Curricula Development Based On Final Results

 

Student - Centered Teaching and Learning Methods and Structures’ Development

and Application

Gavar - 2015

GAVAR STATE UNIVERSITYIn-House Training

Curricula Development Based On Final Results

 

Curriculum and Content

Develop adequate programmes with relevant and

effective contents and delivery. Also plan for a hidden or interstitial curriculum besides the overt curriculum. Organise for skills and attitudes such as entrepreneurship, leadership, independence, striving for synergy and interdependence, etc. come to mind. It really depends on how the university will choose to profile.

We have to come up with a relevant curriculum and a mental space in which the student can study, live and work to realise our objectives. We can achieve all this by means of a context and by working on all levels on a comprehensive and well-planned curriculum (overt, hidden, interstitial) covering the whole lifecycle of the student, from the moment he is looking for a place at a university to his life as an alumni. We call this concept ‘student experience’ .

In a well-designed curriculum there will be alignment between courses, modules, modes of teaching, assessment and grading criteria and this is achieved by linking everything to clearly stated learning outcomes/final Results.

Curriculum Development Model

Need for Curriculum materials Identified

VolunteerTraining

Curriculum Materials

Evaluation

Curriculum Development Team

Learner CharacteristicsEvaluationsMethodsContentIntended Outcomes

PilotTesting

Makes systematic decisions aboutRedesig

n as

necessary

• describe what a student is expected to know, understand, apply, analyse, describe… and/or be able to demonstrate at the end of a study programme (on a general level) and at the end of each module (on a detailed level) and thereby the qualification.

• help academic staff to focus on what they want students to achieve in terms of both knowledge and skills, implementing the “Bologna-process paradigm shift” from teacher oriented teaching to student centered teaching and learning

• provide a useful guide to inform potential candidates and employers about the general knowledge and understanding that a graduate will possess (important for the labor market, i.e. employability of graduates).

What are Learning Outcomes?

Learning Outcomes...Study programmes and modules in higher education should/must be oriented

at learning outcomes...

• according to the nationally as well as internationally agreed qualifications to be achieved in BA, MA and PhD (National Qualifications Framework (NQF); European Qualifications Framework (EQF) oriented at programme level on agreed descriptors (Dublin Descriptors);

• In order to increase transparency and consistancy for the National as well as for the European HE systems

• In order to improve recognition of qualifications achieved at other HEIs

Differ between „intended“ learning outcomes and „achieved“learning outcomes

Combine learning outcomes with ECTS and student workload

Use learning outcomes for (mutual) recognition

Learning outcomes...

The use of learning outcomes is intimately linked to the adoption of student centered learning.

Learning outcomes are an integral part of outcome-focused approach to teaching, learning and assessment.

The role of the teacher moves towards being a facilitator/manager of the learning process.

Learning outcomes relate to external reference points (qualifications descriptors, levels, levels descriptors) that constitute „new style“ qualification frameworks.

Learning Outcomes... Employ active verbs (see Bloom’s taxonomy: knowledge,

understanding, application, analysis, synthesis, evaluation) Emphasise the teaching-learning-assessment relationship Learning outcomes are often expressed in terms of

competences/qualifications, like the Dublin Descriptors: Knowledge and understanding Applying knowledge and understanding Making judgements Communicate Learn to learn

Verbs to define learning outcomes (Examples only)

Verbs that can be used to give evidence of knowledge:

Define, describe, list, outline, recognise, relate, state, write, measure, match, recount, extract, identify, show, name.

Verbs that can be used to give evidence of understanding:

Summarise, describe, compare, classify, contrast, convert, discuss, distinguish, identify, estimate, explain, formulate, give examples of, interpret, translate, express, illustrate, discuss, predict, present, translate, select.

Verbs that can be used to give evidence of application:

Apply, assess, change, choose, demonstrate, discover, calculate, explain how, illustrate, predict, prepare, produce, relate, show, solve, examine, verify, compute, construct, change, classify, experiment, solve.

Verbs to definde learning outcomes (Examples only)

Verbs that can be used to give evidence of analysis:

Analyse, separate, categorise, order, compare, conclude, contrast, criticise, diagnose, explain, connect, differentiate, distinguish, examine, justify, infer.

Verbs that can be used to give evidence of synthesis:

Account for, argue, combine, compose, conclude, create, derive, develop, formulate, generalise, generate, substitute, integrate, modify, order, organise, plan, propose, design, invent, restate, report, revise, select, summarise, synthesise, teach, tell.

Verbs that can be used to give evidence of evaluation:

Appraise, value, decide, determine, grade, recommend, select, discriminate, choose, compare, conclude, criticise, defend, evaluate, judge, justify, rank, value, assess, summarise, criticise, rate.

Writing learning outcomes When writing learning outcomes it is important to get the language

right. Start with 'at the end of the session/course/programme a successful student will be able to...' then choose a action verb that says clearly what you expect the students to be able to do and the cognitive level they are expected to operate at when assessed. Remember that the learning outcome represents the threshold level for a pass. It is also important to use language that students understand.

Try to avoid expressions such as 'know', 'understand', 'appreciate', 'be familiar with', 'be aware of' as these are too vague to convey the exact nature of the outcome being sought and are difficult to assess accurately.

Student - Centered Teaching and Learning Methods and

Structures’ Development and Application

Student-centred learning and mobility will help students develop the competences they need in a changing labour market and will empower them to become active and responsible citizens.

Student-centred learning requires empowering individual learners, new approaches to teaching and learning, effective support and guidance structures and a curriculum focused more clearly on the learner in all three cycles. Curricular reform will thus be an ongoing process leading to high quality, flexible and more individually tailored education paths

Five Characteristics of Learner-Centered Teaching Learner-centered teaching engages students

in the hard, messy work of learning. Learner-centered teaching includes explicit

skill instruction. Learner-centered teaching encourages

students to reflect on what they are learning and how they are learning it.

Learner-centered teaching motivates students by giving them some control over learning processes.

Learner-centered teaching encourages collaboration.

Teachers are doing too many learning tasks for students

They ask the

questions

They call on

students

They add detail to

their answers

They offer the examples

They organize

the content

They do preview and the review

I’m not suggesting we never do these tasks, but I don’t think students develop sophisticated learning skills without the chance to practice and in most classrooms the teacher gets far more practice than the students.

Learner-centered teaching engages students in the hard, messy work of learning

Learner-centered teachers teach students how to think, solve problems, evaluate evidence, analyze arguments, generate hypotheses—all those learning skills essential to mastering material in the discipline. They do not assume that students pick up these skills on their own, automatically. A few students do, but they tend to be the students most like us and most students aren’t that way. Research consistently confirms that learning skills develop faster if they are taught explicitly along with the content.

Learner-centered teaching includes explicit skill instruction

Learner-centered teachers talk about learning. In casual conversations, they ask students what they are learning. In class they may talk about their own learning. They challenge student assumptions about learning and encourage them to accept responsibility for decisions they make about learning; like how they study for exams, when they do assigned reading, whether they revise their writing or check their answers. Learner-centered teachers include assignment components in which students reflect, analyze and critique what they are learning and how they are learning it. The goal is to make students aware of themselves as learners and to make learning skills something students want to develop.

Learner-centered teaching encourages students to reflect on what they are learning and how they are learning it

Teachers make too many of the decisions about learning for students. Teachers decide what students should learn, how they learn it, the pace at which they learn, the conditions under which they learn and then teachers determine whether students have learned. Students aren’t in a position to decide what content should be included in the course or which textbook is best, but when teachers make all the decisions, the motivation to learn decreases and learners become dependent. Learner-centered teachers search out ethically responsible ways to share power with students. They might give students some choice about which assignments they complete. They might make classroom policies something students can discuss. They might let students set assignment deadlines within a given time window. They might ask students to help create assessment criteria.

Learner-centered teaching motivates students by giving them some control over learning processes

It sees classrooms (online or face-to-face) as communities of learners. Learner-centered teachers recognize, and research consistently confirms, that students can learn from and with each other. Certainly the teacher has the expertise and an obligation to share it, but teachers can learn from students as well. Learner-centered teachers work to develop structures that promote shared commitments to learning. They see learning individually and collectively as the most important goal of any educational experience.

Learner-centered teaching encourages collaboration

Shift the balance of power toward the learner

Use content to organize activities

Think of teaching as facilitating learning

Responsibility for learning rests with the learner

Evaluation provides a way to foster learning

Here are some of the ways technology can help satisfy the goals of a learner-centered classroom

Interactive online assignments can help facilitate the transfer of power and give students opportunities to practice mastering the material at their own pace. The technologies that support these activities could include wikis, online quizzes, blogs and discussion boards.

Shift the balance of power toward the learner

Students appreciate a structured, logical flow to their courses, and how you organize your assignments and activities can go a long way in minimizing confusion. The technologies that support how you organize and communicate course materials and expectations could include an online syllabus, the learning management system, and email notifications of important due dates.

Use content to organize activities

Teaching with technology enables the instructor to create learning experiences that complement each other whether the students are working on an assignment online or meeting in a face-to-face environment. The technologies that support this goal include online homework, clickers and surveys.

Think of teaching as facilitating learning

What are interactive lectures?

Traditional Lectures

1. Instructor talks and students listen with minimal interruptions 2. Student concentration can be observed dropping after 10-15 minutes3. Instructor‘s questions are largely rhetorical

Interactive Lectures

1. Instructor talks with periodic pauses for structured activities 2. As student concentration begins to wane, a short structured in-class activity is assigned 3. Instructor‘s questions require responses

Traditional Lectures

1. Student-to-student talk is discouraged 2. Students listen and take notes independently 3. Student comprehension during the lecture is not monitored explicitly 4. Opportunities to correct misunderstandings are not provided routinely during the lecture 5. Student absenteeism often is quite high

Interactive Lectures

1. Student-to-student talk is encouraged 2. Students often work with partners or in groups 3. Student comprehension during the lecture is assessed directly 4. Opportunities to correct misunderstandings are periodically provided within the lecture 5. High rates of attendance often are reported

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