MOVING TOWARDS AN OUTCOMES-BASED CURRICULUM

Transcription

1 Academic Quality Assurance Degree Level Expectations Maggie Cusson, Educational Development Centre MOVING TOWARDS AN OUTCOMES-BASED CURRICULUM

2 ACADEMIC QUALITY ASSURANCE Goals For the university, the goal of quality assurance is to ensure, support and promote the quality of all academic programs. At the provincial level, the quality assurance process ensures public accountability and transparency. With the establishment in Ontario of degree level expectations for both undergraduate and graduate programs, quality assurance at the national and international level provides for greater acceptance of Ontario degrees as well as for greater opportunities for employment for graduates.

3 DEGREE LEVEL EXPECTATIONS ➊Depth and breadth of knowledge ➋Knowledge of methodologies (undergraduate) ➌Research and scholarship (graduate) ➍Application of knowledge ➎Communications skills ➏Awareness of the limits of knowledge ➐Autonomy and professional capacity

4 Degree Level Expectations Augmented with institutional academic plan Degree/Program Learning Outcomes Departmental vision, characteristics of ideal graduate Student/Course Learning Outcomes Course design

5 Degree Level Expectations Program Learning Outcomes Student Learning Outcomes

6 OUTCOMES-BASED CURRICULUM o Movement in the 1980 s and 1990 s Student-centred teaching practices Enhancement of student responsibility of learning o Outcomes = high quality, culminating demonstrations of significant learning in context Performance-based, focused on students Strong emphasis on alignment between teaching and assessment

7 OUTCOMES-BASED COURSE DESIGN Learning Objectives Course Activities and Assessments Learning Outcomes

8 BIGGS AND TANG (2007) o Four defining principles: Clarity of focus clear outcomes and objectives Designing down outcomes designed first High expectations challenging learning opportunities, with significant support Expanded opportunity new and different teaching approaches and learning activities (Biggs, J. & Tang, C. (2007). Teaching for quality learning at university, 3 rd edition. Berkshire, England: McGraw Hill.)

9 LEARNING OBJECTIVES & OUTCOMES Learning Objective: Statements that describe specific instructional goals containing verbs that are observable and measurable. Learning Outcome: Broad goals that describe what the learners are supposed to know, be able to do, or value.

10 Anderson, L. & Krathwohl, D. (2001). A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching and Assessing: A Revision of Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. New York: Longman.

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12 LEARNING OBJECTIVES & OUTCOMES o Courses: Objectives and/or outcomes o Programs: Outcomes

13 EXAMPLES o o o o Bad learning objective In this course, students will be exposed to a variety of factors that contributed to the start of WWII. Worse learning objective In this course, I will introduce and explain a variety of factors that contributed to the start of WWII. Learning objective In this course, students will be expected to explain the political and economic factors that contributed to the start of WWII by contributing to in-class discussions and writing a research paper. Learning outcomes By the end of this course, students will be able to explain the political and economic factors that contributed to the start of WWII. By the end of this course, students will be able to synthesize information from a variety of sources and express arguments, both orally and in written form.

14 EXAMPLES o Before: Students will become familiar with plant and animal species in Ontario. o Better: Students will be able to identify and describe 15 common plant and animal species found in Algonquin Park through field study and the development of an identification guide. (Source: Teaching Support Services. (2011). Learning objectives. University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario. Retrieved from

15 EXAMPLES o Before: Students will appreciate the ethical responsibilities of research conducted in the social sciences. o Better: Students will be able to assess the ethical implications of research in the social sciences through case study discussions in class and an independent written report. (Source: Teaching Support Services. (2011). Learning objectives. University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario. Retrieved from

16 PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES o Program learning outcomes answer the questions: What is the purpose of this program? What should the ideal graduate of this program be able to know, do or value upon completion?

17 EXAMPLES o Communicate effectively in a professional environment through technical reports and presentations. Articulate and justify technical solutions to diverse audiences. Materials Engineering, UBC

18 EXAMPLES o Able to demonstrate appropriate ethical, economical, social and environmental considerations in decision-making processes; to develop and implement sustainable and ethical business solutions Identify and evaluate ethical, economical (subgroups) Bachelor of Commerce, University of Guelph

19 PROCESS FOR THE ARTICULATION OF LEARNING OUTCOMES

20 PROCESS AT CARLETON 1. Initial meeting with OQA and EDC 2. Identify relevant participants 3. Collection of information and examples i. CAP, student and employer surveys, course learning objectives (new programs will not have majority of this information) 4. Articulate program learning outcomes i. Faculty retreat or meetings (collective activity) ii. Sample guiding questions 5. Identification of Essential Requirements Minimum, core program outcomes that every student must meet without exception Example: Presentations/public speaking 6. Organize outcomes in both narrative and tabular forms (Section B2 of the Self-Study) 7. Revise, edit repeat

21 GUIDING QUESTIONS Ideal graduate attributes What should students know? What should students be able to do? What attitudes should they hold? Purpose What is the purpose of the program? Approach What learning experiences should students have? Are any of these outside the classroom (eg., coop, placement, international)? What are some overarching principles that could help guide future decisions about the program? How will you as teachers approach the course/program together? Teaching Approach What are the teaching methods used in the department? What will be the ideal teaching methods used in the program? Assessment Approach What are the typical and atypical assessment approaches used in the department/program? External Accreditation Is the department/program accountable to external accreditation?

22 CURRICULUM MAPPING o o Course Mapping (and Backwards Design) Course progression and specific course learning objectives and activities/assessments Goal: curricular alignment Map onto Degree Level Expectations

23 SUPPORT o Workshops Broad-level and discipline-specific o Consultations Individual and group o Resources Extensive documentation, how to s, examples, etc.

24 REFERENCES Anderson, L. & Krathwohl, D. (2001). A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching and Assessing: A Revision of Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. New York: Longman. Biggs, J. & Tang, C. (2007). Teaching for quality learning at university, 3 rd edition. Berkshire, England: Open University Press/McGraw-Hill Education Bloom s Verb Wheel. (2001). [originally developed at St. Edward s University Center for Teaching Excellence]. Retrieved from nd0/edit?hl=en&pli=1 Blumberg, P. (2009). Developing learner-centred teaching: A practical guide for faculty. San Francisco: Jossey- Bass. Council of Ontario Universities (2011). Ensuring the value of university degrees in Ontario. Retrieved from Kenny, N. & Desmarais, S. (n.d.). A guide to developing and assessing learning outcomes at the University of Guelph. Office of the Associate Vice-President (Academic), University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario. McNay, M. (2009). Western guide to curriculum review. Retrieved from Teaching Support Services. (2011). Learning objectives. University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario. Retrieved from Torrance, H. (2007). Assessment as learning? How the use of explicit learning objectives, assessment criteria and feedback in post-secondary education and training can come to dominate learning. Assessment in Education, vol. 14 (4), pp