Curriculum Design Principles - NDSU - North Dakota … OF STUDENT AFFAIRS ASSESSMENT Overview •...

DIVISION OF STUDENT AFFAIRS

Curriculum Design PrinciplesDiscussion for DSA Curriculum Committee

October, 2015

DIVISION OF STUDENT AFFAIRSASSESSMENT

Committee PurposeFacilitate curriculum planning and development in the Division of Student Affairs


Why are we having this discussion?

• Division has resources to support the creation of programs (and learning outcomes), and assessment and evaluation, but nothing “in between”

• Our curriculum will be most effective if it is vertically and horizontally aligned, and pointing students in the same direction!


Overview• Discuss key principles of curriculum

design• Consider how these principals should

inform the design of curriculum in the Division

• Begin setting an agenda for the work of this committee


Curriculum/kəˈrikyələm/1. From Latin. “A running, race, lap around

the track, course” (Glare, 2000).2. “All of the learning of students which is

planned by and directed by the school to attain its educational goals” (Tyler, 1949).

3. “…plans made for guiding learning…the actualization of the plan as experienced by the learners…in a learning environment which also influences what is learned” (Glatthorn, 1987).


ACTVITYLearning outcome: Starting from scratch, students will be able to bake and decorate a two-layer cake of professional quality.

You have access to 4 expert presenters:1. Expert in cake ingredients2. Expert in the application of heat for the purpose of cooking3. Expert in cooking appliances and tools4. Expert in aesthetic elements of food presentation

Limits• 40 students• 6 week time-frame for the program• 4 classrooms and 4 lab kitchens available

How would you design learning experiences to support students’ achievement of the learning outcome?


Basic Principles1. What educational purposes

should we seek to attain?2. How can learning

experiences be selected which are likely to be useful in attaining these objectives?

3. How can learning experiences be organized for effective instruction?

4. How can the effectiveness of learning experiences be evaluated?

Tyler, R. W. (1949). Basic principles of curriculum and

instruction. University of Chicago Press: Chicago.

1. Educational Purposes


What educational purposes should we seek to attain?

• Student Affairs Learning Outcomes• Discipline-specific outcomes (e.g., from

your national organization or CAS)• Outcomes or needs of employers or other

stakeholders• “Educational purposes” should be updated

periodically

2. Learning Experiences


How can learning experiences be selected which are likely to be useful in attaining these objectives?

• Learning takes place through experiences and the reactions the learner makes to the environment

• “A student must have experiences that give him [or her] an opportunity to practice the kind of behavior implied by the objective.”

• Feedback on the quality of these performances to allow for modification of performance toward the desired objective


How can learning experiences be selected which are likely to be useful in attaining these objectives?

• “If the experiences are unsatisfying or distasteful, the desired learning is not likely to take place.”

• “There are many particular experiences that can be used to attain the same educational objectives.”

• “The teacher must always be on the lookout for undesirable outcomes that may develop from a learning experience planned for some other purpose.”


How do we select learning experiences in NDSU DSA?

• Departments have tremendous flexibility and most curriculum design is delegated to departments

• Unless there is lots of communication between departments, could lead to duplication of efforts or gaps

3. Organization of Learning Experiences


How can learning experiences be organized for effective instruction?

• “Changes in ways of thinking, in fundamental habits, in major operating concepts, in attitudes, in abiding interests and the like, develop slowly.”

• “In order for educational experiences to produce a cumulative effect, they must be so organized as to reinforce each other.”


Principles of Organization• Vertical

– Between years or semesters

• Freshmen -> sophomores -> juniors -> seniors

• Cake class 1, 2, 3, 4 (build on each other!)


Horizontal: Between courses or experiences within the same semester• If in conflict they may nullify each other, or

develop compartmentalized learning

• Goals for baking a high-quality cake should be similar for all 4 of our instructors (i.e., what a “good” cake is should not depend on which class a student is in)


Principles of Organization• Continuity

– Vertical reiteration• Sequence

– Successive experiences build on the preceding one and go more broadly and deeply

• Integration– Horizontal relationship to support a unified view:

not isolated behaviors– Capstone experience: bringing it all together


How do we organize learning experiences in NDSU DSA?

• Some programs are designed to run over multiple semesters

• Horizontal organization much harder because we have little control over in which programs a student participates– What about integration with classroom

experiences? • Because of on-campus requirement for most

FYR, likely much heavier programming for those students

4. Evaluation


How can the effectiveness of learning experiences be evaluated?• SAAC has worked with this extensively• “It should be clear that evaluation then

becomes a process for finding out how far the learning experiences as developed and organized are actually producing the desired results and the process of evaluation will involve identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the plans.”


Summary• How would you change your cake design

curriculum based on this discussion?• Curriculum cannot be designed or

implemented in a vacuum• Vertical and horizontal design• Purposes -> educational experiences ->

organization -> evaluation• Certification – degrees, badges,

certificates?


Setting an Agenda: Initial Thoughts

• Curriculum mapping– Make recommendations on duplications or gaps– Make recommendations on organization of

learning experiences• Receive and share information about

curriculum, maybe aim for one event this year for curriculum planners

• Discussion on badges / certificates• Other thoughts?

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