For both new and veteran faculty, inheriting a syllabus
and expected to design a course can be a difficult, time consuming
journey. Following someone else's road map can be uncomfortable and
sometimes feel like you are in uncharted waters. Learning Technologies
introduced a Course Map last year during our Design and Delivery
workshops to help faculty design their course through a critical
thinking process, first, prior to diving into Canvas and copying/pasting
resources over with now idea of organization or proper alignment.
One
of the first items asked on the Course Map template is to identify what
your course learning objectives are and to document those. Then, to
document what your module-level outcomes are and ensure proper
alignment. Some departments mandate the course-level objectives however,
most departments allow faculty to manage their own module-level
outcomes.
Course mapping, as a step in the curriculum mapping process (Jacobs,
2004), offers faculty new pathways to meet shared outcomes. The five
principles of curriculum design (Fink, 2003) inform the development of
learning experiences that are structured in such a way that they
scaffold student thinking and progressively move them toward the desired
course outcomes. A course should: (1) challenge students to higher
level learning; (2) use active forms of learning; (3) give frequent and
immediate feedback to students on the quality of their learning; (4) use
a structured sequence of different learning activities; and (5) have a
fair system for assessing and grading students.
In addition, employing the principles of backward design, we can (1)
provide more relevant and meaningful learning experiences; (2) ensure
that the required course outcomes are met; and (3) prepare students to
perform successfully on their final assessment. One starts with the
end—the desired results (goals or standards)—and then “derives the
curriculum from the evidence of learning (performances) called for by
the standard and the teaching needed to equip students to perform”
(Wiggins & McTighe, 2000).
We have provided a
template for faculty to use to begin the design process of any course,
new or existing. While some faculty have told us that the amount of time
to complete it is redundant, we firmly believe that by completing this
first, the development process is much more smooth and easier to
process. We strongly encourage and recommend you to use the Course Map
template the next time you begin to think about designing a course. As
always, contact an instructional designer for help in integrating this
into your instructional design efforts!
~Anna
Anna is the Educational
Technology Coordinator for Emporia State University. She can be reached at
acatters@emporia.edu or by phone 620.341.5107.
References:
Fink, L.D. (2003).
Creating significant learning experiences. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Jacobs, H.H. (2004).
Getting results with curriculum mapping. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Kenny, N., & Watson, G. (2014). Course alignment table. Open
Learning and Educational Support, University of Guelph. Retrieved from
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
Meyers, N. M., & Nulty, D. D. (2009). How to use (five)
curriculum design principles to align authentic learning environments,
assessment, students’ approaches to thinking and learning outcomes.
Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 34(5), 565-577.
Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (1998).
Understanding by design. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
A lightboard resembles a regular whiteboard, however it is made from steel and a piece of glass. The glass is lit up with LED lights and faculty can record a lecture from behind the glass. The benefits of a lightboard is that students can see a faculty members face AND the instruction at the same time.