COURSE DESIGN FOR LEARNING

Gayla S. Keesee, Ph.D.

Iterative Steps

1. Articulate Goals & Objectives2. Create Learning Environment3. Know Your Learners4. Identify Teaching & Learning

Strategies5. Identify Materials & Resources6. Develop Assessments

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

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)

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

Andragogical considerations How can learning be made active? How can the environment promote

peer interaction? How can students develop

responsibility for their own learning?

Learning Environment

1st 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

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

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 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

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

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

Digital Connected Experiential Visual & Kinesthetic Immediate Social

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

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

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

Technology does not drive choices

Learning outcomes drive choices Knowledge construction Interactivity Relevance Authentic contexts

Materials & Resources

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

Collaboration

Communications

Knowledge Gathering

Demonstration of

Knowledge

Find the Right Balance

Action Reflection

Visual Text

Social Individual

Process Content

Speed Deliberation

Peer-to-peer Peer review

Assessment

Formative Assessments Classroom Assessment Techniques

(CATs) Surveys Classroom Response Systems

Summative Assessments Authentic Real-world applications