Course and Syllabus Design Dr. Marie Norman Teaching Consultant and Research Associate Eberly Center...
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Transcript of Course and Syllabus Design Dr. Marie Norman Teaching Consultant and Research Associate Eberly Center...
Course and Syllabus Design
Dr. Marie NormanTeaching Consultant and Research AssociateEberly Center for Teaching Excellencehttp://www.cmu.edu/teaching
Objectives
When you leave today, you should be able to:• Describe audience/purpose/components of a syllabus.• Identify issues to consider when designing a course.• Discuss the course design triangle.• Delineate features of effective learning objectives.
Show of hands
Who has...• TAed?• Taught a class?• Designed a course from scratch?
What’s in a syllabus?
Audience: Who the syllabus for? Purpose: When and how is it used?Components: What are the parts of a typical
syllabus?
Audience
StudentsColleaguesDepartmentYour future self
Purpose
To provide basic course info.
To generate motivation/curiosity about the subject.
To convey your expectations.
To delineate your own and students’ roles.
To serve as a contract between you and students.
To set the tone for the course.
To help students assess their readiness for the course.
To provide resources and advice for students.
Contents: a checklist
Course name/numberRoom numberClass times Office hoursInstructor contact infoCourse descriptionCourse objectivesPrerequisites
Textbooks and readingsCourse requirementsBreakdown of gradesGrading policiesCourse policiesResources for help/supportAdviceCourse calendar
Others?
Syllabus analysis
What aspects of these syllabi help to facilitate student learning and motivation?
Ability to generate curiosity/establish relevanceClear expectationsA logical organizational structureApproachable, supportive tone
When do you write your syllabus?
At the end of a long process of thoughtful course design!
Determine situational
factors Consider your students
Create basic
components Select content
Organize and sequence
Write your syllabus
Determine situational factorsClass sizeLength/unitsUp/downstream
courses??
#1
#2 Consider your students
MajorsGoalsPrior knowledge??
#3 Create the 3 basic components
The Course Design Triangle
Where do you want students to get?
How will you know if they get there?
How will you help them get there?
The Course Design Triangle (cont’d)
What students should know or be able to do by the end of the course.
Assignments, problem sets,
exams (high and low stakes)
Lectures, discussions, readings, in-class practice opportunities
Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe, Understanding By Design (2005)
To ensure alignment: backward design
Determine
acceptable
evidence
Design learning
experiences
Identify desired results
objectivesinstruction assessment
Everything hinges on course objectivesEffective course objectives are...
• Student-centered
• Active
• Measurable
Why is B preferable to A?
A B
Learn about the French Revolution
Explain the political, economic, and social factors that led to the French Revolution.
Exercise
What’s wrong with these learning objectives, and how could they be improved?
1. Give students a firm foundation in linear algebra.
2. Understand random vectors.
Understanding is invisible. What should students be able to do that would demonstrate understanding?
#4 Select content
TopicsThemesUnitsTexts
#5 Organize and sequence
How can you organize the material most logically?How can assignments build from simple to complex?What scheduling issues must you consider?
#6 Write your syllabus!
Conclusions: When designing a course...
1. Determine situational factors
2. Consider your students
3. Create the three basic components:
4. Select content
5. Organize and sequence
6. Write your syllabus
We can help! The Eberly Center offers:• Graduate teaching seminars • One-on-one consultations• Web resources: www.cmu.edu/teaching
Check out our
websiteDesign and Teach Your Course is loaded with useful information and examples
Solve a Teaching Problem tool helps you find appropriate strategies for common teaching problems.
Download this handy
set of teaching
resources