DESIGNING COURSES for SIGNIFICANT LEARNING Workshop by L

DESIGNING COURSES for SIGNIFICANT LEARNING Workshop by: L. Dee Fink, Ph. D. Educational Consultant in Higher Education Author: Creating Significant Learning Experiences BYU-Idaho April 16, 2012

Designing Courses for Significant Learning

3 FEATURES OF A HIGH QUALITY LEARNING EXPERIENCE During Course/College: 1. Students are: ENGAGED End of course After College: 2. Student effort results in: SIGNIFICANT & LASTING LEARNING 3. The learning: ADDS VALUE

Designing Courses for Significant Learning FUNDAMENTAL TASKS OF TEACHING Knowledge of the Subject Matter Interacting with Students Designing Learning Experiences Managing the Course Beginning of the Course

Designing Courses for Significant Learning Question: What are some common problems you encounter in your teaching?

Designing Courses for Significant Learning THREE COMMON PROBLEMS: • Lack of Interest: “Students are bored with my class and lose interest quickly. ” • Poor Preparation: “Students don’t do the assigned readings before class. ” • Poor Retention of Learning: “Students do well on the test, but on the next test or in the next course, they seem to forget everything they learned earlier. ”

Designing Courses for Significant Learning Lack of Interest 1. Enhance the teacher’s lecturing skills. 2. Use more material from “cutting edge” research. 3. Re-design the course to replace lecturing with more active learning.

Designing Courses for Significant Learning Poor Student Preparation 1. Assign more severe penalties for not doing the readings beforehand. 2. Give students a pep talk. 3. Re-design the course to give students a reason to do the readings.

Designing Courses for Significant Learning Poor Retention of Learning 1. Make the tests better (or tougher) 2. Require students to complete a refresher course 3. Re-design the course to give students more experience with using what they have learned

Designing Courses for Significant Learning 3 Ways of Designing Courses: 1. “List of Topics” 2. “List of Activities” 3. Need a way of designing courses that is: • Systematic • Integrated • Learning-Centered

Designing Courses for Significant Learning Integrated Course Design: OVERVIEW

INTEGRATED COURSE DESIGN: Key Components Learning Goals Teaching & Learning Activities Situational Feedback & Assessment Factors

Criteria of “GOOD” Course Design Significant Learning Goals Integration Teaching and Learning Activities Feedback & Assessment Active Learning Educative Assessment SITUATIONAL In-Depth Situational Analysis FACTORS

Readiness Assessment Test (RAT)

Designing Courses for Significant Learning # of SCRATCHES: # of POINTS: 1 - - 4 2 - - 2 3 - - 1 4 - - 0

Designing Courses for Significant Learning Integrated Course Design: SITUATIONAL FACTORS

Criteria of “GOOD” Course Design Significant Learning Goals Integration Teaching and Learning Activities Feedback & Assessment Active Learning Educative Assessment SITUATIONAL In-Depth Situational Analysis FACTORS

Designing Courses for Significant Learning Situational Factors: Collecting information about… • Specific Context • Expectations by people outside the course • Nature of the Subject • Nature of Students • Nature of Teacher

Designing Courses for Significant Learning Situational Factors • Specific Context of the Teaching/Learning Situation – – Number of students Level of course Time structure Delivery: Live – Hybrid – Online • Expectations of Others: – What expectations are placed on this course or curriculum by: • Society? • The University, College and/or the Department? • The Profession?

Designing Courses for Significant Learning • Nature of the Subject – Primarily theoretical, practical, or some combination? – Convergent or divergent? – Important changes or controversies occurring? • Characteristics of the Learners – Their life situation (e. g. , working, family, professional goals)? – Their prior knowledge, experiences, and initial feelings? – Their learning goals, expectations, and preferred learning styles?

Designing Courses for Significant Learning • Characteristics of the Teacher(s) – My beliefs and values about teaching and learning? – My attitude toward: the subject, students? – My teaching skills? – My level of knowledge or familiarity with this subject?

Criteria of “GOOD” Course Design Significant Learning Goals Integration Teaching and Learning Activities Feedback & Assessment Active Learning Educative Assessment SITUATIONAL In-Depth Situational Analysis FACTORS

Designing Courses for Significant Learning Integrated Course Design: LEARNING GOALS

Criteria of “GOOD” Course Design Significant Learning Goals Integration Teaching and Learning Activities Feedback & Assessment Active Learning Educative Assessment SITUATIONAL In-Depth Situational Analysis FACTORS

Designing Courses for Significant Learning FACULTY DREAMS • If you had a class that could and would learn anything and everything you wanted them to learn: • In your “Dream of Dreams, ” what is it that you would really like them to learn?

Taxonomy of Significant Learning

Taxonomy of Significant Learning How to Learn · Becoming a better student · Inquiring about a subject · Self-directing learners Caring Developing new… · Feelings · Interests · Values Human Dimensions Learning about: · Oneself · Others Foundational Knowledge Understanding and remembering: · Information · Ideas Application · Skills · Thinking: Critical, Creative, & Practical · Managing projects Integration Connecting: · Ideas · People · Realms of life

Designing Courses for Significant Learning In a course with significant learning, students will: 1. Understand remember the key concepts, terms, relationship, etc. 2. Know how to use the content. 3. Be able to relate this subject to other subjects. 4. Understand the personal and social implications of knowing about this subject. 5. Value this subject and further learning about it. 6. Know how to keep on learning about this subject, after the course is over.

Writing Significant Learning Goals for Your Course For one of your own courses: • Write learning goals for Integration in the Taxonomy of Significant Learning. • Preface: “By the end of the course, my hope is that students will be able to…. ” • Suggestions: ü Pay close attention to your VERBS ü High “Visibility” Index

Criteria of “GOOD” Course Design Significant Learning Goals Integration Teaching and Learning Activities Feedback & Assessment Active Learning Educative Assessment SITUATIONAL In-Depth Situational Analysis FACTORS

Designing Courses for Significant Learning Integrated Course Design: FEEDBACK & ASSESSMENT

Criteria of “GOOD” Course Design Significant Learning Goals Integration Teaching and Learning Activities Feedback & Assessment Active Learning Educative Assessment SITUATIONAL In-Depth Situational Analysis FACTORS

3 -COLUMN TABLE: Learning Goals: 1. 2. 3. Integration: 4. 5. 6. Assessment Activities: Learning Activities:

Feedback and Assessment: “EDUCATIVE ASSESSMENT” Forward-Looking Assessment Self-Assessment Criteria and Standards “FIDe. Lity” Feedback

Feedback and Assessment: “EDUCATIVE ASSESSMENT” Important Learning Forward-Looking Assessment Task Criteria and Standards Self-Assessment Feedback

“FIDe. Lity Feedback” • F = Frequent • I = Immediate • D = Discriminating (based on criteria and standards) • L = Feedback given in a Loving or supportive way

Designing Courses for Significant Learning Integrated Course Design: LEARNING ACTIVITIES

Criteria of “GOOD” Course Design Significant Learning Goals Integration Teaching and Learning Activities Feedback & Assessment Active Learning Educative Assessment SITUATIONAL In-Depth Situational Analysis FACTORS

3 -COLUMN TABLE: Learning Goals: Assessment Activities: Learning Activities: 1. 2. 3. Integration: 4. 5. 6. xxxxx ? ?

Designing Courses for Significant Learning A MODEL OF ACTIVE LEARNING (The Basic Version)

Designing Courses for Significant Learning Holistic Active Learning Experience · Doing, Observing · Actual, Simulated · “Rich Learning Experiences” Reflection Information & Ideas · Primary/Secondary · In-class, out-of-class, online · About the… · Subject · Learning Process · Via: Journaling, Learning Portfolios

Multiple Activities that Promote ACTIVE LEARNING GETTING INFORMATION & IDEAS DIRECT INDIRECT, · Original data · Original sources · Secondary data and sources VICARIOUS · Lectures, textbooks ONLINE · Course website · Internet EXPERIENCE "Doing" REFLECTIVE DIALOGUE, with: "Observing" Self Others · Real Doing, in authentic settings · Direct · Reflective observation thinking · Case studies · Stories · Gaming, Simulations · Role play of phenomena · Journaling · Live dialogue (in or out of class) (can be accessed via: film, literature, oral history) · Teacher can assign students · Students can reflect, and then engage in to "directly experience" … various kinds of · Students can engage in "indirect" kinds of experience dialogue online

HOLISTIC ACTIVE LEARNING: A Case Study In a course on “Leadership for Engineers, ” the teacher does the following: • Begins the course by asking students to think about what leadership means to them, individually and then collectively. • Then the class reads a book or case study about people in leadership positions (e. g. , Abraham Lincoln). • Following this, they re-visit the central question of “What constitutes leadership”? and revise their earlier definition accordingly. • This sequence is repeated throughout the course: – students read something – revisit the central question – read something new – revisit the central question – etc.

Designing Courses for Significant Learning Question #1: • Which of the three components of holistic active learning does this course include – as described above? (More than one component is possible) 1. Information and Ideas 2. Experience 3. Reflection Question #2: • How might you strengthen the “Experiential” component?

Criteria of “GOOD” Course Design Significant Learning Goals Integration Teaching and Learning Activities Feedback & Assessment Active Learning Educative Assessment SITUATIONAL In-Depth Situational Analysis FACTORS

Designing Courses for Significant Learning Integrated Course Design: INTEGRATION

Criteria of “GOOD” Course Design Significant Learning Goals Integration Teaching and Learning Activities Feedback & Assessment Active Learning Educative Assessment SITUATIONAL In-Depth Situational Analysis FACTORS

Designing Courses for Significant Learning INTEGRATING THE COURSE 1. 3 -Column Table 2. Weekly Schedule • Teaching Strategy • Culminating Project • String of Activities

3 -COLUMN TABLE: Learning Goals: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Assessment Activities: Learning Activities:

Designing Courses for Significant Learning INTEGRATING THE COURSE 1. 3 -Column Table 2. Weekly Schedule • Teaching Strategy • Culminating Project • String of Activities

3 -COLUMN TABLE: Learning Goals: 1. Foundational Knowledge 2. Application 3. Integration 4. Human Dimension 5. Caring 6. How to Keep on Learning Assessment Activities: Learning Activities:

Week #: Mon 1 2 3 4. . 12 13 14 15 Wed Fri

Designing Courses for Significant Learning INTEGRATING THE COURSE 1. 3 -Column Table 2. Weekly Schedule • Teaching Strategy • Culminating Project • String of Activities

Designing Courses for Significant Learning TEACHING STRATEGY: • A particular COMBINATION of learning activities… • arranged in a particular SEQUENCE Two Examples: • Problem-based learning • Team-based learning

Designing Courses for Significant Learning “CASTLE-TOP” DIAGRAM: A Tool for Identifying Your TEACHING STRATEGY In-Class Activities: Out-of. Class Activities: Mon Wed ? ? ? Fri Mon Wed Fri Assessm’t & Feedback ?

TEACHING STRATEGIES QUESTION: • This strategy creates a high likelihood that most students will… 1. Be exposed to the content. 2. Understand the content. 3. Be able to use the content. 4. Value the content.

Designing Courses for Significant Learning INTEGRATING THE COURSE 1. 3 -Column Table 2. Weekly Schedule • Teaching Strategy • Culminating Project • String of Activities

Model of: INTEGRATED COURSE DESIGN Learning Goals Teaching & Learning Activities Situational Feedback & Assessment Factors

Getting Better as a Teacher Learning IMAGINED - - -> - -> Learning ACHIEVED Learning Goals 1. Xxx 2. Xxx 3. Xxx 4. Xxx 5. Xxx 6. xxx 4 1 Week: Mon Wed Fri 1 2 3 4 5 2 6 7 Learning Goals 3 Ass’m’t Activ. Learning Activ. 8 9 1. Xxx 10 2. Xxx 11 3. Xxx 12 4. Xxx 13 5. Xxx 14 6. Xxx 15 3 -Column Table Weekly Schedule 5

Designing Courses for Significant Learning Integrated Course Design: DOES IT WORK?

Designing Courses for Significant Learning DOES IT MAKE A DIFFERENCE? Case #1 • Jane Connor, SUNY-Binghamton • Course: Multi-Cultural Psychology • Primary Learning Goal: • To help students learn about – and learn how to interact with – people who are different from themselves

Designing Courses for Significant Learning COURSE DESIGN FEATURES: • CONTENT: Used Readiness Assurance Process from TBL • STORIES: Had speakers come in (students, people from community) • REFLECTIONS: Both before and after readings; before and after stories • RICH LEARNING EXPERIENCE: • For a 4 -week period, students had to put themselves in contact with someone different from themselves – preferably someone (or group with whom they were uncomfortable)

Designing Courses for Significant Learning RESULTS? • Students did the readings – and understood them. • As a result of the “strategy” (readings + dialogue with others + special experiences + multiple reflections): • Students reported, almost to a person, that this course “transformed” them. • Teacher won the university’s primary teaching award. • Dean of Student Affairs: 11 of 16 students said this was “the most valuable course in their whole college experience. ”

Designing Courses for Significant Learning Does It Make a Difference? Case #2 • Bill Weeks, University of Missouri at Rolla • Course: Coding in Computer Science • Small class (18 students), traditional time structure (M-W-F) • Initially: Lecture + homework • Results: Students overwhelmed by complexity of the math – frustration – apathy – low course evaluations

Designing Courses for Significant Learning Changes Made: 1. Completely re-wrote his learning goals: (examples) • For a given communication channel, students will be able to compute the maximum rate of reliable transmission • Students will learn how to work effectively in a group setting. • Students will be able to direct their own learning in relation to understanding, designing, and evaluating new codes. 2. New teaching strategy: Used TBL 3. Used reflective writing: Learning portfolios 4. Oral presentations 5. Had students re-submit their homework

Designing Courses for Significant Learning RESULTS: • Students did the readings, and did as well as before on exams of Foundational Knowledge. • TEACHER: “…drastic improvement in student morale…They worked harder – and reported enjoying it more. ” • STUDENTS: • …an interesting learning experience I will never forget…provided me with knowledge to carry out independent study. • I enjoyed this course to the fullest…course was entertaining and at the same time enlightening.

Designing Courses for Significant Learning TEACHER’S REACTION: • “Teaching such an excited group of students was an unforgettable experience. • It made my job seem worthwhile and very fulfilling. • I will be feeding off that student excitement for years. ”

Designing Courses for Significant Learning RESOURCES FOR FURTHER LEARNING: ü Print Resources ü Website: www. designlearning. org ü Each Other ü Your Dreams

Designing Courses for Significant Learning THE END! Higher Education: Let’s make it all that it can be and needs to

Designing Courses for Significant Learning THE END! ? ? Higher Education: Let’s make it all that it can be and needs to

Designing Courses for Significant Learning OR, A NEW START? Teaching for the 21 st Century. . .