{"id":8906,"date":"2012-01-28t08:00:35","date_gmt":"2012-01-28t14:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"\/\/www.imrbdigital.com\/?p=8906"},"modified":"2012-02-07t09:03:12","modified_gmt":"2012-02-07t15:03:12","slug":"gradstep-recap-course-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.imrbdigital.com\/2012\/01\/gradstep-recap-course-design\/","title":{"rendered":"gradstep recap: course design"},"content":{"rendered":"

this blog post is written by dan morrison, a cft graduate teaching fellow. dan led the course & syllabus design session at gradstep on january 21, 2012.\u00a0you can download the powerpoint<\/a> and handouts<\/a> from this session.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cintegrating learning goals, feedback & assessment, and teaching & learning activities for significant learning\u201d<\/h4>\n

in this gradstep session, i covered the basics of l. dee fink\u2019s approach to developing courses that are designed to maximize student learning by integrating course goals, feedback and teaching activities. fink is well known for his book creating significant learning experiences: an integrated approach to designing college courses. <\/em><\/p>\n

i wanted workshop participants to walk away with two \u201cenduring understandings\u201d:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. significant learning experiences can be designed into the course. they rarely happen spontaneously.<\/strong><\/li>\n
  2. teaching is a dynamic process. because of this, designing effective learning experiences is both a process and an outcome.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    we approached these understandings by focusing on designing the overall structure of the course. beyond a list of content, we reflected on how the pieces fit together to create a coherent whole. often, courses tell a story, they have a \u201cnarrative arc\u201d that is sometimes chronological (e.g. american history from 1865 to present) or from micro-biology (e.g. cells) to macro (e.g. mammals). the best courses pose questions and raise topics that build in complexity and conceptual rigor as the course advances. many exemplary courses ask students to develop content knowledge, learning and research skills, and changes in affect, such as dispositions and passions.<\/p>\n

    participants worked individually, and in groups, to identify situational factors<\/strong> that enable and constrain their courses. we considered the context of the course, the general institutional context, the nature of the subject, characteristics of the learners and characteristics of the teachers.<\/p>\n

    \"\"given these factors, we used backward design<\/a> to create
    \n\u201cwhat would i like the impact of this course to be on students 2-3 years from now?\u201d\u00a0 learning goals<\/strong>. in order to help, i asked everyone to focus on these questions:<\/p>\n