DesigningCourses

Centre for Learning and Teaching

Aims of this presentation

• Tointroducesomeofmainideastoconsiderwhendesigningorre-designingacourse

• Todiscusssometheoreticalapproachestocoursedesign

• Tomakepracticalsuggestionsabouthowthesecanbeusedinplanningactivities

Start off at the end• Agoodwaytobegindesigningcoursesistoenvisagetheknowledge,skillsandvaluesyourgraduateswillhave

• Thinkbroadlyaboutissuessuchas:– Thefutureofthediscipline– Professionalidentities– Creatingpositivechangeintheworld

• HowcanstudentsexperiencesatUniversitypreparethemforthis?Andhowdoesyourcoursefitinthispicture?

Resources overview

• Nowyouhaveyourendpoint,whatresourcesdoyouhaveavailabletomakethisareality?

Previouscourse

materials

Externals–employers,VLs,partners,serviceusers,professional

bodies

Pedagogic,administrative,leadershipskills

Staffdisciplinaryskills

andknowledge

TeachingspacesDataonand

feedbackfromstudents

Library,onlineandsocialmedia

resourcesSupport–LTAs,CLT

Backgroundsandinterestsoftypicalstudents

What University policies need to be considered?

• AllundergraduatecoursesmustaligntotheCurriculumDesignFramework

• ThePrinciplesare:– PracticalWisdom– Acurriculumstructuredforlearning– Researchandenquiryledlearning– Staffandstudentsworkinginpartnership– Inclusivity

• Withthemesofblendedlearning,sustainabilityandemployability

Approaches to organisinglearning

Using the approaches

• Fourapproachesareoutlinedhere• Theyareinter-relatedandoverlappingandcanbeusedincombination

• Allencourageplanninglearningoutsideamodularised structure

Consider the Student Journey• Takeastudentperspectiveontheirexperiences• Transitions

– Intothecourse– Beforeandaftervacations– Betweenlevels– Graduatingthecourse

• Each‘firsttime…’hasthepotentialtoengagestudentsmoreand/orriskstudentdisengagement– Firstweek,firstassessment,firstfeedbackreceived,firstfieldwork,

firsttimewithnewassessmenttype,firsttimedoinggroupwork,firstplacement,firststaff/studentevent

• Plantoprofitfromengagementandtoavertdisengagement• ScottishHigherEducationTransitionsMap

http://www.enhancementthemes.ac.uk/enhancement-themes/current-enhancement-theme/transitions-map

Constructive alignment• Programmelevellearningoutcomes

(LOs)shouldaligntolearningactivitiesandassessment

• ThereisatendencytolosesightofprogrammeLOswhenthinkingaboutcontent

• Keepreturningtothemindecisionmaking– doesthisactivity/contentsupporttheprogrammeLOs?Ifno,thenquestion.

• SeeBiggsandTang2008

Scaffolding and sequencing• Tasksandexperiencesthatare

“constructive,sequentialandinterlinked…[and]requirestudentstouseandengagewithprogressivelyhigherordercognitiveprocesses”(MeyersandNulty2009p.567)

• Considertimings,contentandrelationshipsbetweentasks,experiencesandassessmentofcoreunits

• Planforstudentstoe.g.– becomeincreasinglyindependentlearners– increasinglychoosecontent– increasinglyundertakeownresearch– haveincreasingopportunitiestotakeon

professionalroles

Threshold concepts• Somedisciplinesfindtheseparticular

usefultoconsiderasstartingpointsaroundwhichtoorganisethecurriculum

• Thesearecoreconceptswhichoncestudentsgraspthem,transformstudentunderstanding

• Theymaybecontentious,troublesomeorgoagainst'commonsense'

• Agoodoverviewofthresholdconcepts:http://neillthew.typepad.com/files/threshold-concepts-1.pdf

Putting theory into practice

Activity: Create a course timeline

• Youaregoingtocreateapapertimelineofyourcourse,perhapsalongalongwall.

• Thisactivitycouldincludeallmembersofthecourseteamandstudents.

• Itcouldbeleftupforseveraldaystoallowpeopletocontribute

• Itcanthenbeusedforaplanningmeeting

Instructions• Coverawallinalonglineofpaper.Wallpaperlinerisgood,

ideallyatleast4mlong. Usemarkerpenstodivideitintoyears1,2and3

• Addsomekeypoints– pre-induction,induction,Christmasbreakyear1,endofsemester,Easterbreaketc,untilGraduation.

• ThenaddA4sheets inappropriateplacesforthecoremodules,orgroupsofmodulesfordifferentpathways

• YoucouldaddyourlistofresourcesatthebeginningandyourenvisagedGraduateattheend

Fill in the timeline

• Peoplecanthenaddentriesorcommentsusingpost-itnotes– Usingideasfromthestudentjourney– Keyassessmentandfeedbackpoints– Thinkofstrengths,weakness,opportunities,threats

– Includeadministrativeissuessuchasworkloadforstaffandstudents

Think about learning• Inadifferentcoloured post-it,highlight,(dependingonyourapproach)thresholdconcepts,orthewaylearningisscaffolded acrossthecourse

• ForUGcources,inanothercolour addkeypointsorexamplesrelatingtotheCurriculumDesignFrameworkprinciples:– PracticalWisdom– ResearchandEnquiry-ledlearning– Staffandstudentsworkinginpartnership– Inclusivity

• Andthemes:– BlendedLearning,SustainabilityandEmployability

Analysis

• Lookattheclusteringofpost-itnotes• Considerthegaps• Begintoconstructthe‘story’ofthecourse,usingthepost-itnotesasprompts

• Isthiswhatyouwantthe‘story’tobe?Doesitendwithyourenvisagedgraduate?Doesituseallyourresourcestotheirfulladvantage?

The New Course• Whatneedstochangeinthecoursetobringitclosertothe‘story’youwant?

• Willthisinvolvechangingprogramme learningoutcomes?

• ForUGcourses,howdoesthe‘story’involvethePrinciplesandThemesofCDF?

• Inparticular,isthereaclearpictureofassessmentandfeedbackatcourselevel?

• Andcananychangesinvolvestaffandstudentsworkinginpartnership?

Organising modules

• Onceyouhaveaclearbigpictureofthecourse,beginthinkingaboutthisintermsofmodules

• Thismayinvolverefreshingexistingmodulesandcreatingnewones,beginningwithcoremodules

• SeetheModule(re)designguidanceforinformationonthis

Find out more

References• Biggs,J.andTang,C.2007TeachingforQualityLearningat

University:Whatthestudentdoes(3rd edition).Maidenhead:OpenUniversityPress.

• Land,R.,Meyer,J.andJ.Smith(eds.)2008ThresholdConceptsintheDisciplinesLondon:SensePublishers

• Meyers,N.andD.Nulty 2009Howtouse(five)curriculumdesignprinciplestoalignauthenticlearningenvironments,assessment,students’approachestothinkingandlearningoutcomes.InAssessmentandEvaluationinHigherEducation34:5

• Yorke,M.andB.Longden 2008TheFirst-yearExperienceofUKHigherEducation.York:HEA

• https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/system/files/fyefinalreport_0.pdf