Developing Independent Study Core Curriculum Courses

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Developing Independent Study Core Curriculum
Courses

• Susan Edgren Sharon Walters
• Southern Illinois University Carbondale

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About the SIUC Core Curriculum

• Since 1996, the University Core Curriculum has
  become a vital feature of undergraduate education
  providing a well-structured educational
  experience each year for more than 18,000
  students.

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About the SIUC Core Curriculum

• Learning is regularly monitored and assessed
• On-going initiatives--
• Writing Literacy Project
• Block/Saluki Advantage
• Problem-Based Learning track

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Overview

• Executive Council
• In the best interest of the student the executive
  council provides curricular oversight and quality
  control. They oversee the courses and review the
  courses for compliance.
• Provide feedback and follow-up with each faculty
  member to review the learning data and discuss
  what needs to be corrected.

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Core CurriculumProgram Outline
Area I Foundation Skills (100 level) 12 hours

• Composition 6
• Mathematics 3
• Speech 3

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Core CurriculumProgram Outline
Area II Disciplinary Studies (100 level) 23 hours

• Fine Arts 3
• Science (labs required) 6
• Social Science 6
• Humanities (sequential
• courses available) 6
• Human Health 2

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Core CurriculumProgram Outline
Area III Integrative Studies 6 hours

• Multicultural (200 level) 3
• Interdisciplinary (300 level) 3
• Total Hours 41

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Developing Core Curriculum for Independent Study

• Faculty member proposes the course as an ILP.
• Assistant Director and Program manager determine
  with the faculty member what type of course it
  will be print, web, both.
• Seek departmental and college approval.
• Prepare an instructional agreement.

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Developing Core Curriculum for Independent Study

• Proceed with course development
• Mirror the course that is taught on campus
• Core objectives
• Texts
• Same or similar content
• Provide disability accommodation in the course
• After the course is developed it is reviewed by
  the department and the Core Curriculum Director
  and each is required to give approval

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Developing Core Curriculum for Independent Study
(Cont.)

• Use the same syllabus for all sections of a
  course.
• Make sure the learning objectives are listed on
  the syllabus.
• Make sure the learning objectives match those on
  file at the Core office if not, either change
  the course or the objectives to reflect those on
  file.

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Development Guidelines

• Make sure that the statements on course policies
  are consistent with the guidelines in the student
  handbook and employee handbook.
• Make sure that there is a statement of academic
  honesty on the syllabus (especially regarding
  plagiarism).

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DevelopmentGuidelines (Cont.)

• Once the course objectives are established,
  figure out what kinds of assignments or exams or
  projects would assess students' grasp of the
  course objectives.
• Create assignments that relate to the objectives,
  rather than assigning things that address only
  one objective, or that in fact do not relate at
  all to the objectives.

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DevelopmentGuidelines (Cont.)

• Determine if the students have learned what has
  been taught.
• How will understanding or skill manifest itself?
• Must be able to measure student learning, whether
  quantitatively or qualitatively.

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DevelopmentGuidelines (Cont.)

• Decide whether you're going to collect data from
  all students, or from a random sampling, and how
  you will make it quantitative

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Assessment

• The Core Curriculum is comprised largely of arts
  and sciences courses that provide the supporting
  fabric for the major.
• We are accountable for documenting their
  efficacy. The assessment procedure is unique for
  a major public research institution.

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Assessment (Cont.)

• Portfolios are collected for each course in the
  Core.
• Each contains
• a current syllabus
• sample student assignments
• the course assessment report.

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Assessment (Cont.)

• Instructors are not being evaluated rather the
  course is being evaluated. Instructors are not
  identified in the assessment report.

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Assessment (Cont.)

• Portfolios are collected for each course in the
  Core.
• Each contains
• a current syllabus
• sample student assignments
• the course assessment report.

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Assessment (Cont.)

• Each course is treated as an indicator for Core
  goals, and these indicators are evaluated using a
  primary trait analysis grid.

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Specifications for Core Course Assessment
Portfolio

• 1. Current syllabus with student learning
  objectives. To protect confidentiality, only the
  unit should know the names of the instructors for
  sections being documented.

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Assessment Portfolio (Cont.)

• 2. Course exams.
• No more than two sample exams per course. One
  should be the final.
• 3. Examples of assignments.
• sample paper or journal assignments
• special projects
• student evaluations (summary of pertinent
  representative comments)

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Assessment Portfolio (Cont.)

• materials that may help give a fuller picture of
  course goals and student learning objectives.
• Each syllabus submitted must be accompanied by
  the supporting material requested in the order
  requested.
• 4. Assessment chart.

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Assessment Portfolio (Cont.)

• 5. Assessment discussion must follow the
  format below
• (a) Describe your assessment indicators (e.g.
  pre-post test, portfolio, or other means of
  assessing student learning).
• (b) Show how they are related to course
  objectives on the chart and in the narrative.

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Assessment Portfolio (Cont.)

• (c) What did you learn from your assessment?
• (d) Do assessment results suggest any changes
  that might be needed in the course? If yes, what
  are you considering?
• (e) Are there unique aspects of the course that
  will assist in understanding the assessment
  results?

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Ongoing Review Process

• Courses are evaluated on yearly review cycle.
• Recommendations of the Core Director and
  Executive Council are incorporated into the
  course.

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Thank You

• Individualized Learning Program
• Division of Continuing Education
• Southern Illinois University
• Carbondale, IL 62901
• sharon_at_siu.edu
• sedgren_at_siu.edu
• www.dce.siu.edu/siuconnected