Teaching Commons

Brown Bag Lunch Series: Holistic Course Design

Teaching CommonsNovember 13, 2012

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Facilitators

• Ellen Sims – Educational Developer – esims@yorku.ca

• Yelin Su– Educational Developer – ysu@yorku.ca

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Session Learning Outcomes

By the end of the session, the participants should be able to: 1.Differentiate learning outcomes from learning objectives and course objectives.2.Write observable and measureable learning outcomes consistent with learning/course objectives.

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Course Design

• What does it mean to you when we talk about course design?

• What is your approach?

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Learning Objectives

• What are learning objectives?

• Please turn to your neighbor, collaboratively write and/or share one learning objective based on your course.

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• How do we know if students have mastered the learning?

• What kind of evidence do students have to produce to demonstrate their learning?

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• Let’s take a look at our learning objectives - can you refine your objectives?

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What are learning outcomes• Learning outcomes are what a student can do as a

result of a learning experience (course/program). (What a student will learn as opposed to what a teacher wants to teach.)

• To do what? To perform a specific task at a given level of

competence under a certain situation.• Learning Outcomes are designed from the student’s

perspective.

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Learning and Teaching

• How do instructors support/facilitate their learning?

• What do students have to do to get there?• What materials, resources, media are required?• How do students know all these?

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Align your course components

• Go back to your learning outcomes

• Suggest some teaching and learning activities and assessment tasks consistent with the learning outcomes.

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Constructive AlignmentConstructivismConstructivist theory – learners use their own activity to construct their knowledge or other outcome.

AlignmentReflects the fact that the learning activity in the intended learning outcomes needs to be activated in the teaching if the outcome is to be achieved and in the assessment method to verify that the outcome has in fact been achieved.

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Aligned Curriculum

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Two examples

Learning Outcomes Teaching and learning activities Assessment Tasks

Students will be able to bake a pizza

Read the recipe and watch the demonstration

List the key ingredient of the pizza

Students will be able to convincingly argue a case for Lady Gaga to change her hair color

Research the issuesClassroom mock debate

An argumentative essay

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Further considerations

• Universal design and AODA (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act).

• How do students learn(collaboration and social learning)?

• Levels of cognitive skills involved and instructional strategies/activities

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Resources

• Sample syllabi

• Open educational practice (OEP)

• Teaching Commons’ website, http://teachingcommons.yorku.ca

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Comments and Questions

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