Workshop Outline

2. Workshop Outline Welcome and Introduction Overview of Curriculum Alignment Curriculum Mapping Process at NSU Guided Analysis of the Process Break Work on Curriculum Maps Comments and Discussion Lessons Learned Next Steps Questions and Discussion

3. Introduction “ The idea of curriculum is not one that is explicitly seen to be in evidence in higher education and deserves, even needs, to come much more into view” (Barnett & Coate, 2005, p. 150.)

4. Introduction (cont’d) • “…[C]ollege is meaningless without a curriculum, but it is more so when it has one that is meaningless.” • “A curriculum creates a world. It is important then that it has a center and an order or parts. Some studies are surely secondary to others, as some rest on others as a base. This should be made manifest, and no student should be permitted to ignore the primary, the basic matter.” Van Doren (1943, pp. 108, 114 quoted from Birnbaum, 2004, p. 118)

5. Introduction (cont’d) “College standards are becoming diluted and there is a fuzziness about what faculty teach and what is expected from students.” (Miller & Malandra, 2006, p. 3/ Commission on the Future of Higher Education)

6. Introduction (cont’d) We must change “the question from ‘What students know and can do’ to ‘What students know and can do as a result of their educational experiences.’” (Burstei & Winters, 1994, quoted from Anderson, 2002, p. 255 [emphasis added])

7. What is Curriculum Alignment?

8. Curriculum Alignment Questions • Are assignments provided for students to learn what we assert we teach or inculcate? • Do students have multiple and diverse opportunities to build on previous learning, receive feedback, and reflect on their progress toward achieving intended learning outcomes? If so, how? • How do courses promote institution-level and program-level understanding, abilities, habits of the mind, ways of thinking, and behaving? How well do collective expectations translate into intentional educational practices at the course level? Are multiple and varied opportunities provided for students to learn?

9. What is Curriculum Alignment?Consistency and Intentionality Harden, R.M. (2001). AMEE Guide No. 21. Curriculum mapping: a tool for transparent and authentic teaching and learning. Medical Teacher, 23 (2), 123-137. Hobson, E.H. (2005). Changing pedagogy. Presentation at SACS-COC Institute on Quality Enhancement and Accreditation, Orlando, FL, July 24-27, 2005.

10. Curriculum Alignment Principles • Systems Concept • Instructional Design Theories • Behavioral conception of learning • Structured teaching/learning environment • Efficiency (coherence and performance) • Student-Centeredness

11. Importance of Curriculum Alignment • Accountability • Research on Student Learning • Accreditation Requirements

12. Assess alignment of curriculum with program and university outcomes Clarify the relationship between teaching and learning Identify gaps and repetitions in the curriculum Ensure appropriate sequencing, opportunities for learning, and achievement of learning outcomes Document and demonstratecurriculum coherence Purpose of Curriculum Alignment : Curriculum Awareness

13. Purpose of Curriculum Alignment: Curriculum Effectiveness • Curriculum Effectiveness • Increasingly complex understanding of theories, principles, and practices • Increasingly complex levels of analysis and development of skills • Application of theories and principles (SACS-COC, 2005, p. 47.)

14. Purpose of Curriculum Alignment: Curriculum Coherence • Curriculum Coherence • Complexity • Sequencing • Linkages (Adapted from SACS/COC (2005), Relevant Questions for CR 2.7.2)

15. Curriculum Alignment : SACS Accreditation Requirements • CR 2.7.2: The institution offers degree programs that embody a coherent course of study that is compatible with its stated purpose and is based upon fields of study appropriate to higher education. • CR 2.7.3: The institution requires in each undergraduate degree program the successful completion of a general education component at the collegiate level that . . . is based on a coherent rationale. [emphases added]

16. Curriculum Alignment Model Components 1. Curriculum mapping 2. Analysis of curriculum map data 3. Interpretation of curriculum maps 4. Curriculum review to ensure coherence

17. Norfolk State University (NSU) • Founded in 1935 • Located in downtown Norfolk, Virginia, USA • Virginia’s largest public Historically Black University (HBCU) • One of the largest HBCUs in the nation • Approximately 6,000 culturally diverse students • Access to an affordable, high-quality undergraduate and graduate education

18. NSU Curriculum Alignment Timeline • May 2004 – Introduced the curriculum alignment model • Summers of 2004, 2005, 2006 – Summer Readings • Fall 2004 – Conducted curriculum mapping workshops • Spring 2005 – Conducted mapping across all programs • Summer/Fall 2005 – Compiled and analyzed maps • Spring 2006/Fall 2006 – Interpreted maps, revised curriculum alignment plans, revised learning outcomes statements • Spring 2007 – Second iteration of curriculum mapping

19. Curriculum Mapping Process

20. Curriculum Mapping in Other Institutions: Selected Examples • University of Nevada, Reno • John Mahaffy et al.’s presentation at National Assessment Institute, Indianapolis, October 23-25, 2005 www.unr.edu/assess/Workshops/CM_IUPUI_2005.pdf • Virginia Commonwealth University • Jean Yerian’s presentation at Virginia Assessment Group Annual Conference, Virginia Beach, November 16-18, 2005 www.virginiaassessment.org/Fall05Conference.htm .

21. Curriculum Mapping in Other Institutions: Selected Examples(Cont’d) • West Virginia State Community and Technical College www.wvsctc.edu/program_assesment/GuidelinesCompletingCurriculumAuditGrid.htm • Indiana University - Kokomo www.iuk.edu/~koctla/assessment/curriculummap.shtml

22. Curriculum Matrix:Exhibit 2 Two-dimensional data collection instrument • Columns (program outcomes) • Syllabus guidance • Level of content delivery • Assessment • Rows (courses)

23. Curriculum Mapping Process Steps:Exhibits 4 and 5 1. Identify program outcomes 2. List program core courses 3. Analyze syllabus to determine alignment between course and program learning outcomes 4. Make a judgment regarding the level of content delivery 5. Analyze course syllabi and indicate whether students have opportunities to (i) demonstrate what has been learned on each program goal and (ii) receive feedback in a formal way

24. Curriculum Mapping Process STEP 1 Identify and list program outcomes in the top horizontal row (Re: SACS CR 2.5, CS 3.3.1, CS 3.4.1).

25. Curriculum Mapping Process (cont’d)

26. Curriculum Mapping Process (cont’d) STEP 2 List all program core (required) courses in the left vertical column.

27. Curriculum Mapping Process (cont’d)

28. Curriculum Mapping Process (cont’d) STEPS 3, 4, 5

29. Curriculum Mapping Process (cont’d) STEP 3 Analyze course syllabi and indicate whether each program outcome is Explicitly or Implicitly mentioned among the course outcomes.

30. Course Outcome Statement: Example (E) EXPLICIT / CRITICAL THINKING “Further, you will find that studying civilization encourages critical thinking by: • highlighting a variety of perceptions that people have held through the ages • showing the options that individuals have used historically in making decisions and solving problems • providing information for wiser inferences and judgments • focusing on standards of evidence and verification in learning • stressing the study of relationships in time and space that are important for sound reasoning • illustrating with examples the roles of process, comparison and causation in history.”

31. Course Outcome Statement: Example (cont’d) (E) EXPLICIT / SCIENTIFIC REASONING “At the end of the course students will be able to … describe how social scientists follow the scientific method to understand social phenomena….”

32. Course Outcome Statement: Example (cont’d) (I) IMPLICIT / WRITTEN AND ORAL COMMUNICATION “Students will examine the evolution of twentieth-century American foreign policy and the influences which have shaped those policies in order to develop historical viewpoints which they can articulate and defend.”

33. Course Outcome Statement: Example (cont’d) (I) IMPLICIT / CRITICAL THINKING “The student will analyze the major historical interpretations of the causes of the American Revolution and will construct from the readings a historical synthesis which s/he can articulate effectively.”

34. Curriculum Mapping Process (cont’d))

35. Curriculum Mapping Process (cont’d) STEP 4 Make a professional judgmentand indicate whether each program outcome is Introduced, Emphasized, Reinforced, or Applied in the course.

36. Level of Content Delivery: Introduction • STUDENTS ARE INTRODUCED TO CONTENT/SKILL Students are not expected to be familiar with the content or skill at the collegiate or graduate level. Instruction and learning activities focus on basic knowledge, skills, and/or competencies and entry-level complexity.

37. Level of Content Delivery: Emphasis (E) THE CONTENT / SKILL IS EMPHASIZED AND TAUGHT IN DEPTH Students are expected to possess a basic level of knowledge and familiarity with the content or skills at the collegiate or graduate level. Instruction and learning activities concentrate on enhancing and strengthening knowledge, skills, and expanding complexity.

38. Level of Content Delivery: Reinforcement (R) THE CONTENT/SKILL IS REINFORCED WITH ADDITIONAL EXPOSURE TO THE INFORMATION Students are expected to possess a strong foundation in the knowledge, skill, or competency at the collegiate or graduate level. Instructional and learning activities continue to build upon previous competencies and increased complexity.

39. Level of Content Delivery: Application • THE CONTENT / SKILLS ARE BEING APPLIED Students are expected to posses an advanced level of knowledge, skill, or competency at the collegiate or graduate level. Instructional and learning activities focus on the use of the content or skills in multiple contexts and at multiple levels of complexity.

40. An Approach to Determine the Level of Content Delivery • Cognitive Outcomes (knowledge, mental skills) • Bloom’s (1956) Taxonomy • Affective Outcomes (attitudes, growth in feelings or emotional areas) • Krathwohl, Bloom, & Bertram’s (1973) Taxonomy • Psychomotor Outcomes (manual, artistic, technological skills) • Simpson’s (1972) / Dave’s (1970) Classifications

41. Curriculum Mapping Process (cont’d)

42. Curriculum Mapping Process (cont’d) STEP 5 • Analyze course syllabi. Indicate (X) whether students have opportunities to (i) demonstrate what has been learned on each program outcome and (ii) receive feedback in a formal way. • Provide 1-2 brief examples of representative course activities that support your judgment (optional).

43. Demonstration and Formal Feedback: Example (X) WRITTEN COMMUNICATION AND CRITICAL THINKING “There is one (1) article each student is expected to read, in addition to reading assignments from the text, and to write a critical review.”

44. Demonstration and Formal Feedback: Example (X) WRITTEN COMMUNICATION “Students must complete at least three critiques of assigned scholarly articles. These critiques should be 4-5 pages, typed and double-spaced. They should have an introduction, thesis statement, body, and conclusion. Poor usage and spelling will reduce your grade. Please proofread your work!”

45. Curriculum Mapping Process (cont’d)

46. Curriculum Map: General Education

47. Guided Analysis of Curriculum Map Data Exhibit 5

48. Analysis of Curriculum Map Data • Syllabus guidance • Curriculum coherence - Complexity • Sequencing • Linkages (Adapted from SACS/COC (2005), Relevant Questions for CR 2.7.2) • Assessment

49. Analysis of Curriculum Maps:Syllabus Guidance • Do students receive appropriate syllabus guidance? • For example, outcomes 2 and 3 are not mentioned either explicitly or implicitly in the syllabus of 8 courses (although they were addressed in those courses)

50. Analysis of Curriculum Maps: Complexity • Do students have opportunities to develop program outcomes? • Program Outcome Saturation or number of courses addressing a particular outcome. For example, • Outcome 1 is addressed in 4 out of 12 courses • Outcome 6 is addressed in 5 out of 12 courses • Outcomes 2 & 3 are addressed in all 12 courses