Program Development From Concept to the Classroom

DACUM: Its Usefulness in Task Analysis for Course Development Introduction Background DACUM Method DACUM: Three Assumptions Advantages & Limitations A Successful DACUM Process From Concept to the Classroom Creating Learning Plans from a DACUM Analysis A tentative program title; • Program rationale including educational needs to be addressed with evidence of agency/industry endorsement where possible • Current and future employment opportunities; • A proposed implementation schedule including date for submission of detailed proposal; • Estimates of operating and capital costs; • Funding sources; • Resource requirement; • Agencies or groups that will be consulted; • Types of courses/areas of study and calendar descriptions if possible; • Other sites where the program is offered outside the province.

Basic Premise in Canadian College Course Development Unless an accurate, detailed job analysis is undertaken prior to developing a training program, companies may discover after investment of considerable resources that tasks trained for were not essential and not required A tentative program title; • Program rationale including educational needs to be addressed with evidence of agency/industry endorsement where possible • Current and future employment opportunities; • A proposed implementation schedule including date for submission of detailed proposal; • Estimates of operating and capital costs; • Funding sources; • Resource requirement; • Agencies or groups that will be consulted; • Types of courses/areas of study and calendar descriptions if possible; • Other sites where the program is offered outside the province.

Today we will discuss: Develop A Curriculum (DACUM) as an approach to task analysis that may be quite useful for instructional developers interested in competency-based learning and training The origin, methodology, and underlying assumptions of DACUM. The advantages and limitations of the process are explored. How data gathered in a DACUM analysis is used to build a program – course outlines and course learning plans A tentative program title; • Program rationale including educational needs to be addressed with evidence of agency/industry endorsement where possible • Current and future employment opportunities; • A proposed implementation schedule including date for submission of detailed proposal; • Estimates of operating and capital costs; • Funding sources; • Resource requirement; • Agencies or groups that will be consulted; • Types of courses/areas of study and calendar descriptions if possible; • Other sites where the program is offered outside the province.

Background DACUM job analysis originated in Canada in the 1960's as a way to develop competency lists drawing on the expertise content experts Post-secondary institutions use DACUM as an approach to competency-based learning because of its success in developing high-quality content analysis in a short period of time The DACUM approach makes it possible to develop a complete job profile, with duties and tasks identified and prioritized, usually in only two days. The profile can then be validated by a larger sample A tentative program title; • Program rationale including educational needs to be addressed with evidence of agency/industry endorsement where possible • Current and future employment opportunities; • A proposed implementation schedule including date for submission of detailed proposal; • Estimates of operating and capital costs; • Funding sources; • Resource requirement; • Agencies or groups that will be consulted; • Types of courses/areas of study and calendar descriptions if possible; • Other sites where the program is offered outside the province.

DACUM Method A group of six to twelve experts who are competently performing the job are recruited to form the DACUM committee. Because of their current occupational expertise, committee participants do not need to make advance preparations other than freeing time to be available. A DACUM facilitator guides the committee to collectively develop the DACUM chart over a period of two to three days A tentative program title; • Program rationale including educational needs to be addressed with evidence of agency/industry endorsement where possible • Current and future employment opportunities; • A proposed implementation schedule including date for submission of detailed proposal; • Estimates of operating and capital costs; • Funding sources; • Resource requirement; • Agencies or groups that will be consulted; • Types of courses/areas of study and calendar descriptions if possible; • Other sites where the program is offered outside the province.

Steps in the DACUM process Orientation to the process Review of job description Identification of general areas of competence (GAC's) Identification of tasks and skills Duties and related tasks are written in observable and measurable terms. A tentative program title; • Program rationale including educational needs to be addressed with evidence of agency/industry endorsement where possible • Current and future employment opportunities; • A proposed implementation schedule including date for submission of detailed proposal; • Estimates of operating and capital costs; • Funding sources; • Resource requirement; • Agencies or groups that will be consulted; • Types of courses/areas of study and calendar descriptions if possible; • Other sites where the program is offered outside the province.

Steps in the DACUM process Organize and sequence task statements in relation to GAC's and complexity Identification of behavior, attitudes, traits, general skills and knowledge, tools, and equipment required to perform the duties and tasks Other options, as desired (e.g., leveling of tasks, addition of a rating scale) A tentative program title; • Program rationale including educational needs to be addressed with evidence of agency/industry endorsement where possible • Current and future employment opportunities; • A proposed implementation schedule including date for submission of detailed proposal; • Estimates of operating and capital costs; • Funding sources; • Resource requirement; • Agencies or groups that will be consulted; • Types of courses/areas of study and calendar descriptions if possible; • Other sites where the program is offered outside the province.

DACUM is based on the following assumptions Expert workers can describe and define their job more accurately than anyone else Any job or outcome can be described in terms of the tasks expert workers perform All tasks, in order to be performed correctly, require certain knowledge, skills, tools, and attitudes Experts are able to identify valid, reliable outcomes and competencies A tentative program title; • Program rationale including educational needs to be addressed with evidence of agency/industry endorsement where possible • Current and future employment opportunities; • A proposed implementation schedule including date for submission of detailed proposal; • Estimates of operating and capital costs; • Funding sources; • Resource requirement; • Agencies or groups that will be consulted; • Types of courses/areas of study and calendar descriptions if possible; • Other sites where the program is offered outside the province.

Advantages of DACUM DACUM has been successfully used to analyze a diverse range of occupations at all skill levels It can be accomplished in a short time frame of less than three days. It is relatively inexpensive to develop, requiring minimal resources of a meeting room, facilitator, supplies, postage, telephone, and meals A tentative program title; • Program rationale including educational needs to be addressed with evidence of agency/industry endorsement where possible • Current and future employment opportunities; • A proposed implementation schedule including date for submission of detailed proposal; • Estimates of operating and capital costs; • Funding sources; • Resource requirement; • Agencies or groups that will be consulted; • Types of courses/areas of study and calendar descriptions if possible; • Other sites where the program is offered outside the province.

Advantages of DACUM Because those performing the competencies are involved in the process, its accuracy and likelihood of acceptance by those who implement and receive the subsequent training is increased. It provides a detailed task analysis, a tool for performance appraisal, a basis for the development of competency-based learning and evaluation, and a means of identifying individual training needs A tentative program title; • Program rationale including educational needs to be addressed with evidence of agency/industry endorsement where possible • Current and future employment opportunities; • A proposed implementation schedule including date for submission of detailed proposal; • Estimates of operating and capital costs; • Funding sources; • Resource requirement; • Agencies or groups that will be consulted; • Types of courses/areas of study and calendar descriptions if possible; • Other sites where the program is offered outside the province.

Limitations The process has been criticized as "very task oriented Other criticisms are that it stifles creativity and there is no evidence that competency based education serves students better than traditional approaches The two-day process can be very draining for committee members and facilitator as each item will be discussed, debated, written, rewritten, revised and revisited. A tentative program title; • Program rationale including educational needs to be addressed with evidence of agency/industry endorsement where possible • Current and future employment opportunities; • A proposed implementation schedule including date for submission of detailed proposal; • Estimates of operating and capital costs; • Funding sources; • Resource requirement; • Agencies or groups that will be consulted; • Types of courses/areas of study and calendar descriptions if possible; • Other sites where the program is offered outside the province.

From analysis to course development The DACUM process is effective for detailed task analysis, identification of individual training needs, performance appraisal, and development of competency-based learning. The careful selection of facilitator and committee members is important to a successful DACUM. A detailed, accurate DACUM chart can be created quickly at relatively low-cost. It can then be used by instructional developers as a basis for developing a training program A tentative program title; • Program rationale including educational needs to be addressed with evidence of agency/industry endorsement where possible • Current and future employment opportunities; • A proposed implementation schedule including date for submission of detailed proposal; • Estimates of operating and capital costs; • Funding sources; • Resource requirement; • Agencies or groups that will be consulted; • Types of courses/areas of study and calendar descriptions if possible; • Other sites where the program is offered outside the province.

DACUM Mapping It is important to remember that DACUM does not produce the curriculum directly DACUM is a tool that will assist in determining the skeleton of a competency-based training program Educators must be aware of the learning gaps that remain following the DACUM process A tentative program title; • Program rationale including educational needs to be addressed with evidence of agency/industry endorsement where possible • Current and future employment opportunities; • A proposed implementation schedule including date for submission of detailed proposal; • Estimates of operating and capital costs; • Funding sources; • Resource requirement; • Agencies or groups that will be consulted; • Types of courses/areas of study and calendar descriptions if possible; • Other sites where the program is offered outside the province.

DACUM Mapping DACUM works best when faculty are content experts in the field that they are teaching Faculty must be consulted to determine where each task will be taught Careful consideration must be given to the process of skill development of the students Careful consideration must be given to what order the skills will be developed A tentative program title; • Program rationale including educational needs to be addressed with evidence of agency/industry endorsement where possible • Current and future employment opportunities; • A proposed implementation schedule including date for submission of detailed proposal; • Estimates of operating and capital costs; • Funding sources; • Resource requirement; • Agencies or groups that will be consulted; • Types of courses/areas of study and calendar descriptions if possible; • Other sites where the program is offered outside the province.

DACUM Mapping Once the DACUM map is developed, faculty must determine what additional information the learner need so that they are educated and not simply trained We must consider the theory and knowledge that the learner requires to fully conceptualize what they must know A tentative program title; • Program rationale including educational needs to be addressed with evidence of agency/industry endorsement where possible • Current and future employment opportunities; • A proposed implementation schedule including date for submission of detailed proposal; • Estimates of operating and capital costs; • Funding sources; • Resource requirement; • Agencies or groups that will be consulted; • Types of courses/areas of study and calendar descriptions if possible; • Other sites where the program is offered outside the province.

Course Outlines Well developed course outlines places the learner at the center of the learning process We must consider the intended outcome and work backward to understand what we need to teach our students Our course outlines are no longer about what we will teach, but rather, what our students will be able to accomplish upon successful completion of the course A tentative program title; • Program rationale including educational needs to be addressed with evidence of agency/industry endorsement where possible • Current and future employment opportunities; • A proposed implementation schedule including date for submission of detailed proposal; • Estimates of operating and capital costs; • Funding sources; • Resource requirement; • Agencies or groups that will be consulted; • Types of courses/areas of study and calendar descriptions if possible; • Other sites where the program is offered outside the province.

Course Outlines Each objective must be measurable so that we can authentically evaluate the learners progress To authentically evaluate, each learning objective must begin with an action verb and be limited to a single objective Bloom’s Taxonomy provides educators with a list of verbs grouped by knowledge and skill development levels A tentative program title; • Program rationale including educational needs to be addressed with evidence of agency/industry endorsement where possible • Current and future employment opportunities; • A proposed implementation schedule including date for submission of detailed proposal; • Estimates of operating and capital costs; • Funding sources; • Resource requirement; • Agencies or groups that will be consulted; • Types of courses/areas of study and calendar descriptions if possible; • Other sites where the program is offered outside the province.

Part 2: Course Portfolio Binders Creating Learner Plans

Behaviours of the Outstanding Teachers Carefully conceptualizes the course to be taught Carefully organizes ideas into working plans and detailed course documents Is always prepared Actively engages students in their learning

Behaviours of the Outstanding Teachers Is aware of and attends to different learning styles Makes learning topics relevant and current Are aware that their roles is not to simply deliver information, but must be effective in facilitating learning Are checking to make sure that learning has occurred

Behaviours of the Outstanding Teachers Enables students to discuss, reflect, and think about what they have learned Identifies the specific knowledge, skills and attitudes they want the student to gain Evaluates fairly

How can we be effective teachers? Learner Plans

Why use a Learner Plan Learner Plans give direction to instruction A Learner plan attempts to ensure effective alignment among The stated learning outcomes The activities undertaken to achieve those goals The way in which achievement of the goals will be recognized and assessed

Why use a Learner Plan A Learner plan aids in the successful execution of a lesson A Learner plan allows for you to check activities you have designed against the time available so that the most important activities are completed

Why use a Learner Plan A Learner plan helps you insure continuity between lessons, linking past learning to current ideas while preparing for future classes A Learner plan aids in the successful execution of a lesson A Learner plan acts as a concrete record of the class experience from which you can take notes

Why use a Learner Plan A Learner plan allows for reflection so that methods, activities and content can be updated to best reflect the intended outcomes A Learner plan allows you or an entire department to integrate a curriculum across a sequence of courses, ensuring that each class builds on those that preceded it

Why use a Learner Plan Most importantly, a Learner plan can help you move away from the model of education that is often described as “teach-by-telling” model of education A Learner plan serves a reminder that the lesson needs to be experienced by the student, and not just heard

Components to a Learner Plan Employs the correct techniques Considers the students Considers the physical teaching environment and the available equipment and resources The type of learning you are aiming for

Components to a Learner Plan Techniques to consider when conveying information include: Lecture Field trips Discussion group Interviewing an expert Selected reading Case studies Demonstration by the instructor Classroom discussion

Components to a Learner Plan Techniques to consider when reinforcing memory include: Practice with feedback Memory aids Written work exercises

Components to a Learner Plan Techniques to consider when teaching a skill include: Demonstration by an expert Practical assignments in a laboratory setting Guided experience Coaching (practice with feedback)

Tips for Great Learn Plans Examine other templates Understand the Plan’s purpose Remember it’s a starting point, but you should be flexible Utilize your peers Don’t have so much detail that it is the course Make sure you have the main points

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