Center for Learning and Development Higher Order Thinking Series Course Design and Redesign Fall 2010

Course Design/Redesign: I want to know…

Additional Items Essential course elements: Instructional strategies Course description Measurable student learning outcomes Assessment and grading Course requirements and schedule Instructional strategies Resources

Essential Course Elements – Pt. I Goal (broad, abstract) What do you want to accomplish? Example: The goal of this course is to provide students with the fundamental knowledge of human physiology that will serve as an essential foundation for their future professional studies. Measurable Student Learning Outcomes/Objectives (SLO’s) (specific, able to be validated) What are the students doing (specifically) to accomplish this goal? Students will perform clinical scenarios to correlate basic physiology with the pathophysiologic outcomes they may encounter in the clinical setting. Explain using Bloom’s verbs – distribute handout

Goal SLO Statement 1. Describe the legal basis of health services. 2. Introduce multidisciplinary fields of inquiry. 3. Demonstrate leadership skills. 4. Feel a sense of fellowship with fellow classmates. 5. Prepare learners for future study in biomechanics. 6. Differentiate between proper and improper diagnoses. 7. Provide a foundation for examining policy perspectives. 8. Create a treatment plan. 9. 10.

Goal SLO Statement 1. Describe the legal basis of health services. 2. Introduce multidisciplinary fields of inquiry. 3. Demonstrate leadership skills. 4. Feel a sense of fellowship with fellow classmates. 5. Prepare learners for future study in biomechanics. 6. Differentiate between proper and improper diagnoses. 7. Provide a foundation for examining policy perspectives. 8. Create a treatment plan. 9. Goal for your course… 10. SLO for your course…

Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

Essential Course Elements – Pt. II Methods of assessing student learning Performance Measures: How will the SLO’s will be measured? Case studies Direct observation Examinations Multiple choice Short answer Essay Oral questioning Surveys Simulations Portfolios Presentations Self assessments Performance projects Assessment Response Rate Rubrics Checklists Surveys Handouts of examples of rubrics, checklists, response rate, knowledgsurveys

Goal SLO Statement Performance Measure x 1. Describe the legal basis of health services. 2. Introduce multidisciplinary fields of inquiry. 3. Demonstrate leadership skills. 4. Feel a sense of fellowship with fellow classmates. 5. Prepare learners for future study in biomechanics. 6. Differentiate between proper and improper diagnoses. 7. Provide a foundation for examining policy perspectives. 8. Create a treatment plan. 9. Goal for your course… 10. SLO for your course…

Essential Course Elements – Pt. III Grading policy Inherent Targets Benchmarks for success: What constitutes success? Example: All students will achieve 80% mastery on their clinical scenario performance project. Course requirements Expectations for academic and social behavior Academic integrity, attendance, tardiness, group work, behavior, accountability, etc. Tentative Schedule of topics, instructors, dates, assignments Feedback mechanisms Revision opportunities

Sample Course Syllabi Rubric Element Exceeds Expectations Meets Expectations Does Not Meet Expectations Course description Describes course’s major areas of inquiry. Outlines key concepts, topics, and/or skills to be covered. Provides context for learning and rationale for course. Indicates course’s role in department/degree curriculum. Provides context for learning and rationale for course. Outlines key concepts, topics, and/or skills to be covered. Indicates course’s role in department/degree curriculum. Describes topics to be covered. Does not describe major skills or concepts. Does not link course to competencies or overarching goals. Student learning outcomes Are measurable and/or observable. Progress toward more ambitious and rigorous higher order thinking skills. Are anchored by verbs describing what the student will do to provide evidence of mastery. Are grounded in departmental and/or school-wide competencies. Are measurable and/or observable. Describe desired behaviors that students will perform to demonstrate skill/concept mastery in the course. Involve cognitive challenge and higher-order thinking skills. Are not measurable or observable. Do not describe behaviors that students will perform in order to demonstrate higher order thinking. May describe content to be covered rather than student learning outcomes. Assessment and grading policy Thoroughly describes each assignment. Describes grading policy and philosophy clearly and concretely. Expectations for all forms of assessment (e.g., assignments, exams, group projects, etc.) are clear. Describes all assignments. Grading policy is defined, and point’s distribution is explained. Assessments are not defined. Grading policy is either not explained or is defined in vague terms. Course requirements Clearly and thoroughly outlines requirements for success in course. Specifically and concretely describes all expectations for academic and social behavior. Details policies related to lateness, attendance, group work, citations, etc. Clearly outlines expectations related to class participation, group work, assignments, etc. Defines policies related to lateness, attendance, group work, citations, etc. Describes expectations in general terms (e.g., “You should come to class prepared”). Does not specify course policies. Course schedule Lists learning objective(s) for each week in addition to topics. Cites related readings, both required and supplementary, for each week and any relevant assignments due. Lists topics and learning objectives to be covered each week. Identifies required readings and any relevant assignments due. May list topics to be covered but does not specify a schedule for learning.

Success is a work in progress

3 major questions to ask yourself when designing a course: The Big Picture 3 major questions to ask yourself when designing a course: Where are we going? How will we know when we have arrived? How will we get there? Goals & Objectives Source: Smith, P. & Ragan, T. (2004). Instructional Design, 3rd edition. Assessment Instructional Strategy

to maximize significant learning Significant Learning Outcomes Continuously align and improve course components to maximize significant learning Significant Learning Outcomes Engaging Learning Activities Informative Learning Assessment Situational Factors Adapted from: http://ctl.byu.edu/showCollection.php?&pageUID=xbvZUTRpKcwp&mainCategoryUID=4wMI8_qegCE1 Dee Fink.

Strategy/Activity Planning Sheet Goal SLO Assessment Instructional Strategies/Activities Content/ Resources Source: Fink, D. (2003). A Self-directed guide to designing courses for significant learning. Focus on what students will do in/out of class, not what you are going to do.

Do they align? SLO Name the 5 types of white blood cells in peripheral blood. Assessment Multiple-choice quiz Strategy Demonstration to learner of each cell type on stained blood film. Source: http://cfmmodules.mc.duke.edu/curriculum/index.html

Do they align? Objective Evaluate/interpret given patient blood cell differential reports and conclude each report to be consistent or inconsistent with a specific cited pathological condition. Assessment Patient reports for students to determine whether each is consistent with a pathological condition and provide rationale Strategy Learner views videotapes detailing protocols for treatment of disorders. Source: http://cfmmodules.mc.duke.edu/curriculum/index.html

It’s a complex world. Problem solving, evaluating, creating, critical thinking are required of students. But are we ready for instructional strategies yet?

Five Principles of Good Course Design Challenges students to higher order learning. Uses active forms of learning. Gives frequent and immediate feedback to students on the quality of their learning. Uses a structured sequence of different learning activities. Has a fair system for assessing and grading students. Source: http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/finks5.htm

Active Learning Passive Learning Receiving information & ideas Experience Dialog Doing Self Observing Others Adapted from: Fink, D. (2003). A Self-directed guide to designing courses for significant learning.

Higher Order & Active Learning Rich Learning Experiences In-depth Reflective Dialogue Identify some learning activities to add to your course that will give students a “Doing” or “Observing” Experience. What “Rich Learning Experiences” are appropriate for your course? What kinds of Reflective Dialogue can you incorporate into your course?

What are possible instructional strategies? What are strategies that provide rich learning experience and reflective dialogue?

Instructional Strategies Case study Problem-based learning Experiential learning Simulation; role playing Debate & discussion Journaling Collaborative learning Strategies focusing on HOT and active learning Can use case study, simulation, discussion as example to illustrate that how you implement a strategy matters. Reflective listening video in discussion: http://www.utexas.edu/academic/ctl/criticalthinking/#Explore/Tags/holleranListening http://www.utexas.edu/academic/ctl/criticalthinking/#Explore/Tags/holleranListening

Strategy/Activity Planning Sheet Goal SLO Assessment Instructional Strategies/Activities Content/ Resources Source: Fink, D. (2003). A Self-directed guide to designing courses for significant learning.

Course Design/Redesign Resources UNTHSC SLO Generator: http://www.hsc.unt.edu/qep/slo.html UNT N-Gen Initiatives: http://qep.unt.edu/what_is_n-gen.html Planning Your Course: A Decision Guide http://www.ohio.edu/gened/help/loader.cfm?url=/commonspot/security/getfile.cfm&PageID=13950 Duke University Faculty Development Module on Curriculum Design http://cfmmodules.mc.duke.edu/curriculum/index.html

Contact Information: Christine Savi, PhD Kun Huang, MEd Location: LIB-448 Phone: 817.735.2970 Email: catherine.mobley@unthsc.edu Website: http://www.hsc.unt.edu/qep/index.cfm