Teaching a "canned" curriculum with tests included
I have to use prepared materials and tests whether I like them or not, and many of them are good at assessing what my students have learned in some aspects. Because I have to do things in ways I do not always think are good, it has become a challenge for me to overcome. I do that by adding to what I have to do with what I like to do. Even though it means more work, it helps my stress because I know that students are learning what they need, rather then what the main office thinks they need.
I also appreciate that I have been given standardized curriculum to teach. This becomes very helpful so that if my colleague has to fill in for me one day, she has the exact same material. Also, when each instructor handles things differently, it becomes very confusing for the students because it's inconsistent. So it's helpful to have the same lecture material and tests, but it's nice that we can include activities such as games to supplement the standardized material.
Latonya, So true. When using test builders, they are often highly aligned with textbook material. This helps us directly test knowledge of learned material.
Dr. Melissa Read
I am very respectful of the content that I've been hired to teach as well as the quizzes/tests provided. Yet I am in the front line of instructing and have found moving sections of quizzes (always math) to a later quiz, gives me more time to work with that material and was helpful to students.
I love using a test builder because it helps me match the material with the textbook content.
Maria, It sounds like your ideal approach is a good mix between creating your own exams and leveraging the tools that you already have access to. That sounds like a nice blend. It affords you the flexibility of shaping your own assessments while also the efficiency of not always reinventing the wheel.
Dr. Melissa Read
I like to make my own test and quizzes but we have a knowledge builder that goes with our program and it is great and saves time,
I like the "canned" curriculum. My fear as an adjunct is that the course I am teaching will cover different materials than the same course taught by another instructor.
I did enjoy the freedom I used to have when "they" would say "you need to cover chapters 1-6 this quarter" and then turned me loose to define how much time spent on each area.
It feels at times that school has turned into a factory designed to issue certificates of completion because it covers the material. However, it does not always correspond to the skills to be successful in the free enterprise market.
I believe that part of what is wrong with our education system today is "canned" curriculum. Every great teacher I have ever known was far more creative and exciting than these "canned" programs allow. Trying to fit in any "extras" becomes very difficult because time is an issue. These "canned" programs also do not provide the flexibility needed to adjust to the learning levels of the students in a particular class. I also find that these programs frequently seem to be developed by people who have spent very little, if any, time in the classroom.
The institutions that use canned curriculum do so with the intention of providing a consistent learning experience for a given class over time or across campuses. I also believe that they fully expect that we will supplement the curriculum with material that we believe to be important, yet not detract from the core material.
Carla, That sounds like a frustrating situation. On one hand, it's nice to have materials that are premade and available. On the other hand, it can be a challenge when these materials constrain our process.
Dr. Melissa Read
I hate having to teach the exact same material in the exact same order. I do aggree that you have to be organized and things need to make sence but we don't have to do it the same way. If I hate it I can only imagine how the students feel when I give the lecture
LATONYA, Yes, most instructors like the freedom and flexibility that you describe. The cookie cutter curricula can serve as great thought starters and frameworks. As educators, we often then build on these to give ourselves more.
Dr. Melissa Read
I call this the " Cookie Cutter" Curriculm, it does seem easier and in some ways it is, but when you have to teach to tests it becomes to hard to develop the course and make it your own. Now I am not completely opposed to it, but I do like to have some Academic Freedom.
agreed. often i find another instructors quizes that require translating to the students because it is worded incorrectly.this and other factors of anothers resources can be very stress full.and for me stress is releaved when the students get the best course i can give .not the most convenient.
