final reflection on curriculum development

1Running head: MOBER BRAUER FINAL REFLECTION

Final Reflection:

Future Goals and Personal Understandings of Learning

Hallie Moberg Brauer

Loyola University Chicago

2MOBERG BRAUER FINAL REFLECTION

Future Goals and Personal Understandings of Learning

When searching through the course catalog, deciding which classes I should take this

spring, I knew I only had one choice to make. Student Development Theory was locked in, and I

only got to choose one elective. I decided that curriculum development might be an interesting

choice, even though I thought (at the time, I am still working on developing more confidence)

that teaching was not for me. But maybe, even if I could not teach it, I could try my hand at

learning more about how to design the courses that other people teach, to design the experiences

that enable students to learn best. I spent a year teaching English in France, and I had felt quite

useless to my students. However, I now understand much better why what I was trying to teach

may not have been very successful. But that is a story for another day.

I came to this experience with an open mind, and I am certainly glad I did. I genuinely

feel that I have learned not only tangible skills for thinking about how to design significant

learning experiences for students, which are enhanced by the many resources and tools I now

have at my fingertips, I have learned something much more valuable. I have learned how to

think about curriculum development and design, more than just how to do it.

I am a proud graduate of a liberal arts college, and the general motto that comes along

with that education is that you leave college not only having learned skills and content, but

genuinely how to think critically about those skills and content. I am proud of what I learned as

an undergraduate, and I often try to apply those critical thinking skills in my daily life, as well as

in classroom experiences. Lee Fink agrees that critical thinking skills learned in a liberal arts

education are invaluable. However, he cites a disturbing statistic speaking to what students are

actually learning in liberal arts colleges saying, “Data so far indicate that although a majority of

students show moderate improvements in some thinking skills, more than one third demonstrate


a decline in these same skills,” (2003, p.3). What is going wrong here? I am afraid that if

instructors and student affairs professionals are not thinking critically about the types of learning

experiences they are creating, they may not be able to expect their students to learn to think

critically either.

That constant critical thought and eye has been beneficial to my learning in this class. To

be able to look at a learning outcome, break it down, and think critically about the ability a

practitioner or teacher would have to actually assess that outcome, is crucial. Thus the first

aspect of my philosophy of developing curriculum revolves around the importance of thinking

critically as well as creatively to be sure the product which is produced is genuine and of the

highest quality so that the learning that occurs can truly foster critical thinking skills.

To compliment my ideas around teaching critical thinking, the other half of my

philosophy towards curriculum development revolves around the invaluable nature of learning

experiences that incorporate assessment. There are many reasons why assessment is important.

Fink once again encourages me by suggesting that, “the primary purpose of educative assessment

is to help students learn better,” (p. 93). Fink is good at always reminding me that assessment is

an important part of learning, and an excellent way to challenge students to engage in their own

learning. Yet, the need for assessment is twofold, particularly for student affairs professionals.

If learning outcomes are designed not only for classroom experiences, but those experiences

outside the classroom that students have on a daily basis and the learning that happens in those

experiences can be measured when assessed against learning outcomes and goals, then student

affairs may begin to tell a different story about itself.

One of my professional goals that developed further during this class is the goal of using

curriculum design and designing of significant learning experiences to bridge the gap that exists


between the academic side of the house in higher education, and the student affairs side of the

house. Higher education appeals to me for many reasons, but I am drawn to each side of the

house because of the unique experiences and education they each have to offer. However, if they

could work together, or at least respect each other a bit more, then it seems like significant

learning experiences for students could flow from each side more freely. The two do not need to

be in conflict. If student affairs could use the assessment data they collect to prove to the

academic side of the house that they create outstanding learning experiences for students, and if

academia were perhaps more open to learning more about how such experiences can be designed

both inside and outside the classroom, the future of higher education may look very different.

I realize that these goals may be lofty and need a bit more definition as time goes on, but

I am hopeful that I can use my strengths to bring these philosophies and goals into practice one

day. I am confident that at this point I bring two main strengths into my journey into designing

significant learning experiences. The first I spoke of previously, and that is my ability think

critically about many different types of situations and problems. To compliment this ability to

think critically I also tend to be able to think creatively as well, which when combined can really

be an advantage. The think creatively and critically is also what I hope to teach my students, so I

hope to foster strengths in others as well.

However, hoping to use these strengths, I also am inclined to try to better understand my

most prominent areas of weakness, the place where I must work twice as hard to improve. I find

myself to be rather averse to risk. I am often the first to question myself, to wonder if my ideas

and thoughts will actually work in practice, and when that happens, I find myself questioning if

the risk is worth taking, I find the answer to be more commonly, ‘no’ than ‘yes.’ Fink points to

many challenges that educators, but says, “if the teacher can find a way to successfully meet that


challenge, the chances of the course being a success for the students are high,” (p. 80). But no

matter how great my ideas to meet the challenges Fink speak of, if I am too afraid of failing to

take risks on my ideas, not only do I cheat myself out of a chance for success, but I could also

take a chance of depriving students of a significant learning experience. Perhaps this fear of risk

taking is related to a lack of confidence, a lack of confidence that could simply derive from a

lack of practice. Thus if practice makes perfect, then practice I must- but to practice I have to be

willing to take the initial leap.

As I said in the beginning of this reflection, the other course I have taken this semester is

Student Development Theory. In all honesty, this was the second time I have taken this course.

I took it once at Northwestern University before I enrolled at Loyola University Chicago. Thus I

was in a unique position to really understand the way the class had been constructed. I was

familiar with content (although a review never hurts) so I could actually focus on the learning

experience of the course. It was really interesting to look at the syllabus, and then experience the

different activities we participated in in class, from small group discussion, to activities focused

on active listening to large group discussion followed by time for personal reflection. Clearly the

syllabus, learning activities and the learning outcomes for the class had been designed with much

intention, seeking high levels of integration, hoping to maximize the experience of our learning

in the classroom.

While it was highly interesting to really be able to see and think critically about the

syllabus, learning activities and assessment activities based on the knowledge I was gaining in

this class, it was interesting as well to see how the execution and implementation of the syllabus

and learning activities affected the efficacy of the learning outcomes. This was the first time this

professor was teaching this class. It was really interesting to be able to understand his strategies


for implementing the different learning activities, as well as to take notes for myself for the

future, about what types of strategies worked well, and which ones did not. I felt like taking

these two classes in tandem taught me a lot about both syllabus design and strategies for

implementing a well-designed course to make it the most effective and integrated learning

experience possible.

In conclusion, there are two main themes which have emerged as a result of my

experiences this semester, between this outstanding learning experience and the learning

experience of taking student development theory in addition to this class. The first is that, it is

extremely important to communicate the learning outcomes you have designed for an experience

or a class. Linda Nilson cites, there are three main goals which learning outcomes seek to

achieve. They are to be, “a statement of a measurable performance, a statement of conditions for

the performance, and criteria and standards for assessing the performance,” (Nilson, 2010, p. 19).

Knowing that these are the goals of learning outcomes, it follows that communicating these

goals, as well as the learning outcomes themselves to the participants of the class and learning

experience, can only serve to empower those participants and students to be even more active in

their own learning process.

The second main theme which emerged as a result of learning about how to build

curriculum and significant learning experiences revolves around a need to seek feedback on a

regular basis on the work I am seeking to achieve. I think that in this endeavor, as I seek to learn

more about what works in curriculum development, asking for feedback from those with more

experience than I have will serve two ends for me. First, it will help me to gain perspective and

creative ideas from people who simply have more experience than I do. Using their feedback to

learn and grow can only serve to aid me in becoming a better curriculum developer. I think it


can also help me to grow as a professional, to be more willing to take risks in doing what I think

will work well, as well as simply encouraging me to practice, practice, practice. And then

assess. And then change my future outcomes. It seems like it might be a long process, but one

that is worthwhile, and meaningful for me to undertake in my career, as well as in my life.

Overall, I could not be more pleased with the learning experience I have had this

semester both in this class, as well as with the unique opportunity I have had to understand and

apply the content I have learned in this class to experiences I am having in other classes as well

as in building learning experiences for others. I am excited, if not a little nervous to take the

skills I have learned in this class, add them to my resume, and hope to put them to good use for

myself and for students in the future.


References

Fink, L.D. (2003). Creating significant learning experiences: An integrated approach to

developing college courses. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Nilson, L.B. (2010). Teaching at Its Best: A Research-Based Resource for College Instructors.

San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

final reflection on curriculum development

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