Transcript Chalk, Power-Point, E

An Overview of Course Design:
Planning for Significant Learning
Muhimbili University
School of Public Health
and Social Sciences
January 7, 2011
Prudence Merton, PhD
Rob Schadt, Ed.D.
Karen Tombs, EdD
James Wolff, MD, MPH
2
Workshop Learning Outcomes
Participants will be able to
 Describe
a process of course design
 Identify the situational factors that effect
the design of their course
 Identify characteristics of effective
learning outcomes
 Write learning outcomes and evaluate
their quality against those characteristics
 Improve learning outcomes
Workshop Resources
This session relies on
“The Self Directed Guide to
Designing Courses for
Higher Level Learning”
by Dee Fink, Director of the
Instructional Development
Program at Oklahoma University.
Find it at:
www.ou.edu/idp/significant/selfdirected1.pdf
What is Significant Learning?
Ask, “What would I like the impact of this
course to be on students 2-3 years after
the course is over?”
 (“What would I like students who have taken
this course to be able to do?”)

Activity
Barriers to Designing Courses
for Significant Learning

“I want to expose my students to…”

“I want to teach my students about…”

“I want to show my students that…”
Barriers to Designing Courses
for Significant Learning

When we focus on content coverage
 Course organization and syllabi are viewed
as topic lists
 Misperception that
amount covered = amount learned
 Assessments focused on reiteration
 Assumption that content knowledge means
that students can apply knowledge
(problem solving ability)
Barriers to Designing Courses
for Significant Learning

When we have laudable, but vague goals
beyond content mastery
 I want my students to think like scientists
 I want my students to see that HIV-AIDS is
a complex social, cultural, medical and
political issue
Barriers to Designing Courses
for Significant Learning

When we have a small
“Teaching Toolbox”
 If all you have is a hammer…
 If the only teaching strategy you have is
lecture…
 When we view assessment as only tests
Barriers to Designing Courses
for Significant Learning

When there’s a failure to think beyond the
end of the module, course or program
 Students: take exam, get grade, sell the
book
 Faculty: seldom ask themselves how they
might help students be better prepared for
future tasks.
Integrated Course Design
Learning
Goals
Learning
Activities
Feedback/
Assessment:
Situational Factors
Activity
Lack of Integrated Course Design
Learning Goal:
Learn content and
think critically
Teaching/Learning
activity: Lecture
Learning
Goals
Learning
Activities
Feedback/
Assessment
Feedback/Assessment:
Midterm exam with
thinking and contentrelated questions
If exam asks content-based, and “thinking” questions…
Lack of Integrated Course Design
Learning Goal:
Learn content and
think critically
Teaching/Learning
activity: Lecture
Learning
Goals
Learning
Activities
Feedback/
Assessment
Feedback/Assessment:
Midterm exam only
content-related questions
If exam asks content-based, but not “thinking” questions…
Course Development Cycle
Personal Instructional Strategy
Reflection
Documentation
SoTL Project
Course Portfolio
What changes will be
incorporated in the
next course offering?
Are the students meeting
the learning outcomes and succeeding?
What is working or not working
in my course?
STUDENT
LEARNING OUTCOMES
& CHOOSE CONTENT
What will the students know, be able
to do with what they know when they
complete my course?
Assessment
What evidence do the students
and instructors have of success?
Syllabus
Learning
Activities
How will I conduct class
to assist students
in their learning/success?
The Difference in Setting
Student-Focused Overarching Goals


Teacher-focused view:
Provide students with an introduction to the geology
of environmental issues and geologic hazards.
Student-focused view: (Student will be able to -)
Assess the hazard potential of an area and take that
into account when choosing a piece of property for
purchase.
or Evaluate the validity of a news report related to
the environment
or Prepare a scientifically sound argument on a local
environmental issue to present at a town forum or in
a town newspaper.
Goals Phrased as Students
Being Able to Do Something

What do you want students to do after they have
taken your course?

Which would you rather have?

I want my students to have a
strong background in…

I want my student to use
their strong background in order to do…..
Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning






Knowledge (meaning recall knowledge)
Comprehension
Application
Analysis
Synthesis
Evaluation
Handout
Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning
Knowledge: Recall data or information
Examples: Recite a policy. Quote prices from memory to a
customer. Knows the safety rules.
Key Words: defines, describes, identifies, knows, labels, lists,
matches, names, outlines, recalls, recognizes, reproduces,
selects, states.
Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning
Comprehension: Understand the meaning, translation,
interpolation, and interpretation of instructions and
problems. State a problem in one's own words.
Examples: Rewrites the principles of test writing. Explain in
one’s own words the steps for performing a complex task.
Translates an equation into a computer spreadsheet.
Key Words: comprehends, converts, defends, distinguishes,
estimates, explains, extends, generalizes, gives Examples,
infers, interprets, paraphrases, predicts, rewrites,
summarizes, translates.
Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning
Application: Use a concept in a new situation or
unprompted use of an abstraction. Applies what
was learned in the classroom into novel
situations in the work place.
Examples: Use a manual to calculate an employee ís
vacation time. Apply laws of statistics to evaluate the
reliability of a written test.
Key Words: applies, changes, computes, constructs,
demonstrates, discovers, manipulates, modifies, operates,
predicts, prepares, produces, relates, shows, solves, uses.
Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning
Analysis: Separates material or concepts into
component parts so that its organizational structure may
be understood. Distinguishes between facts and
inferences.
Examples: Troubleshoot a piece of equipment by using
logical deduction. Recognize logical fallacies in
reasoning. Gathers information from a department and
selects the required tasks for training.
Key Words: analyzes, breaks down, compares,
contrasts, diagrams, deconstructs, differentiates,
discriminates, distinguishes, identifies, illustrates, infers,
outlines, relates, selects, separates.
Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning
Synthesis: Builds a structure or pattern from diverse
elements. Put parts together to form a whole, with
emphasis on creating a new meaning or structure.
Examples: Write a company operations or process manual.
Design a machine to perform a specific task. Integrates
training from several sources to solve a problem. Revises
and process to improve the outcome.
Key Words: categorizes, combines, compiles, composes,
creates, devises, designs, explains, generates, modifies,
organizes, plans, rearranges, reconstructs, relates,
reorganizes, revises, rewrites, summarizes, tells, writes.
Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning
Evaluation: Make judgments about the value of ideas
or materials.
Examples: Select the most effective solution. Hire the most
qualified candidate. Explain and justify a new budget.
Key Words: appraises, compares, concludes, contrasts,
criticizes, critiques, defends, describes, discriminates,
evaluates, explains, interprets, justifies, relates, summarizes,
supports.
Now it’s Your Turn…

Write one learning outcome for your course…
Course Learning
Outcomes
Module
LOs
Session
Module
LOs
Session
Module
LOs
Session
Module
LOs
Session
.
.
.
Overarching
Learning
Outcome
Mediating
Learning
Outcomes
Session
Session
Session
Session
.
.
.
Foundational
Learning
Outcomes
Some Guidelines for
Writing Learning Outcomes
 Focus

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on the student as the performer
What is a student expected to be able to do?
How is a student expected to be able to think?
 Contain a verb describing an observable action
 The verb is selected based on the desired level
of performance (e.g. Bloom’s taxonomy of
cognitive levels)
 Can the outcome be assessed? (Must all our
learning objectives for students be measurable?)

Creating
REVISED BLOOM’S TAXONOMY
Generating new ideas, products, or ways of viewing things
Designing, constructing, planning, producing, inventing.
Evaluating
Justifying a decision or course of action
Checking, hypothesizing, critiquing, experimenting, judging
Analysing
Breaking information into parts to explore understandings and relationships
Comparing, organizing, deconstructing, interrogating, finding
Applying
Using information in another familiar situation
Implementing, carrying out, using, executing, charting, developing
Understanding
Explaining ideas or concepts
Interpreting, summarizing, paraphrasing, classifying, explaining
Remembering
Recalling information
Recognizing, listing, describing, retrieving, naming, finding, defining
Learning
Outcome
Worksheet
Factual
Knowledge Dimension
Conceptual
(categories, classifications,
relationships)
Procedural
(knowing how to do
something)
Metacognitive
(how one learns, what one
knows, evaluating value of
a task, knowing own
capabilities)
Cognitive Process Dimension
Remember
Understand
Apply
Analyze
Evaluate
Create
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 Revise
your first learning outcome and
construct another learning outcome for
your class
Activity
29
Dealing With “Understand” in Outcomes
 How
do you write outcomes when you want
students to “understand” a complex concept,
system, or process?

Identify specific tasks that indicate
“understanding”
 Specify outcomes for each task

Similar comments apply to “know,”
“appreciate,” “value,” “learn,” “demonstrate
understanding,” “grasp”
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Example: “Understand” in Outcomes
 In
our computer architecture course we want
students to “understand” a sample architecture
made up of several modules
 What would students be able to do if they
“understood” (outcomes)

Students should be able to identify:
All the modules and interconnecting signals
Modules involved in a given system-level operation
Output values for a given input values for each module
Sub-module changes given a system level change
…
Single, to Set, to
Course Outcomes
Many fundamental outcomes in a whole
course can be overwhelming and
unmanageable
 Use a “piecemeal” approach, start with
a “chunk” (modules, topical areas)

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Writing a Set of
Learning Outcomes
 For
your course think of a significant
chunk/unit of the course
 Write down a set of learning outcomes for
the chunk/unit.
 Cardinal rules
 Action verb
 Student as the performer
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33
Team Exercise
 Task

Write 3 or 5 guidelines for good set of learning outcomes
 What are the common features of a set of learning
outcomes?
 What should a set of learning outcomes look like?
 Method




Brain storm individually -- 2 minutes
Form teams of 3-4 people
Establish consensus as a team -- 8 minutes
Report team results in large group
34
Guidelines from Teams
35
Pair Exercise
 Exchange
your learning outcomes with
another participant
 Provide
constructive feedback based on
guidelines we developed
 10
minutes
36
Individual Exercise
 Revise
your learning outcomes based on
guidelines and feedback
 Report
 10
on biggest improvement
minutes
What purposes do learning outcomes
(goals/ objectives) serve?
•
For students
•
For faculty
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Learning Outcomes

Outcomes help students:








Clarify personal learning goals
Relates course to big picture of profession
Provides a guide to learn against – measure success
Recognize significance of actions of instructor
Expectations, benefits, motivation and relevance
Something tangible/course deliverable
Reduce anxiety – improve studying
Outcomes help instructors:





Bridge courses
Milestones/guideposts for activities for measurement
Roadmap
Design/evaluate – homework/activities/assessments
Identify task/techniques to get the point across
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A Taxonomy of Significant Learning
Foundational
Knowledge
Caring
Application
Learning
How to
Learn
Integration
Human
Dimension
A Taxonomy of Significant Learning
FOUNDATIONAL
KNOWLEDGE
Understanding
and remembering:
•Information
•Ideas
A Taxonomy of Significant Learning
APPLICATION
Skills
Thinking:
•critical,
•creative,
•practical
Managing projects
A Taxonomy of Significant Learning
Caring
Developing new
•interests
•feelings
•values
• Become excited about a certain activity
• Desire to be a good student
• Developing a commitment to live a more
healthy lifestyle
A Taxonomy of Significant Learning
INTEGRATION
Connecting:
•Ideas
•People
•Realms of life
A Taxonomy of Significant Learning
LEARNING
HOW TO LEARN
•Becoming a better student
•Inquiring about a subject
•Self-directing learners
• How to inquire and construct knowledge
• How to be a good student
• How to pursue self-directed learning
A Taxonomy of Significant Learning
Human Dimension
Learning about
•Oneself
•Others
• Leadership
• Multi-cultural education
• Working as a member of a team
• Embodying environmental ethics
Plan Major Assignments and Exams that Will
Teach and Test the Learning You Want
The “Assignment-Centered Course”


Review: What Learning Do I Want?
Create a Course Skeleton Showing Major
Assignments and Exams That Will Teach and Test
the Learning; Insert Them in the Week in Which
They Are Due
Ask These Questions about Assignments

Validity: Are the assignments likely to elicit the kind
of learning you want?
 Consider the context in which students produce
work: time frame, level of foundation required,
accessibility of help, likely work strategies
(situational factors)
 Workload: Are the assignments and exams
manageable in terms of number, type, length, and
spacing across the semester?
It is better to concentrate on a few, well-chosen
assignments and exams than to proliferate ill-conceived
ones. Sometimes, “Less is more”
Consider Times and Spaces for Learning

Aspects of the Learning Process:
 First exposure: student first hears/sees new
information, concepts, procedures, etc.
 Process: student applies, critiques, contrasts,
synthesizes, argues, analyzes, etc. This usually
results in a product: test, exam, assignment, lab or
clinic performance, etc.
 Response: Teacher, assistant, or peer responds to
the product
Basic Mode:
Traditional Lecture Method
First Exposure
Class
Student(s)
Alone
Process
Response
Teacher
Alone
Communication
Basic Mode: Interactive Method
First Exposure
Class
Student(s)
Alone
Process
Response
Teacher
Alone
One last question…
As you enter the classroom, ask
yourself this question:
“If there were no students in the
classroom, could I do what I am
planning to do?”
If the answer to this question is
yes, don’t do it.
(Novak et al, 1999, Just in Time Teaching)