describe course design and how learning expectations and curricular outcomes are achieved

by Gracie Jacobson PhD 10 min read

Course design should be a cyclical process that starts with performance expectations, which are then aligned with assessments and content. Designing courses should start and end with student learning and experience in mind and assessments that demonstrate student achievement to both the instructor and the students.

Full Answer

What are the learning outcomes of a course?

Main Content. Learning outcomes describe the learning that will take place across the curriculum through concise statements, made in specific and measurable terms, of what students will know and/or be able to do as the result of having successfully completed a course.

What is the curriculum design process?

The curriculum design process is actually a cycle of development. After every semester/trimester and also at the end of every academic program the existing curriculum of a program is reviewed. Modifications may be required due to changes in the internal and/or external context factors.

What are the learning goals of a course?

Learning goals are broad statements written from an instructor's or institution's perspective that give the general content and direction of a learning experience. They generally describe what an instructor or program aims to do; i.e., “The curriculum will introduce students to the major research methods of the discipline.”

Why are learning goals/outcomes important in teaching?

Clearly defined learning goals/outcomes contribute to a structure that surrounds a course and can aid in selecting appropriate graded and ungraded assessments, selecting relevant content for the course, and enhancing the assessment or grading practices. Remember that learning goals/outcomes do not place limits on what you can teach in a course.

How learning outcomes are achieved?

Outcomes are achieved results of what was learned - the evidence that learning took place. Objectives are focused on performances that all students are expected to demonstrate at the end of instruction, for example the normal distribution of grades.

How do you achieve the best learning outcome?

5 tips to improve student learning outcomeRestructuring teaching methods. Both teaching and learning methods must be restructured for students to want to improve their grades, and have a bright academic future. ... Assess students' learning. ... The reversed learning model. ... Say “yes” to technology. ... Teaching outside the classroom.

What type of learning outcomes do you expect from curriculum?

(14) Expected learning outcomes define the totality of information, knowledge, understanding, attitudes, values, skills, competencies, or behaviours a learner should master upon the successful completion of the curriculum.

Why is it important for you to be able to achieve the course learning outcome?

Learning outcomes are the cornerstones of course design and assessment, and help students focus on what is important. Learning outcomes can also be considered an inclusive teaching practice as they can help clarify expectations for all students.

What is a learning design?

Learning Design is the framework that supports learning experiences. It refers to deliberate choices about what, when, where and how to teach.

What are the sources of expected student learning outcomes?

Sources that can Inform Learning Goals, Outcomes, and Objectivesdeveloping a new course or redeveloping a course from scratch;teaching a course that another course author created or one that relies heavily on a textbook; or.developing or teaching a course that is part of a larger program.

What kind of curriculum is achieved when the learning outcomes are achieved by the students as reflected in the results of examinations?

Learned Curriculum This type of curriculum indicates what the students have learned. The capability that students should demonstrate at the end of the lesson can be measured through learning outcomes.

How does curriculum design affect learning?

Allowing students greater flexibility in how they approach tasks or the topics they study. Streamlining the traditional curriculum content and reducing contact hours to increase space for personal time and other commitments. Equipping students with skills to manage stress, uncertainty, unknowns and conflicts.

What are the 5 types of learning outcomes?

5 types of learning outcomesIntellectual skills. With this type of learning outcome, the learner will understand concepts, rules or procedures. ... Cognitive strategy. In this type of learning outcome, the learner uses personal strategies to think, organize, learn and behave.Verbal information. ... Motor skills. ... Attitude.

How can these learning outcomes help you design your course?

Learning outcomes provide structures from which courses and programs can be evaluated and can assist in program and curricular design, identify gaps or overlap in program offerings, and clarify instructional, programmatic, and institutional priorities.

Why are learning outcomes or objectives important to clarify what students will know and do to demonstrate their learning?

Learning objectives define learning outcomes and focus teaching. They help to clarify, organize and prioritize learning. They help you and your students evaluate progress and encourage them to take responsibility for their learning.

What are examples of learning outcomes?

Levels of learning and associated verbs may include the following: Remembering and understanding: recall, identify, label, illustrate, summarize. Applying and analyzing: use, differentiate, organize, integrate, apply, solve, analyze. Evaluating and creating: Monitor, test, judge, produce, revise, compose.

What is course design?

Course design should be a cyclical process that starts with performance expectations, which are then aligned with assessments and content. Designing courses should start and end with student learning and experience in mind and assessments that demonstrate student achievement to both the instructor and the students.

Is feedback a competency?

nothing they will be asked to do on the job resembles taking a test,” being able to deal with feedback is a competency that students should acquire as part of their education, whether feedback is from a test in a course or from performance reviews during their careers.

What is learning outcome?

Learning outcomes are measurable statements that concretely formally state what students are expected to learn in a course. While goals or objectives can be written more broadly, learning outcomes describe specifically how learners will achieve the goals. Rather than listing all of the detailed categories of learning that is expected, ...

Why should learning outcomes be shared?

Learning outcomes should be shared with learners for the purposes of transparency and expectation setting (Cuevas & Mativeev, 2010). Doing so makes the benchmarks for learning explicit and helps learners make connections across different elements within the course. Consider including course learning outcomes in your syllabus, so that learners know what is expected of them by the end of a course, and can refer to the outcomes throughout the course. It is also good practice for educators to refer to learning outcomes at particular points during the course; for example, before introducing new concepts or asking learners to complete course activities and assignments.

How can learning outcomes be strengthened?

Learning outcomes can be strengthened by more explicitly articulating what it looks like when learners understand . A more explicit outcome statement using action verbs might be: Learners should be able to compare and contrast US political ideologies regarding social and environmental issues.

What should learners remember?

Remembering : Learners should be able to recall nutritional guidelines for planning meals. Understanding : Learners should be able to explain the importance and impact of the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), and food service policies and regulations specific to food safety.

What is alignment in a program?

While course alignment within a program is usually strategically integrated at the programmatic level, it is good practice when developing your course learning outcomes to think about how the course contributes to your program’s mission/goals.

Why is it important to provide feedback to students?

Providing feedback to students regarding their achievement of the learning outcome is important for both the learner (to understand and apply the feedback in the future) and to the educator (to see how learners are progressing in the course).

Is assessment an iterative process?

Assessment is an iterative process and it is good practice to revisit your learning outcome statements regularly – particularly as you change the way the course is being taught and/or the content of your course (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005).

Why is it important to know the components of a learning goal?

By identifying the components of a learning goal/outcome, you begin to make the teaching and learning process more transparent. Knowing what the components of a goal are will help in writing the assignment description and will be very valuable in the grading process.

What are learning goals?

Clearly defined learning goals/outcomes contribute to a structure that surrounds a course and can aid in selecting appropriate graded and ungraded assessments, selecting relevant content for the course, and enhancing the assessment or grading practices. Remember that learning goals/outcomes do not place limits on what you can teach in a course.

How to develop learning goals?

Begin by relying on what you know about the subject, what you know you can realistically teach in the course, and what your students can realistically learn. As you begin developing learning goals think of concepts, topics, important skills, and vital areas of learning connected to your course. Make a list and don’t worry about developing full goal ...

Why are learning goals important?

Learning goals/outcomes can add to student’s sense of ownership in the learning process helping them feel like they are on the inside logic of the course instead of the outside. Learning goals/outcomes can be a useful communication tool. Faculty can describe their course to colleagues and students by beginning with their goals.

What is indirect evidence of learning?

Indirect evidence of learning is seen in things like course evaluations in which students might comment that they “learned a lot.”.

How can faculty describe their course to colleagues and students?

Faculty can describe their course to colleagues and students by beginning with their goals. Departments can gain a sense of curricular cohesiveness if multiple courses have learning goals.

What is the overall goal of teaching?

The overall goal for teaching should be learning . When students know what they should be able to do by the end of a course it will be less of a challenge for them to meet that goal.

Why are learning outcomes important?

Learning outcomes are usually discussed within the context of program-wide assessment, but they can be valuable components of any class because of the way they sharpen the focus on student learning. Learning outcomes:

What is the key to writing effective learning outcomes?

The key to writing effective learning outcomes is the selection of active, measurable verbs— the tasks you want students to do at the end of your class. Words like know , understand, or appreciate are difficult to measure, and they rarely get at the higher order thinking tasks most of us really want to see in our students.

How to communicate high level expectations?

But perhaps the most important place to communicate your high-level expectations is in the syllabus. Much like a syllabus in a traditional course, you can use your online course syllabus to: Provide basic course information (e.g., title, number, credits).

Can you state expectations in multiple places?

Your learning management system will have a number of locations where you can state or clarify your expectations. In fact, it’s wise to state expectations in multiple places . You can use module introductions, e-mails, written announcements, or descriptions of your course elements.

How are learning outcomes different from objectives?

Learning outcomes are different from objectives because they represent what is actually achieved at the end of a course, and not just what was intended to be achieved. Basically, objectives are the intended results of instruction, whereas, outcomes are the achieved results of what was learned.

What is learning outcome?

A learning outcome is an explicit statement that describes the learning that participants will have achieved and can demonstrate at the end of a course. They are the evidence that learning took place. Learning outcomes are different from objectives because they represent what is actually achieved at the end of a course, ...

What is the difference between learning objectives and learning goals?

Learning goals and learning objectives are about the intent, whereas the learning outcome is about the result. Learning Goals = generally what is intended for the participant to learn. Learning Objectives = specifically what is intended for the participant to learn. Learning Outcomes = what the participant actually learned.

What is the purpose of learning goals?

Its purpose is to provide an overall direction to learning and help keep instruction focused on the targeted content. A learning goal is an achievable result, but not necessarily measurable or observable. For example, it may be to “understand” how something works.

What are some examples of learning objectives?

Examples of Learning Goals, Objectives, and Outcomes 1 know how to locate and remove the drain plug on the engine 2 be able to determine the proper oil weight for the tractor 3 know the correct amount of oil to add

What is the learning goal of a tractor?

Learning Goal: To understand how to change the oil for a tractor. Learning Objectives: By the end of the course, the participant will be able to; locate and remove the drain plug on the engine. select the proper oil weight for the tractor. add the correct amount of oil. Learning Outcomes: By the end of the course, you will;

What is an objective in a class?

Objectives are focused on specific types of performances that participants are expected to demonstrate at the end of instruction. Objectives are often written more in terms of the instructor’s intentions and typically indicate the subject content that is intend to cover.

What are the external factors that affect the current curriculum?

Other external factor may be the changes in the global condition of knowledge arena and labor market, which will have significant impacts on current curriculum.

How long is the school curriculum?

School authority and its teachers prepare the Curriculum of usually two years (class IX and class X) according to the syllabus provided by the external authority. The curriculum contains details of teaching-learning process along with the books and other resources that are to be taught during the pre-designed time frame.

What is the NCTB?

Higher Secondary Level of National Mainstream Education: The NCTB is also responsible of preparing curriculum for HSC exam for various subjects along with their overall content suggestions. There are guidelines of teaching-learning methods, time periods and students’ evaluation in the curriculum.

What is curriculum in education?

Curriculum contains the totality of the education program including the list of courses with expected learning outcomes, the time-bound planning of courses in order, the requirement of prior qualifications of students, the overall assessment methods, and the requirements of earning of the degree.

Is curriculum design a continuous activity?

So, process of curriculum design is a continuous activity.