1. The Course Ajar: Principles and Practices for Multi-Section Program Design Ed Nagelhout Department of English UNLV Faculty Research Institute ● 5 March 2010

2. When is a class not a class? When is a course not a course?

3. When it’s a program

4. Program Planning Program Design Program Thinking Program Design

5. no matter the teacher or platform All students should have basically the same experience in every section

6. Program Design Form (rules and structure) for freedom to exist. are necessary

7. Program Design All sections of English 407A use WebCampus as the primary delivery of course content. ~75 sections per year (~1500 students): 10-15 traditional face-to-face sections 25-30 hybrid sections 25-30 online/distance ed sections English 407A: Business Writing

8. Program Design To Meet Programmatic Goals, the Business Writing Program employs: Common Syllabus Common Outcomes Common Projects Multiple Assessment Measures Standards for Excellence Pedagogical Aims Teacher Agency

9. One question about program design: Think about time spent in class: Lectures? Discussions? In-class work? Think about time spent outside class: Reading? Assignments? Homework? Writing? What features of your current course design lend themselves to programmatic thinking?

10. Student Workload never having to say, “I’m sorry.” Assessment means...

11. Outcomes should focus on... Student Workload Knowing What and Knowing How

12. Student Workload Assignments must be flexible for students AND teachers.

13. English 407A Outcomes Write to multiple audiences, for various purposes Plan and manage short- and long-term writing projects Draft, design, revise, and edit documents Design and implement appropriate research strategies Write collaboratively (co-authoring, peer revising) Follow and adjust to business writing conventions Design documents for both content and visual appeal Use writing to help prepare and deliver oral presentations Write ethically and responsibly Student Workload

14. Introductory Project (2) Major Group Project (3) Case Project (4) Employment Project All have multiple deliverables Common Outcomes Common Assignments 407A Process Invent/Plan Draft Peer Review Revise Teacher Response Revise Edit Evaluation Evaluation Criteria General Criteria Project-Specific Criteria Based on outcomes

18. Student Workload Programmatic Assessment Analyze Findings By Outcome Criteria for a Single Project Criteria across Projects Platform Section or Across Sections Analyze Findings For Student Learning Teacher Effectiveness Teacher Support Program Effectiveness

19. One question about assessment: What do you want to know? Think about student success: Outcomes? Skills? Consistency? Think about course success: Goals? Program? Coherence?

20. Teacher Workload Teacher expectations must be clearly articulated professional development time time responding to student work time in office hours class prep time time in class

21. Teacher Workload Teacher Support Teacher Choice Teacher Effectiveness Teacher Responsibility Teacher Strengths Teacher Efficiency

22. Teacher Workload Teacher Support Structures 10-Hour-Per-Week Commitment New Teacher Mentor Program Staff Meetings Norming/Response Workshops Professional Development Workshops Course Materials Online and In-Class Handouts Project Notes and Samples Student Writing Samples Daily Message Samples and Prompts

24. Teacher Workload Case Project Staff Meeting (sample) General Criteria Format Audience Depth of Thought Argument Business Style Grammar and Correctness Project-Specific Criteria Fix the Problem Maintain Relations Quality of Internal Document Quality of External Document 1) Start with criteria 3) Strategies for discussing criteria in class 2) Define criteria 4) Respond to samples w/ criteria 5) Evaluate samples w/criteria

25. Final Summary To achieve consistency and coherence, you must think and plan programmatically. A commitment to assessment leads to robust outcomes which lead to flexible assignments which lead to applicable assessment measures. Effective and efficient teachers develop from a clear set of expectations and diverse support structures. Be PATIENT!

26. Final Questions? Ed Nagelhout FDH 628 895-5073 ed.nagelhout@unlv.edu For more information and to view samples, please visit: http://www.unlv.edu/faculty/nagelhout/service/courseajar/