Research-based Course Design
Jeffrey E. Froyd
TEES Research Professor
Texas A&M University
[email protected]
Workshop Ground Rules
• Purpose: Participant Learning
– The purpose is not content coverage
• Questions
– Please ask whenever you have a question
• PowerPoint Presentation
– A copy of the presentation will be made available
to Dr. Kamel at the conclusion of the workshop
– Please contact Dr. Kamel for a copy
Course Delivery Cycle
Your
Expectations
Course
Learning Outcomes
What changes will be
incorporated in the
next course offering?
What will the students be able to do and
how will the students think when they
complete my course?
Reflection/
Documentation
Course Portfolio
Are the students meeting
the learning outcomes/succeeding?
What is working/not working
in my course?
Use Think/Pair/Share
Do Demonstration
Write Reflections
Conduct Lectures
Model thinking
Prior Knowledge?
What evidence will students
and instructors have of success?
How will I conduct
class to assist
students in their
learning/success?
•
•
•
•
•
•
Homework
Exams
Portfolios
Presentations
Written reports
Course survey data
Workshop Series
Workshop No. 1: Writing Effective Course
Learning Outcomes
Workshop No. 2: Preparing a Formative Course
Assessment Plan
Workshop No. 3: Applying Research-based
Instructional Strategies
Workshop No. 4: Course Design
Components
• Course Learning Outcomes
• Assessment Approaches
– Activities provide evidence for decision making
– How can I tell how well my students are able to do
what I want them to?
• Learning Approaches / Student Activities
– What can students do to improve with respect to the
learning outcomes?
• Instructional Approaches / Instructor Activities
– What can I do to help my students learn/improve?
• Time/Schedule
Exercise: Elements of a Design
Template
• Think – Pair – Share
• What elements do you want in a design
template, i.e., a template that helps you
assemble the previous components?
Exercise: Elements of a Design
Template
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Organize thoughts
Give overview
Connect outcomes and assessments
Describe course implementation
Organize teaching approaches and assessments
Organize course materials
Communicate course plan to students
Detail learning process
Include instructional methodology
Learning Outcome Design Grid
Course Learning
Outcome
Assessment
Approaches
Learning
Approaches
Instructional
Approaches
Notes: Learning Outcome Design Grid
• Read left to right, items are placed in order of priority
with respect to learning
– Designing assessment approaches for the outcome is the
most important design decision
– Designing learning activities for the outcome is the next most
important design decision
– Designing instructional activities for the outcome is the next
most important design decision
• Assessment approaches should include formative and
summative approaches to insure students get feedback
on the progress with respect to the outcome
Exercise: Prepare a learning outcome
design grid
• Pick a learning outcome for your course
• Construct 2-3 assessment approaches (formative
and summative)for this outcome
• Construct 2-3 learning activities for this
outcomes
• Construct 2-3 instructional activities for this
outcome
– Please write out your learning outcome design grid as it
is under construction
Learning Outcome Design Grid
Course Learning
Outcome
Assessment
Approaches
Learning
Approaches
Instructional
Approaches
Exercise: Exchange your learning
outcome design grid with others at
your table and get feedback
• Feedback: List several strengths of the learning
outcome design grid.
• Feedback: Provide 3-5 suggestions for
constructive improvement
– Suggest alternative assessment approaches
– Suggest alternative learning activities
– Suggest alternative instructional activities
Minute Paper
• After working on a learning
outcome design grid, write
brief answers to the
following questions:
– How has the learning outcome
design grid helped you in
designing your course?
– What additional information
would help you improve your
abilities to design your learning
outcome design grids?
Learning Outcome Design Grid: Example
Course: Research Methods in Social Science
Course
Assessment
Learning
Approaches
Outcomes
Learning
Approaches
Instructional
Approaches
Concept Map:
Construct a concept
map from data
Analyze
case study elements in the case
study
data to
discover
important
themes
Research Report:
and
Prepare a report on
patterns
important themes and
patterns
Small Group
Discussions:
Organize small
groups to
generate potential
themes and
patterns
Lecture: Present
methods of
analyzing case
study data
One-page
Summary:
Summarize
potential themes
and patterns
Panel Discussion:
Case study
researchers discuss
their data analysis
processes
https://facultyinnovate.utexas.edu/sites/default/files/Grid-of-learning-outcomes-1313.pdf
Learning Outcome Design Grid: Example
Course: African- American Literature of the Twentieth Century
Course
Assessment
Learning
Approaches
Outcomes
Learning
Approaches
Instructional
Approaches
Concept Map: Small
groups construct a
map showing multiple
Analyze
readings and
the fiction connections among
of African- the readings
American
Twentieth
Essay: Prepare an
Century
essay on a theme,
Authors
image, or idea that
connects a multiple
readings for the course
Full Class
Discussion:
Students discuss
the common
themes and motifs
within selected
works
Lecture: Present
exemplar works of
fiction during the
Harlem Renaissance,
the Civil Rights Era, and
the late twentieth
century to reveal
patterns, differences,
and important themes
Online Forum:
Students reflect
on literary
criticism
Lecture: Present
videos that depict
lives of key authors
of each period
https://facultyinnovate.utexas.edu/sites/default/files/Grid-of-learning-outcomes-1313.pdf
Learning Outcome Design Grid: Example
Course: Introduction to Economics
Course
Assessment
Learning
Approaches
Outcomes
Graphically
represent
changes in
demand/
supply
given
changes in
population,
cost of
inputs,
price of
substitute
goods, and
technology
Prior Knowledge Survey:
Assess students’
understanding of
consumer demand and
supply
Learning
Approaches
Think-Pair-Share:
Give several
scenarios where
factors that
Minute Paper: Assess
student understanding of influence supply
the material presented in and demand for a
good change.
a lecture
Short Answer Exam: Access Students decide
and graphically
student ability to describe
and graphically represent
represent their
how demand and supply
answer
Instructional
Approaches
Mini-lecture: Consumer
demand and supply as
well as the factors that
influence changes in
demand/supply
Role Play: Facilitate a
role play in which
students form supply
and demand curves
and “shift” according
to a particular
change in a
designated factor
change when certain factors
change
https://facultyinnovate.utexas.edu/sites/default/files/Grid-of-learning-outcomes-1313.pdf
Learning Outcome Design Grid: Example
Course: Introductory Biology I
Course
Assessment
Learning
Approaches
Outcomes
Explain how
leaf anatomy,
chloroplast
structure,
and
photosystem
components
effectively
harvest light
energy to
produce ATP
and NADPH
Learning
Approaches
Instructional
Approaches
Pre-class Assessment: Assess
student ability to explain
essential concepts from
previous lecture
Process Activity: Identify and
describe three important
concepts from previous minilecture (Bookend Lecture
Template)
Mini-lecture: Lecture on
photosynthesis will be
recorded using Camtasia
for student viewing online
Classroom Response
Assessment: Assess ability to
describe more challenging
concepts from mini-lecture
(Bookend Lecture Template)
Collaborative Groups:
Preformed teams work
collaboratively to answer
more challenging ideas
Mini-lecture (maybe
prompted my minute
paper): Review concepts
that were difficult for
students to understand
Exam: Includes multiple
choice, short answer, and
critical thinking problems
Online Peer Evaluation:
Preformed teams are paired
to evaluate and discuss each
other’s responses to the
above collaborative exercise
In-class Activity: Provide
coaching to students as
they engage in group work
https://facultyinnovate.utexas.edu/sites/default/files/Grid-of-learning-outcomes-1313.pdf
What we know about learning
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Spaced retrieval
Interleaved practice
Elaboration
Generation
Reflection
Calibration
Mnemonic devices
What we know about learning
•
Spaced Retrieval
–
•
Interleaved Practice
–
•
Reflection is the act of taking a few minutes to review what has been learned in a recent class or experience and asking yourself
questions. What went well? What could have gone better? What other knowledge or experiences does it remind you of? What
might you need to learn for better mastery, or what strategies might you use the next time to get better results?
Calibration
–
•
Generation is an attempt to answer a question or solve a problem before being shown the answer or solution.
Reflection
–
•
Elaboration is the process of giving new material meaning, or finding additional layers of meaning, by expressing it in your own
words and connecting it with what you already know.
Generation
–
•
Block practicing is when you focus on learning one skill at a time. You practice a skill repetitively for a period of time and then
you move onto another skill and repeat the process. Interleaving practice on the other hand involves working on multiple skills in
parallel. If you want to learn skills A, B and C then a block practice session would look something like this AAABBBCCC and an
interleaved practice session would look like this ABCABCABC (in series) or ACBABCBAC (randomized).
Elaboration
–
•
Spaced retrieval, also known as expanded retrieval or uniform retrieval, is a learning technique, which requires users to rehearse
information to be learned at different and increasing spaced intervals of time or a set uniform amount of time.
Calibration is the act of aligning your judgments of what you know and don’t know with objective feedback so as to avoid being
carried off by the illusions of mastery that catch many learners by surprise at test time.
Mnemonic Devices
–
Mnemonic devices are like mental file cabinets. They give you handy ways to store information and find it again when you need
it.
What we know about learning
• Spaced Retrieval
– Spaced retrieval, also known as expanded retrieval or uniform retrieval, is a learning
technique, which requires users to rehearse information to be learned at different and
increasing spaced intervals of time or a set uniform amount of time.
• Interleaved Practice
– Block practicing is when you focus on learning one skill at a time. You practice a skill
repetitively for a period of time and then you move onto another skill and repeat the
process. Interleaving practice on the other hand involves working on multiple skills in
parallel. If you want to learn skills A, B and C then a block practice session would look
something like this AAABBBCCC and an interleaved practice session would look like this
ABCABCABC (in series) or ACBABCBAC (randomized).
• Elaboration
– Elaboration is the process of giving new material meaning, or finding additional layers of
meaning, by expressing it in your own words and connecting it with what you already
know.
What we know about learning
• Generation
– Generation is an attempt to answer a question or solve a problem before being shown the
answer or solution.
• Reflection
– Reflection is the act of taking a few minutes to review what has been learned in a recent class
or experience and asking yourself questions. What went well? What could have gone better?
What other knowledge or experiences does it remind you of? What might you need to learn
for better mastery, or what strategies might you use the next time to get better results?
• Calibration
– Calibration is the act of aligning your judgments of what you know and don’t know with
objective feedback so as to avoid being carried off by the illusions of mastery that catch many
learners by surprise at test time.
• Mnemonic Devices
– Mnemonic devices are like mental file cabinets. They give you handy ways to store
information and find it again when you need it.
What we know about learning
• Spaced retrieval (versus massed retrieval)
– https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaced_retrieval
• Interleaved practice (versus blocked practice)
– https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/theinterleaving-effect-mixing-it-up-boosts-learning/#
• Elaboration
– http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/
0361476X88900203
Exercise: Prepare a learning outcome
design grid
• Pick a different learning outcome for your course
• Construct 2-3 assessment approaches (formative
and summative) for this outcome
• Construct 2-3 learning activities for this
outcomes
• Construct 2-3 instructional activities for this
outcome
– Please write out your learning outcome design grid as it
is under construction
Learning Outcome Design Grid
Course Learning
Outcome
Assessment
Approaches
Learning
Approaches
Instructional
Approaches
Exercise: Exchange your learning
outcome design grid with others at
your table and get feedback
• Feedback: List several strengths of the learning
outcome design grid.
• Feedback: Provide 3-5 suggestions for
constructive improvement
– Suggest alternative assessment approaches
– Suggest alternative learning activities
– Suggest alternative instructional activities
References
• Wiggins, G. P., & McTighe, J.
(2005). Understanding by design. Ascd.
• Felder, R. M., & Brent, R. (2003). Designing
and teaching courses to satisfy the ABET
engineering criteria. Journal of Engineering
Education, 92(1), 7-25.