Tomorrow

1
Tomorrow ?

• You find a note from your head of department on
  the staff room notice board. At the request of
  the Dean academic the subject board has decided
  to implement outcomes-based curricula throughout
  the whole department. The Dean is convinced that
  this will benefit students and lift the profile
  of the College in an increasingly competitive
  global environment.
• Next weeks staff meeting will discuss its
  implementation

2
Designing Outcomes-Based Curricula Writing
aligned aims outcomes

• Facilitators
• Dr. Henk Eijkman and Arun Patil

3
The suggestion box

• Your Head of Department finally has the courage
  to empty the suggestion box
• What are the staffs responses ?

4
Your staff meeting

• Your Head of Department uses your responses as
  key agenda items for discussion on how to proceed
  
• Agenda items

5
Session aim

• To enhance your capacity to design internally
  aligned outcomes-based curricula in which aims,
  outcomes, teaching, and assessments are aligned
  with each other to optimise higher-order learning
  by all student groups

• Out of scope
• Horizontal and vertical integration
• Teaching
• Detailed assessments

6
Your session outcomes

• Given your suggestions to your Head of
  Department, what outcomes would you like to
  achieve ?

7
Session outcomes

• On successful completion of this session you will
  be able to

• Explain the rationale and principles that
  underpin outcomes-based curricula
• Begin to demonstrate rationales, aims and
  learning outcomes that are
• Aligned with each other, and,
• Aimed at student-centred learning

8
Session content

• Rationale for outcomes-based curricula
• Systematic curriculum design considerations
• Write aims and outcomes
• Next session
• map assessment events and criteria that align
  with your intended outcomes

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Rationale for aligned curricula

• Explicitly coordinating teaching and assessments
  with intended outcomes provides all students with
  a clearly structured and accessible pathway for
  higher-order learning
• Provides a framework for more effective learning
  by shifting from a content-based instructional
  paradigm to a learning centred paradigm

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An internally aligned curriculum
Aim/s Outcomes
Context Content Teaching
Assessment events
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Questions

• But is it all so straightforward?
• What works against achieving coherence?
• Being realistic, how can you best proceed towards
  a coherent curriculum?

12
Design considerations
Aim/s Outcomes
Context Content Teaching
External expectations
???
Contextual variables
Students learning support
Quality Feedback ?
Complex Interactions ?
Assessments
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Design principles

• Consider (among other things)
• Diverse student needs and capabilities
• The relationship of your subject to other
  subjects and the course overall
• Inclusive (bundled) outcomes
• Different learning teaching activities
• Learning support strategies
• Explicit assessment rationales
• Different form of assessments
• Assessments that bundle key learning outcomes

14
Planning for outcomes

• Consider student profile (and legitimate external
  expectations)
• State your aim
• Plan the outcomes you intend students to achieve
• Plan your assessments
• Sequence your topics to meet outcomes and
  assessments

• Step 1
• Step 2
• Step 3
• Step 4
• Step 5

15
Step 1 Take a student view
Assessments
Context Content Teaching
Feedback Results
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Step 2 state your aim

• Aim statements are broad big picture statements
  of what you want to achieve
• Aims are not the same as learning outcomes
• Learning outcomes are more specific
  learner-centred statements about the intended
  KSAs your students are meant to achieve

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Examples of an aim

• The aim of this workshop is to introduce you to
  the concept of systemically coherent curricula
  and its implementation using networked
  participatory action research teams
• The aim of this subject is to introduce you to
  fundamental economic concepts and terminology to
  provide you with a clearer understanding of the
  operation of the international economy.
• This Unit aims to introduce IT students to the
  social and human context which ultimately
  justifies and defines the role of Information
  Technology and Information Systems.

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Writing an aim

• An aim states how the combined impact of the
  curriculum (its content, teaching and assessment
  activities) will meet the needs/requirements you
  want to address
• Look at the aim/s of your subject
• If there is no aim statement, write one.
• If there is an aim statement, ask
• Is it realistic given external and student
  considerations?
• Does it give a succinct and accurate overview of
  what the subject covers?
• If not, you might like to revise it.

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Step 3 Learning outcomes

• Learning outcomes are
• Statements that clearly specify, preferably in
  performance terms, the capabilities or attributes
  students ought to possess on successful
  completion of your Subject or Unit (or even of
  one of its learning events)
• Statements that express precisely what you want
  your students to be able to demonstrate
  (knowledge, skills, values)

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Why have learning outcomes?

• They focus us on the purpose of learning and
  teaching to produce a change in the capability
  of students.
• They provide a clear statement of what students
  know and, or, can do as a result of learning that
  includes, but goes beyond classroom learning and
  intended learning outcomes (Allan, 1996)
• They enable us to align our teaching and
  assessment with the intended capability change

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Learning outcomes

• Three kinds
• Subject-based outcomes (discipline based and
  assessable outcomes)
• Personal-transferable outcomes (through learning
  independent of direct teacher- student
  interactions)
• Generic academic outcomes (broad-based graduate
  qualities or attributes)

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Writing learning outcomes
Key criteria for subject-based and generic
academic outcomes

• Written in future tense
• Identifies important learning requirements
• Achievable and assessable
• Uses language students can understand
• Relates to specific statements of achievement
  aligned with your aim
• Uses action verbs and at the required levels you
  want students to reach

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Check and reflect

• Reflection
• Are your rationale, aim/s and learning outcomes
  clearly articulated, understandable and aligned?
• For action
• What are the implications of the learning
  outcomes for your content, its sequencing, and
  your teaching and assessment strategies?