CENTER FOR ELEARNING AND CONNECTED ENVIORNMENTS

Design Starter Kit

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C o u r s e D e s i g nWhen thinking online course design, it is inevitable that most people gravitate towards thinking about cool tools, exciting interactive elements, and the technology skills needed to create the course. Though important considerations, all of those elements focus on course delivery and less on course design. Course design, on the other hand, focuses on the planning and decision-making aspects necessary to ensure learners will be presented with a course that will increase engagement and knowledge retention.

C o u r s e A l i g n m e n tL i k e t h e w r i t e r o f a g o o d b o o k o r m o v i e , t h e d e s i g n e r o f a n e ff e c t i v e c o u r s e w i l l e n s u r e e v e r y t h i n g i n t h e c o u r s e s e r v e s a p u r p o s e a n d b u i l d s o n p r e v i o u s a s p e c t s o f t h e c o u r s e t o a c h i e v e i t s u l t i m a t e g o a l ( s ) . I n e d u c a t i o n , w e u s e t h e c o u r s e a l i g n m e n t p r o c e s s t o e n s u r e e v e r y t h i n g e l e m e n t s e r v e s i t s p u r p o s e . T h e c o u r s e a l i g n m e n t p r o c e s s c a n b e d i v i d e d i n t o m a j o r a n d m i n o r a r e a s . T h e m a j o r a r e a s c o n s i s t o f c o m p e t e n c i e s , o b j e c t i v e s , a s s e s s m e n t s , a n d c o n t e n t .

The major alignment process begins with the identification of course competencies and objectives. Once the competencies and objectives are identified, an assessment strategy is developed to effectively evaluate if the objectives have been met. The last step is to determine what content is necessary to support the learners' understanding of the topic in order to successfully complete the course assessments.

Additionally, during the course design process decisions must be made within some of the major areas identified above. These secondary areas are referred to as the minor areas of course alignment. The minor areas consist of

assigning levels from Bloom's taxonomy to each objective,

identifying diagnostic, formative, and summative assessment types, and

CompetenciesObjectives

AssessmentsContent

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applying appropriate instructional approaches to the content and assessment items.

I t i s i m p o r t a n t t o n o t e t h a t e v e n t h o u g h t h e s e a r e r e f e r r e d t o a s m i n o r a r e a s , t h e y a r e i m p o r t a n t t o t h e o v e r a l l s u c c e s s o f t h e c o u r s e , n o n e t h e l e s s .

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C r e a t i n g C o u r s e C o m p e t en c i e sCompetencies identify the knowledge, skills, abilities, and/or behaviors necessary to achieve overall success in a course. If we were to divide a course into “what” we want students to know and “how” we want them to do it, competencies encompass the “what" we want students to know part.

Competencies can be derived from a number of sources and are referred to by a number of common names. Some sources include:

Discipline-specific requirements Course Goals Terminal Objectives Transformative Learning and the Central Six Accreditation Standards State/National Standards

When creating course competencies, it is important to not only consider discipline specific areas (ex: Students will be competent in the knowledge of pre-Civil War presidents) but also desired skill sets (ex: Students will increase their competency in the area of critical thinking.) The following tables provide a list of possible competencies to include in your course in addition to those that are specific to your discipline.

Skill Based Competencies Central Six CompetenciesBy the end of this course, students will be competent in...

Critical Thinking Interpersonal communication Oral Communication Written Communication Creative Thinking Presentation Skills Problem Solving

By the end of this course, students will be competent in...

Stewardship based leadership Advancing discipline knowledge

through product development Ethical reasoning and deliberation

through service learning Cultural awareness Understanding the impact of overall

health and wellness on life and learning

H o w M a n y ?That is a good question without a direct answer. There is no right or wrong amount of competencies to include in your course. As a rule of thumb, you should only include the

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number of competencies in your course that are achievable within the time constraints of the course.

W r i t i n g I t O u t

In this exercise, you are to write two competencies, the first should be discipline specific whereas the second should be skills based.

By the end of this course, students will be competent in the area(s) of:

By the end of this course, students will improve their skill competencies in the area(s) of:

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W r i t i n g O b j e c t i v e sLearning objectives identifies the things a person needs to learn to acquire a competency—the skills, abilities or knowledge a person must acquire to become competent in a given domain. Written and used correctly, learning objectives provide both the instructor and the student with a clear path for what is to occur in the course

T h r e e P a r ts o f a n O b j ec t i v e

A well-written objective statement provides a clear picture of the outcome or performance you expect as a result of the lesson. It should be specific, concise, and most importantly, observable or measurable.

Objective statements contain three parts: behavior, conditions, and criteria. The following table shows how these parts interact.

Objective Part Description ExampleBehavior What students will be able to do Students will create a timeline of

the main events at GettysburgConditions How they will be able to do it after generating a graphic

organizer on Chapter 5: A Decisive Battle

Criterion Degree of accuracy observed with a rubric rating of 3 (out of 5) or better

In this example, the lesson plan would call for the students to first generate a graphic organizer about a chapter titled “A Decisive Battle.” Then, the students will create a time line of the main events at Gettysburg. The instructor will assess each time line using a rubric. Any students who do not earn a rubric rating of a 3 or better will require additional instruction or reinforcement.

When writing objective statements, ask yourself these questions: Does the objective focus on student performance? Is the task measurable or observable? What criteria will I use to establish that the objective has been reached?

Note: Avoid words like understand, learn, and know. They are not measurable because there

is no product involved.

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Sometimes the degree of accuracy is implied by words such as correctly and successfully.

Not all lessons result in a tangible product. Therefore, when students verbally demonstrate their learning, the measurable action involves telling, explaining, or discussing.

C l a ss i f y i n g O b j e c t i v e s u s i n g B l o o m ' s T ax o n o m y

Instructors should classify objectives because the type of objectives attempted dictate the selection of instructional methods, media and evaluation used in the lesson. Objectives may be classified according to the primary learning outcomes that take place.

Benjamin Bloom and his colleagues (1956) developed a widely accepted taxonomy, referred to as Bloom's Taxonomy (method of classification on differing levels of higher order thinking) for cognitive objectives. This taxonomy has been adapted by Anderson and Krathwohl (2001) for relevance in 21st century learning and remains the most significant model used. Presented below is the revised taxonomy, known as the Revised Bloom's Taxonomy. Six levels of learning are in the classification. The lowest level is remembering. The remembering level is followed by five increasingly difficult levels of mental abilities: understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating and creating (the highest level).

Level 1: RememberingObjectives written on the remembering level (the lowest cogitive level) requires the student to recall or recognize specific information.

Level 2: UnderstandingObjectives written on the understanding level, although a higher level of mental ability than remembering, requires the lowest level of understanding from the student.

Level 3: ApplyingObjectives written on the applying level require the learner to implement (use) the information.

Level 4: AnalyzingObjectives written on the analysing level require the learner to break the information into component parts and describe the relationship.

Level 5: EvaluatingObjectives written on the evaluating level require the student to make a judgment about materials or methods .

Level 6: CreatingObjectives written on the creating level require the student to generate new ideas, products and ways of viewing things.

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W r i t i n g I t O u t

1. Select one competency identified in the previous section and record it below:

2. Based on the above competency, write one (1) to three (3) objectives. Be sure to include the behavior, condition, criterion, and classification level.

Students will be able to:

Students will be able to...

Behavior

Condition

Criterion

Classification

Students will be able to...

Behavior

Condition

Criterion

Classification

Students will be able to...

Behavior

Condition

Criterion

Classification

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A s s es s m en t S t r a te g y

Assessment and grading are not the same.

Generally, the goal of grading is to evaluate individual students’ learning and performance. Although grades are sometimes treated as a proxy for student learning, they are not always a reliable measure when used in isolation. Moreover, they may incorporate criteria – such as attendance, participation, and effort – that are not direct measures of learning. The goal of assessment is to improve student learning. Although grading can play a role in assessment, assessment also involves many ungraded measures of student learning.

So what does an effective assessment strategy look like? It involves a combination of three different types of assessments: diagnostic, formative, and summative.

T h r e e T y p e s o f A s s e s s m e n t s

The following is to help distinguish the different types of assessments.

Diagnostic: This assessment type helps identify what the learners bring to their learning experience. Diagnostic assessments are designed to help understand the current knowledge, skill, and/or ability of the student in order to diagnose the gap and thereby provide a plan for learning, if required.

Formative: Information gathered is used for the specific purpose of helping students improve while they are in the process of gaining knowledge and practicing their skills. Instructors use formative assessments to improve instructional methods and student feedback throughout the teaching and learning process. For example, if an instructor observes that some students do not grasp a concept, she or he can design a review activity or use a different instructional strategy. Likewise, students can monitor their progress with periodic quizzes and performance tasks. The results of formative assessments are used to modify and validate instruction.

Summative: Used to measure to what extent the learner has achieved the learning objectives. Essentially answering the question of, "Did they learn?" The goal of summative assessments is to make a judgment of student competency after an instructional phase is complete. Summative evaluations are used to determine if students have mastered specific competencies and to identify instructional areas that need additional attention.

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W r i t i n g I t O u t

1. Select one of the learning objectives from page 8 and record it in the space provided.

Students will be able to...

Behavior

Condition

Criterion

Classification

2. For the objective, determine an effective assessment for each of the three types of assessments.

Diagnostic

Formative

Summative

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C o n te n tUpon identifying the course competencies, objectives, and assessments it is time to consider the lesson content. A quality course is a course that is designed with meaningful and purposeful content in order to support the course's overall assessment strategy. As such, content is divided into two categories: learning resources and learning support.

Learning resources are content items that are intended to provide new materials, understanding, or knowledge on a topic. Learning supports, on the other hand, are items provided to assist the student in understanding what is expected in the course or how to achieve a given task. The following table provides examples of the two types of content.

Content Type

Learning Resource

Content videos Professor notes Instructional materials Lectures (written/video/audial) Any type of content that is introducing new

concepts, materials, and/or knowledge.

Learning Support

Course syllabus Examples of previous student submissions Document explaining how to complete a task A critical thinking handout Job Aides Any type of voluntary/self-exploratory learning

materials

W r i t i n g I t O u t

Select one objective on Page 10 and list two (2) learning resources and one (1) learning support you could provide to assist the student in achieving the objective.

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Learning Resource

Learning Support

I n s t r u c t i o n a l A p p r o a ch e sThe final piece of the puzzle to consider when designing an aligned course is the instructional approach you plan to implement. Though we typically think of instruction as the sole responsibility of the instructor, learning is a joint adventure between the instructor and the student. As such, instruction becomes the responsibility of both instructor and student. Taking this shared responsibility of instruction into consideration, five different instructional approaches can be utilized when determining the assessment and content strategies, also known as the learning strategy.

When designing an online course, instructors can select from the following instructional approaches: direct, indirect, independent, collaborative, and experiment and discover. In selecting instructional approaches and methods, you should consider which combination would assist students in achieving the desired learning objective(s). Use the following set of tables to assist you in selecting an appropriate instructional approach.

DIRECT INSTRUCTIONRoles Purposes/Uses Methods

Highly instructor-directed

Instructor ensures a degree of student involvement through didactic questioning

Students are typically passive rather than active learners

Providing information Developing step-by-

step skills and strategies

Introducing other approaches and methods

Teaching active listening/reading and note taking

Instructor driven:

Explicit teaching Lesson overviews Guest speakers Instruction of strategic

processes Lecturing Didactic questioning Demonstrating and

modeling prior to guided practice

Mini-lessons Guides for reading,

listening, and viewing

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INDIRECT INSTRUCTIONRoles Purposes/Uses Methods

Mainly student-centered

Role of instructor shifts to facilitator, supporter, resource person

Developing creativity and interpersonal skills and strategies

Exploring diverse possibilities

Forming hypotheses and developing concepts

Solving problems Drawing inferences Student learns from

active involvement Allows for high degree

of differentiation and pursuit of individual interests

Students participate in:

Observing Investigating Inquiring and

researching Jigsaw groups Problem solving Reading and viewing

or meaning Reflective discussion Gallery walks Concept mapping

COLLABORATIVE INSTRUCTIONRoles Purposes/Uses Methods

Student-centered Instructor forms

groups, teaches and guides small-group skills and strategies

Student learning is achieved through involvement in groups

Developing creativity & interpersonal skills and strategies

Exploring diverse possibilities

Forming hypotheses and developing concepts

Solving problems Drawing inferences

Students participate in:

Discussing Sharing Debates Role-playing Brainstorming Peer conferencing Learning groups Problem solving Talking circles Peer editing Interviewing

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EXPERIMENT AND DISCOVERRoles Purposes/Uses Methods

Student-centered Instructor may wish to

design the order and steps of the process

Focusing on processes of learning rather than products

Developing students’ knowledge and experience

Preparing students for direct instruction

Increases student understanding and knowledge retention.

Students participate in:

Activities Field trips Simulations Primary research Games Focused imaging Role-playing Surveys Sharing, observations,

and reflections Reflecting critically on

experiences Developing

hypotheses and generalizations

Testing hypotheses and generalization in new situations

INDEPENDENTRoles Purposes/Uses Methods

Student-centered Instructor guides or

supervises students’ independent study, instructors knowledge, skills and strategies that students require for independent learning and provides adequate practice

Accessing and developing student initiative

Developing student responsibility

Developing self-reliance and independence

Students participate in:

Inquiry and research projects

Using a variety of approaches and methods

Computer-assisted instruction

Essays and reports Study guides Learning contracts Homework Learning Centers

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W r i t i n g I t O u t

Based on the objective identified on Page 10, and considering your assessment and content strategies, select one of the five instructional approaches and explain how you will use that approach in supporting the learning objective.

Students will be able to...

Instructional Approach (select one) Assessment (implementation plan)

☐ Direct☐ Indirect☐ Independent ☐ Collaborative ☐ Experiment and Discover

Instructional Approach (select one) Content (implementation plan)

☐ Direct☐ Indirect☐ Independent ☐ Collaborative ☐ Experiment and Discover

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UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMACENTER FOR ELEARNING AND CONNECTED ENVIORNMENTS