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Course Design: What’s the Big Picture?. Lia Conklin Olson. Objectives of the Session. Upon conclusion of the workshop, participants will be able to: Articulate the processes needed to design a course Discuss needs assessment tools & how they inform course design
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Course Design: What’s the Big Picture? Lia Conklin Olson
Objectives of the Session Upon conclusion of the workshop, participants will be able to: • Articulate the processes needed to design a course • Discuss needs assessment tools & how they inform course design • Use backwards design to articulate the content that meets learner needs • Form clear course objectives and goals • Discuss course assessment tools • Organize course content for instructional delivery • Conceptualize a course syllabus to communicate course objectives & timeline to students
Objectives Task Please look over the objectives on your handout, and rate your proficiency for each AT THIS POINT (We’ll return to these at the end!)
Warm-up • Why do we do what we do? • Who are the stakeholders in what we do?
What’s at Stake? • Promoting Learner Transitions to Postsecondary Education and Work: Developing Academic Readiness Skills from the Beginning: Betsy Parrish and Kimberly Johnson, Hamline University, St. Paul, MinnesotaApril 2010 • Study of instructional alignment surveyed MN ABE instructors and college & university faculty in the fields of developmental education, health care, and trades and technical education. • To identify expected skills at postsecondary level and types of skills taught in ABE classes
Instructional Gap • Responses showed that many academic skills expected of postsecondary students are receiving limited attention in ABE programs • Reading • Listening • Organizing information • Taking notes • Thinking critically
Why do we do what we do? • Look at the Transitions Wordle • Turn to the people around you and discuss these questions: • Which words are most prominent? • Which words represent the needs of your students? • Which words represent what you do in the classroom?
Course Design Processes • Think about your prior experience with course design or lesson planning. What processes have you used?
Different types of needs • Program needs / requirements • Target needs • Student considerations • What needs assessments do you already use? • How do they inform your teaching?
Identify desired results… • Goal: Improve CASAS scores • Goal: Align course with CASAS life skill themes and competencies • Goal: Make life skills more authentic/applicable • Result: Life-skills theme-based curriculum with highlighted CASAS competencies and real-life tasks
Learning Targets • Share your course’s learning targets. • Discuss why those targets were chosen. • Are they still priorities for your course? • Are there other skills that merit an “I can” statement?
Determine acceptable evidence… • CASAS test scores • Student demonstrations of life-skills tasks scored with a rubric • Student self-evaluations pre/post unit • Benchmark tests for language modalities
Assessments • Discuss and evaluate the tools you developed/are developing to assess the Learning Targets. • Have they been effective? Why or why not? • Is the level of mastery required appropriate for the level of instruction? • Other?
Section Product 0.5 *Set unit goals & action steps; Practice test-taking Section Product 6 *Numeracy: Write out checks for bills; Measure the perimeter of a room. Section Product 1 *Label a floor plan with rooms & furniture Final Product • * Complete a simulation of looking for an apartment, talking to a manager, and filling out a rental application. Section Product 2 * Ask classmates about what items they have in their homes. Section Product 5 *Practice valuable work skills within the housing career field. Section Product 4 * Ask & answer questions about specific rentals with an apartment manager. Section Product 3 * Ask & answer questions about housing problems Housing Unit Example
Organizing and Sequencing the Content • Housing Unit Example – Product-based Design • Started with language-modalities-based curriculum • Aligned it with CASAS competencies • Added authentic life skills goals: Housing Unit • Embedded work skills and soft skills: Final Housing Unit
Organizing and Sequencing Task • Imagine that you’re teaching a Business English class. The final student product is to type and present an outline or power point of a viable business plan. • Think about what content (skills, language, etc.) students need in order to complete the product. • Choose one of the templates, and begin to organize the content you’ve just brainstormed.
Conceptualizing Content What could be included in a course? • Skills: reading, writing listening, speaking • Competencies (life skills) • Functions • Grammar • Pronunciation • Vocabulary, jargon, slang, idioms • Learning strategies: journals, word webs • Study skills: research, test taking, note taking • Paralinguistic features: body language, gestures, non-verbals • Cultural competence • Soft skills • Transitions skills: self-management, navigating complex systems • Others?
Organizing and Sequencing Task Jigsaw • In a small group look at the curriculum document example you were given and answer the questions on your handout. • Now form a new group composed of one member of each of the previous groups. Share your curriculum document and evaluation. What do the other members of your new group think? • What documents are good models for the course you’re planning? How would you tweak them? Take notes on your Curriculum Design Plan of Action.
Formulating Goals and Objectives • What are some basic “how-to’s” for writing learning goals & objectives? • Long-term vs. short-term goals: Level of specificity • Measurable “verbs” • SWBAT: Students will be able to… • Think back to the Business English class. Write 1 general goal. Then write 3 more specific goals.
Course Organization • Use a template of your choice or your own design to begin organizing the structure of your curriculum • Help each other out… • Ask for help… • Have fun!!
Course Syllabus Examples • Look at three examples of a course syllabus. • Who is the intended “audience” of each syllabus? • What components does each syllabus contain? • Which components do you feel are important for a syllabus to have?
Course Syllabus Components • Course name, time, start & end date, etc. • Teacher name & contact info • Learning Targets • Other skill sets: technology, life skills, transitions skills, etc. (Course content skills) • Themes • Timelines • Expectations for students • Materials • Assessments • Progress indicators (communicate progress to student)
Course Syllabus Brainstorm • Take a few minutes to think about and jot down some ideas about your course syllabus. • What components will your syllabus have? • How will you organize those components? • Any ideas yet for timeline of course content? • How will you share student progress with them?
Objectives of the Session Upon conclusion of the workshop, participants will be able to: • Articulate the processes needed to design a course • Discuss needs assessment tools & how they inform course design • Use backwards design to articulate the content that meets learner needs • Form clear course objectives and goals • Discuss course assessment tools • Organize course content for instructional delivery • Conceptualize a course syllabus to communicate course objectives & timeline to students