Tena Crews

Alfretta and Frank,

Thanks for continuing the conversation. Everything you have mentioned is tied together. Communication, learning outcomes, questioning, etc. They all play essential parts in the learning process. Thanks again.

Alfretta Earnest

Frank,

I agree that, “When developing a course it is first important to understand the ending objectives that should be attained from the students.” It is also important to provide a learning environment that encourages participation and discussion. So in developing a course the focus should be on the education objectives and the content which should include:

Educational Objectives
1) To facilitate learning by guiding and directing students to various resources. In addition, there is a need to engage students in critical thinking relative to the concepts being discussed in the classroom

2) Foster engaging participation and contemplation in the discussions to discuss real world examples

3) Provide students with various forums for which to ask questions and be given responses

Content
1) Communicate content of classroom through constant communication and interaction with students

2) Ask questions and create assignments that encourage opinions that are supported by outside sources.

Tena Crews

Kristina,

Keeping things consistent can be a good thing, but I continually hope that institutions ask for feedback from instructors whether tenure track or adjunct. Thanks!

Kristina Jantz

Hello Robert,

I understand what you are going through at your University. One of the Universities I adjunct at is going through a similar process. Unlike your situation, the faculty at my University have been given more freedom than we sometimes know what do to with. Our SMEs were basically told to take the current course material and to subtract or add what we thought was important. In this respect we were able to tailor the course objectives and TCOs to meet our student population's existing knowledge base. This also allowed for the faculty who are in the trenches everyday to follow though on other material we found relative that may or may not be in the textbook.

As for your comment about a common framework, I too did not agree with this at the beginning but have sense changed my opinion. A common framework ensures a minimum or baseline amount of acquired knowledge for a given course. Plus the common framework also keeps each faculty on point. After the common points/learning objectives are met then each faculty member can expand. Just as we see on a daily bases in all professions, the level of attention to detail is different for everyone. In the common framework approach the details are clearly outlined.

Then again maybe my experience of being given true academic freedom allows me to have a more favorable opinion of the common framework approach to learning.

Kristina

Tena Crews

Ervin,

Ervin,

We learn as we go. Keep learning.

Dr. Tena B. Crews

Ervin Payne

I have done many course developments. Basically when I started my forst deve;opment I had no guidelines to go on.

I wanted to make sure the most important information in the book was covered. TO do this I had to create a plan of action.

First I had to decide which chapters really fit together and could be placed in one learning module.

Second I need to make sure that all important information could be taught in the classroom in the amount of time for each lecture.

Third I had to decide what and how the indcividual assignments would be handle. Making sure that the students had a fair and equal chance to complete them properly and on time.

Lastly I need to make sure the information on the quizzes were indeed proper questions for that module.

Tena Crews

Nia,

That's correct. As you provide the learning objectives, everyone benefits. The instructor knows what to teach and the students know what is expected of them. Keeping all assignments/projects connected to the learning objectives is a must. Nice job.

Nia Bullock

I agree Frank. You cannot begin to teach anything without first knowing what learning outcome(s) the student should achieve. Everything done in the course, from presentation to assignments, to assessments should be able to be "mapped" back to your list of learning outcomes. I often use this exercise of mapping my courses to the learning outcome list to ensure that my projects and tests are relevant to the class.

Tena Crews

Barbara,

You are right. You have to think about the major learning objective and make sure the elements support that outcome. Developing connected assignments and rubrics to appropriately measure those assignments can help.

Thanks for your inputin.

Barbara Nadrotoska

It is also important to focus on the major learning objective for the entire course in which the various elements can be interjected.

Tena Crews

Robert,

Thank you for your extensive information. You bring up many excellent points for this forum.

Excellent!

Robert Touro

My University is revising most courses and assignments within each course. Previously we used a model wherein each course was developed based upon a scenario, where the student would use the course materials in a real world setting.

In the new venue, the scenario is gone, there is no role play, there are only topic and course related elements with no foundational framework to base the learning upon. Learn this, learn that, but there are few if any places where the student is asked to apply the knowledge learned.

I should note that all courses and assignments are developed by the University, so while an instructor can interpret, he/she cannot change or create an environment for learning outside of the designed framework.

I find the new environment to be highly structured, canned or "cookie-cutter" so much so that you could replace a key-word here and there from one course to another and the assignment would be the same from course to course. Gone too is the scenario which allowed students to immerse themselves in what they were learning and apply it to the course scenario they were acting out (in role play).

This is a typical "if it works don't break it" situation, where the University thinks the courses needed fixing and now they have made it worse.

I also note that this University doesn't consult faculty, students or anyone who might seem to be a SME (subject matter expert), wherein course development appears to wordsmith words from course to course to present a regimented flow or "framework" which in this case and in my humble opinion results in a "one size fits all" approach to adult learning.

I find it ironic that the structure of this course module seems to infer a highly structured approach to course design as opposed to leveraging course design to be "tailored" to the couse and the students who will actually be expected to learn something from the knowledge transfer.

I don't have a problem with a common framework approach, but I do have a problem when there is little to no differentiation in terms of course structured assignments using the same verbiage from course to course.

It should be noted that the students in these classes have articulated similar perspectives and find many of the assignments redundant both in wording and activity. I would tend to agree with them.

Tena Crews

Frank & Krissi,

Yes, communication is very important. I tell those who are beginning to teach online that you can get the WORST teaching evaluations every by NOT communicating with students.

Think about communication being everything: your syllabus, course outcomes, directions and rubrics for assignments/projects, your assessment, etc.

Thanks for your input.

Krissi Putansu

This is great information, Frank. I also believe communication is a large piece to not only develop this aspect but also to share these details with students so they know why they are doing it and know that you have put true thought into the class.

Tena Crews

Frank,

This ties directly to what you noted in your forum about the rubrics. . .expectations and understanding what they must do. I actually include the learning objectives in the rubrics to help students further understand the typical question: "Why are we doing this?"

Thanks for your input.