1. Course Syllabus Development
August 24, 2016

2. Through this workshop you will be able to:
Recognize and understand AUA’s Policy on Course Syllabus Format and AUA’s Course Syllabus Template
Identify program-based student learning outcomes (compare with curriculum map),
Develop a course-based learning outcome,
Match assignments to course-based learning outcome,
Develop syllabi in line with AUA’s policies and practices to enhance undergraduate learning, and
Know where to turn for resources and ongoing support.

3. Developing a Course is a Process
Like writing, developing a course is a process which:
Takes time
Does not always start at square one
Is not always orderly
Is iterative
Question: What is the first thing you do when you are thinking about designing a new course?
[Write Answers on White board]

4. Developing a Course is a Process
Review AUA Mission Statement
Review Course Description
Review Program Goals and Student Learning Outcomes
Review Curriculum Map
Benchmark
Discuss with faculty
Review University Policy on Course Syllabus Format and Template
Draft Course-Based Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) – that align with Program Student Learning Outcomes
Draft an outline/schedule – Topics and content to be covered by week
Draft Assignments and Assessment Methods –align with SLOs
Draft Syllabus
Review Final Draft with Program Chair / Dean
Yes. It is true. Just like writing, developing a course is a process. The steps do not always flow in an orderly manner but they should all eventually be covered, some more than once.

5. How does the course reflect/fulfill AUA’s Mission?
AUA Mission Statement
How does the course reflect/fulfill AUA’s Mission?
The American University of Armenia aims to have an impact on students and the community as a center of academic excellence, innovation, inquiry, and diversity that contributes to the further development and advancement of Armenia, the region and the world through teaching and scholarship, fostering creativity, integrity and community service
We’ve all seen this before. How does this course fit with AUA’s Mission? AUA’s Mission was recalibrated in 2011 and is being reviewed for revision during the current strategic planning process but has remained a great source of direction for the university for 25 years. It provides guidance to Administrators, Staff, and Faculty and provides students with a good understanding of what the university hopes to accomplish through its educational programs.
[Question: Chose a faculty member: What course are you teaching this semester? How does your course fit AUA’s Mission? Ask two or three people.]
Pending final approval

6. Course Description
What does a course description tell about the course?
Course descriptions contain information about:
credit hours,
pre- or co- requisites,
course-based student learning outcomes, and course content.
This slide is animated.
Handout: Let’s look at these course descriptions. What do they tell us about the course that would be helpful as we are thinking about designing a syllabus?
What do you do if you are designing a courses for the first time? (review course description policy)? What do you do if you are designing a course that has a course description but you feel that the course description doesn’t necessarily reflect what is needed in the course? Talk with your Program Chair and Dean. Although course descriptions are approved by the CC and FS they are not static. They will certainly need some updating sometime. This needs review and approval and should not be taken lightly but faculty play a vital role in this process.

7. Program Goals and Program Student Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to …
… do what through the program or course?
If you can answer that, you can develop a student learning outcome (an SLO).
Do you know
Yes. Review Program Goals and Program Student Learning Outcomes.
Question: What are your Program Goals? Is this a discipline specific course? A Gen Ed Course? What are Program Student Learning Outcomes?
Reviewing Program Goals and Program Student Learning Outcomes guides the course, helps us think about the alignment of course-based learning outcomes, what students should be learning in the course.
Handout: University-wide program goals and student learning outcomes
Handout: Aligning Assignments to Course-Based Learning Outcomes Worksheet. Identify one program goal for a course you are currently working on. Write it down here?
Now talk with a colleague in your program, Identify a corresponding program student learning outcome. Write it down.

8. Program Goals and Program Student Learning Outcomes
What are your Program Student Learning Outcomes? Where can you find them?
Do you know
Yes. Review Program Goals and Program Student Learning Outcomes.
Question: What are your Program Goals? Is this a discipline specific course? A Gen Ed Course? What are Program Student Learning Outcomes?
Reviewing Program Goals and Program Student Learning Outcomes guides the course, helps us think about the alignment of course-based learning outcomes, what students should be learning in the course.
Handout: University-wide program goals and student learning outcomes
Handout: Aligning Assignments to Course-Based Learning Outcomes Worksheet. Identify one program goal for a course you are currently working on. Write it down here?
Now talk with a colleague in your program, Identify a corresponding program student learning outcome. Write it down.

9. Curriculum Map What is a Curriculum Map? A curriculum map:
* describes how a course fits into the rest of the program
* outcomes the course intends to address and at what level
Excerpt from General Education Program Curriculum Map – Subject to Change
4.1 Produce and deliver written and oral presentations, and communicate with specialists and non-specialists using appropriate media and technology.
4.2 Think critically and creatively, conceptualizing real-world problems from different perspectives.
4.3 Work productively in diverse teams and solve problems collaboratively.
5.1 Use common software and information technology to pursue inquiry relevant to their academic and professional fields, and personal interests.
5.2 Weigh evidence and arguments, and appreciate and engage in diverse modes of inquiry characteristic of historical, cultural, political, economic, and quantitative disciplines.
5.3 Properly document and synthesize existing scholarship and data, keep current with developments, conduct independent research, and discover and learn new material on their own.
4.1
4.2
4.3
5.1
5.2
5.3
Freshman English 1 B
Freshman English 2 I
Armenian Lang / Lit 1
Introduction to Philosophy
Basics of Healthy Lifestyles
Introduction to Environmental Studies
This slide is animated.
Question: What is a curriculum map?
Question: What does this curriculum map tell us about this course? How might the curriculum map help us think about course design?
Tells us how a course fits into the rest of the program, how it fits into AUA’s mission as well – This is your course’s role in the process.
I hope you don’t mind but we are going to stick with the Freshman English 1 for consistency …. This is an excerpt of a the Gen Ed Curriculum Map.

10. Program Goals and Program Student Learning Outcomes
How does the course align with Program Goals and Student Learning Outcomes?
* Program Goals and Student Learning Outcomes
University-wide Program Goals and Student Learning Outcomes
Think about this for a moment...
Do you know
Yes. Review Program Goals and Program Student Learning Outcomes.
Question: What are your Program Goals? Is this a discipline specific course? A Gen Ed Course? What are Program Student Learning Outcomes?
Reviewing Program Goals and Program Student Learning Outcomes guides the course, helps us think about the alignment of course-based learning outcomes, what students should be learning in the course.
Handout: University-wide program goals and student learning outcomes
Handout: Aligning Assignments to Course-Based Learning Outcomes Worksheet. Identify one program goal for a course you are currently working on. Write it down here?
Now talk with a colleague in your program, Identify a corresponding program student learning outcome. Write it down.

11. Benchmarking Benchmark with: Other U.S.-accredited universities
Other American universities abroad
Other universities in Armenia
What topics are generally covered in similar courses?
Are there any commonly-used resources?
What about typical assignments, reading material.
Often times happens naturally.
Question: Why might this be helpful?
Question to audience, NAME OF INSTRUCTOR, you just worked on a syllabus on NAME of COURSE. Did you benchmark this course? If so, how? Was this helpful? How?

12. Discuss with Faculty Has this course been taught before at AUA?
If so, talk with others who have taught the course
Other faculty in the program (or other programs), especially those who teach prerequisites or follow-up courses.
Program Chair
Dean
This also tends to happen naturally, although sometimes it doesn’t. Has this course been taught before at AUA? Talk w/ faculty.
Question: Why might you would you want to also talk w/ faculty who teach prerequisites or follow-up courses?
Talking w/ faculty helps build understanding of the course, develops understanding about goals and Student Learning Outcomes, and increases the likelihood of collaboration ….

13. Review Policy on Course Syllabus Format and Course Syllabus Template
AUA Policies, policies.aua.am Course Syllabus Format, (currently under review for revisions) Course Syllabus Template,
Policies … yes. They are useful guides and were developed to enhance and improve student learning. Let’s use them. The template was requested by faculty to put the policy and assessment tools into perspective. We’ll talk about assessment tools later and in more depth at a follow up workshop.
Course Syllabus Template provides a guideline for developing your course and course syllabus in alignment with AUA’s policy on course syllabus format.
Available online and through the Office of Accreditation and Assessment

14. Freshman English 1 – Subject to Change
Course Based Student Learning Outcomes – Mapping to Program Goals and Program SLOs
Freshman English 1 – Subject to Change
AUA’s Syllabus Template provides a bit of a worksheet as well as an important guide for students to understand how course based student learning outcomes align with program student learning outcomes and program goals.
This helps students become active and engaged learners.
Let’s go back to the worksheet. We have a Program Goal and a Program Student Learning Outcome.
Question: What are the course based student learning outcomes that align w/ the Program Goal and Program Student Learning Outcome that you chose for the course you are developing.
Take a few moments to think about this…
Share with group …. Show alignment

15. Course-Based Student Learning Outcomes
Back to the process: Review Program Goals Review Program Student Learning Outcomes. Review Curriculum Map
Question: What is the difference between a program student learning outcome and a course-based student learning outcome?
Question: How do your course based student learning outcomes align with program based student learning outcomes?
Question: What are some of your course based student learning outcomes.
List a few on the white board
Bloom’s Taxonomy is just one taxonomy to use. It is a widely accepted taxonomy and is appropriate to undergraduate liberal arts education … providing developmental model for skill and knowledge development.
From Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning.

16. Program Goals, Program Student Learning Outcomes, and Course-Based Student Learning Outcomes
An Activity ….
Worksheet … start it
Course based student learning outcomes

17. Draft a Course Outline/Schedule
A schedule of topics for each week. Topics or content noted in the course description. Topics or content identified in benchmarking. How might they best fit together? Pay attention to course description, curriculum map, program goals and student learning outcomes (SLOs), university mission statement, benchmarking.
This is sometimes where faculty start. You’ve taught the class before, you have already thought about some of the topics you’d like to include, or they are noted in the course description, and you have an idea about how they best fit together.
Great. Put them in a weekly chart. (The syllabus template calls for a chart anyway and this is the beginning of a syllabus outline.) We are not going to do this today
This should be a loose outline to start with. While many courses are three credits, you wont know if this a two day a week or three day a week course or a module. At this point, that doesn’t matter. Just get your thoughts on paper about what are the topics this course should cover.

18. Assignments and Assessment
Are the assessment methods aligned with student learning outcomes? Are the assessment methods varied? (Do students have ample ways to demonstrate learning?) Are the assignments weighted appropriately? What assessment tools will be used (rubrics)? Do you provide formative and summative assessment to students? How often? Is there an opportunity for students to provide feedback to the instructor?
This is one of the things that sometimes takes more time than you thought it would. One example of a misaligned assignment might be a multiple choice exam for a course in public speaking. I say might be because you never know .. There could some technical aspects of preparing for public speaking that are best assessed in an exam but QUESTION: what might be more appropriate assignments for a public speaking course?
Unless the assignment is a large assignment … or is done a couple of times .. There should probably be more than one assignment which addresses each course based SLO.
Rubrics: We are not going to cover rubrics today but will do that later … but rubrics helps students understand what is expected .. They provide an important tool for self-assessment as well as an objective guide for instructor’s to assess student learning.
Do you provide formative and summative assessment to students? -- When and how do you provide feedback to students about their learning, progress, and direction / guidelines / suggestions for improvement. This shouldn’t be assumed because a student “received” a C on an assignment … A “C” can mean many different things. Students need feedback so that they can improve their learning. When faculty provide formative assessment, they also see how teaching might be adjusted to meet students’ needs and reach desired student learning outcomes.
Is there an opportunity for students to provide feedback to the instructor? -- Office hours might be a good way to understand what students are not learning or why .. And instructors can adjust their teaching appropriately

19. Assignments and Assessment
Pay attention to the possible need to scaffold. If you expect students to write a research paper, ask yourself, “do students know how to write a research paper.” Would mini-assignments be useful? Again. The process. The curriculum map is a good place to start and reviewing course descriptions and syllabi for any prerequisites and follow up courses.
We might need to build down or across .. You might know what you want students to be able to do when they finish the course, but do you assume students have certain skills or knowledge? You might need to build mini assignments into your course to
Let’s go back to the worksheet: Assignment Alignment with Course Based Student Learning Outcomes.
Let’s think about assignments ….. You have your course based learning outcomes … now let’s come up with at least two assignments that match this outcome …..
For example: One large assignment that has mini assignments to develop skills to do the larger assignment or two different assignments ……

20. Assignment Alignment with Course-Based SLOs – Freshman English 1
Handout: Alignment of Assignments – FE1
This is an example of how assignments are clearly aligned with SLOs …. Even though Freshman English 1 which has many course-based outcomes and may have more assignments than your course might have …
Question: What do you notice in this chart?
SLOs are addressed by more than one assignment giving students ample opportunity to learn and demonstrate learning …. Assignments address more than one SLO …. Scaffolding … Some of the assignments especially those that address multiple SLOs or are weighted heavily are done more than once, again providing students opportunity to learn and demonstrate learning, and receive feedback regarding ways to improve …

21. Program Goals, Program Student Learning Outcomes, and Course-Based Student Learning Outcomes
An Activity ….
An Activity … works on assignments now

22. Draft Syllabus
Ask faculty members to review, provide feedback - especially those who teach prerequisites and follow-up courses
Go back to the process and review:
Program Goals and Program Student Learning Outcomes
Course Description
Curriculum Map
Course-Based Student Learning Outcomes (Alignment)
Assignments and Assessment Methods (Alignment)
Policy on Course Syllabus Format and Course Syllabus Template
Have your outline, worksheet – where you can check for alignment of course based SLOs with Program Goals and Program SLOs.
You’ve done your review and benchmarking
Use the template – helps avoid forgetting aspects and puts pieces together

23. Final Syllabus
Review with program chair and/or dean Remember: A Syllabus is a basic assessment tool. Syllabi help students become active learners by clearly defining expectations, and aligning goals and student learning outcomes.
Program Chairs and Deans will look at the syllabus from different points of view, including reviewing it for adherence to policies including credit hour policy but also taking into consideration that the course has a role in fulfilling the program’s student learning outcomes and goals ….
Now let’s look at the Course Syllabus template ..
Handout: Course Syllabus Template
Is any of the template confusing? Do you understand why each of the components are included?
Special attention to the components at the end .. Library resources (might be recommended, but might be required .. If so, is it built in appropriately …)
How do you identify student support needs and communicate those to Student Services …
How can you utilize student services? Example: Powerpoint presentation due in the first semester of Freshman year …..
Many of the final components are mechanical will depend on scheduling … This information will be added to your syllabus. Class schedule (when does the class meet) Office hours. Yes. Office hours are important.
Remember: A Syllabus is a basic assessment tool, helps students be more active learners by outlining goals, outcomes, and expectations

24. But, also remember. Once you develop a syllabus, use it
But, also remember. Once you develop a syllabus, use it! Encourage students to refer to the syllabus throughout the course.

25. Where can you turn for resources and support?
Program Chair
Dean
Office of Assessment/IRO/Accreditation