Course Design for Learning

Course Design For Learning: 

Course Design For Learning Gayla S. Keesee, Ph.D.

Iterative Steps: 

Iterative Steps Articulate Goals & Objectives Create Learning Environment Know Your Learners Identify Teaching & Learning Strategies Identify Materials & Resources Develop Assessments

Goals & Objectives: 

Goals & Objectives State standards, accrediting bodies, NETS*Students How can the course objectives be broken down into units, modules, lessons? Varied levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy Outcomes/performances expected upon completion Criteria for success to ensure mastery

Slide 4: 

Acquiring 21st century skills such as higher level thinking , stronger communication abilities , and collaborative learning will encourage student engagement and increase academic achievement (Department of Education, 2002)

Learning Environment: 

Learning Environment Andragogical considerations How can learning be made active ? How can the environment promote peer interaction ? How can students develop responsibility for their own learning?

Slide 6: 

Learning Environment

1st Year College Student: 

1 st Year College Student Knowledge = gradual accumulation of right answers acquired through effort and obedience to the instructor Role of the instructor is to TEACH them Right answers for everything exist Focused on passing the next test Turned off to school Discouraged from following their own interests No application to life after school Where did this thinking come from?

Traditional Classroom: 

Traditional Classroom Prescribed Curriculum Chalkboards Desks in rows Books and worksheets Paper & pencil Focus on the front (teacher) Read, take notes Study as an individual Take tests to measure learning

21st Century Classroom: 

21 st Century Classroom Constant, ubiquitous connectivity Moving beyond 4-walls Flexible, blended learning Collaborative environments Allowing global connections Studio-based learning Connections to communities and access to tools Space for reflection and creativity Bringing the real world into the classroom, and the classroom into the real world

Know Your Learners: 

Know Your Learners Personal demographics (ethnicity, socio-economic level, cultural background) that might impact learning Developmental stage of the student relative to the content Cognitive/Learning style of each student Generational learning styles Student’s entry skills with reference to the content and technology

Digital Immigrant or Digital Native: 

Digital Immigrant or Digital Native Do you turn to the Internet first or second for information? Do you use a manual to learn a program, or is it intuitive? Do you print out your E-mail or have your secretary print it out for you? Do you need to print out a document in order to edit it? Do you call people into your office to see an interesting website rather than sending the link via E-mail? Do you make the “Did you get my E-mail?” phone call?

Digital Natives: 

Digital Natives Ctrl + Alt + Del is as basic as ABC They have never been able to find the “return” key Computers have always fit in their backpacks They have always had a personal identification number Photographs have always been processed in an hour or less Bert and Ernie are old enough to be their parents Gas has always been unleaded Rogaine has always been available for the follicularly challenged --Beloit College, 2003, 2004

Net Gen Learners: 

Net Gen Learners Digital Connected Experiential Visual & Kinesthetic Immediate Social

Adaptation: 

Adaptation It is not about whether you are a digital native but whether you can adapt to those whose style does not match your own. – Dede , 2005

Teaching & Learning Strategies: 

Teaching & Learning Strategies Connect to prior knowledge Scaffold learning Motivation Engagement Relevance Rigor Relationships Student-Centered vs. Teacher-centered

What can you do?: 

What can you do? Make learning interactive & experiential Consider peer-to-peer approaches Utilize real-world applications Emphasize information literacy in courses Encourage reflection Incorporate collaborative learning Use informal learning opportunities Create opportunities for synthesis

Decide what’s important : 

Decide what’s important Technology does not drive choices Learning outcomes drive choices Knowledge construction Interactivity Relevance Authentic contexts

Materials & Resources: 

Materials & Resources

Horizon Report 2007: 

Horizon Report 2007 Key trends affecting higher education—next 5 years One year or less Social Networking User-Created Content Two-Three Years Mobile Phones Virtual Worlds Four-Five Years New Scholarship and Emerging Forms of Publication Massively Multiplayer Educational Gaming

Choose the Right Tool : 

Choose the Right Tool Collaboration Communications Knowledge Gathering Demonstration of Knowledge

Find the Right Balance: 

Find the Right Balance Action Reflection Visual Text Social Individual Process Content Speed Deliberation Peer-to-peer Peer review

Assessment: 

Assessment Formative Assessments Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs) Surveys Classroom Response Systems Summative Assessments Authentic Real-world applications