•OutcomesareSpecific.•OutcomesareMeasurable.•OutcomesareAchievable.•OutcomesareRelevant.•OutcomesareTime-framed.

OutcomesareSMART!

Remember Understand Apply Analyze Evaluate Create

CountDefineDescribeDrawIdentifyLabelListMatchNameOutlinePointQuoteReadRecallReciteRecognizeRecordRepeatReproduceSelectStateWrite

AssociateComputeConvertDefendDiscussDistinguishEstimateExplainExtendExtrapolateGeneralizeGiveexamplesInferParaphrasePredictRewriteSummarize

ApplyCalculateChangeClassifyCompleteComputeDemonstrateDiscoverDivideExamineGraphInterpolateManipulateModifyOperatePrepareProduceShowSolveSubtractTranslateUse

AnalyzeArrangeBreakdownCategorizeCombineDesignDetectDevelopDiagramDifferentiateDiscriminateIllustrateInferOutlinePointoutRelateSelectSeparateSubdivideUtilize

AppraiseAssessCompareConcludeContrastCriticizeCritiqueDetermineGradeInterpretJudgeJustifyMeasureRankRateRelateSupportTest

ComposeCreateCombineConnectDesignDeviseGroupIntegrateModifyOrderOrganizePlanPrescribeProposeRearrangeReconstructReorganizeReviseRewriteTransform

LearningOutcomesbyCategory:Whatstudentsdo

CommonPitfallswithSLOs

• “Double-barreled”outcomes• Usingvagueverbs(e.g.,

“understand”and“know”)• Wordyoutcomes(e.g.,

“studentswilldemonstratetheabilityto…”)

• Outcomesstatedasgoals

WeakLearningOutcomes• Studentswillknowtheelementsfromtheperiodictable.

• StudentswillbeabletounderstandandapplythePythagoreanTheorem.

• Studentswilldemonstratetheabilitytoanalyzeanddescribethehistoricalperspectivesofourworldandappreciatethecontributionsofthoseperspectives.

• Studentswillobtainaresearchgrant.

StrongLearningOutcomes• Givenaparagraph,thestudentwillidentifyten

rulesofgrammarthatareusedinitsconstruction.

• Studentswillpresentinformationabouttheirresearchtoageneralaudience.

• Bytheendofthiscourse,studentswilldistinguishbetweenahypothesis,atheory,andalaw.

LearningOutcomesActivityHowdowemakeweakoutcomesstronger?

ImportanceofAligningLearningOutcomesWithAssessments

• Itensuresthevalidity,reliability,andtransparencyoftheassessments.

• Ithelpstoensurethatthe'right'skillsandknowledgearebeingassessedattherighttimeusingappropriatemethods.

• Itprovidesdependableevidence ofhowwellstudentsarereachingthedesiredoutcomes.

• Itreinforces tostudentswhatneedstobemasteredandhelpsthemtracktheirprogressinthecourse.

AssessmentTypesandStrategies

AssessmentProcess

Evidence

FeedbackAdjustInstruction&Learning

Formativevs.SummativeAssessment

• Formativeassessmentisassessmentfor learning.Itsfocusisonfutureachievement.

• Summativeassessmentisassessmentof learning.Itassesseswhathasbeenlearnedinthepast.

• TheseformsofassessmentareNOTmutuallyexclusive;theyshouldbeusedinconjunctionwithoneanothertomeasurestudentlearning.

ExamplesofFormativeAssessment

ExamplesofSummativeAssessment

TestYourKnowledge!

Howmuchhaveyoulearnedaboutassessment?

Engagement

MakingYourContentMatter!

ActiveLearning

• WhatIhear,Iforget.• WhatIhearandsee,I

rememberalittle.• WhatIhear,see,andask

questionsaboutordiscuss withsomeoneelse,Ibegintounderstand.

• WhatIhear,see,discussanddo,Iacquireknowledgeandskill.

• WhatIteach toanother,Imaster(Silberman,1996).

ActiveLearning(con’t.)

• Activelearningreferstoabroadrangeofteachingstrategieswhichengagestudentsasactiveparticipantsintheirlearning.

• Activelearningactivitiesengagestudentsindoingsomethingbesideslisteningtoalectureandtakingnotestohelpthemlearnandapplycoursematerial.

ActiveLearningStrategies

• Opendiscussions• Games• Think-Pair-Share• PeerReview• RolePlaying,etc.• Smallgroupdiscussions• Demonstration• ExperientialLearning

ExperientialLearning

Experientiallearning isanapproachtoeducationthatemphasizesengagedstudentlearningthroughdirectexperienceandintensereflectiontoincreaseknowledgeandacquirelifelonglearningandproblem-solvingskills.

WhyisELImportanttoStudents’Education?

• CurrentEducationalBenefits• GenerationZ(bornbetween1995-2010)• ResearchshowsthatusingEListhemosteffectivewaythatthesestudentslearn.*

• FutureCareerandProfessionalBenefits• EmployersarelookingfornewemployeeswiththeskillsthataredevelopedthroughELexperiences.

*Seemiller,C.&Grace,M.(2016)GenerationZGoestoCollege.SanFrancisco:Jossey-Bass.

TLIResources• Assessment• CourseDesign• InclusiveTeachingPractices• OnlineTeachingPractices• ExperientialLearning• Service-learning https://teaching.utk.edu/

UpcomingworkshopsalsoavailableontheTLIwebsite!

Thankyou!

Questions?