Feedback on Learning Outcomes and Objectives

Drafting has become an exploratory yet deeply focused and detailed part of our design process. After writing and fine-tuning the learning outcomes and objectives for the two courses in the pathway, we put the drafts out there for feedback in this problem solving session. Colleagues were invited to participate in the session from a variety of perspectives:

• Subject matter expert (SME) – in math, computers, communications, or digital culture
• Learner
• Instructor but not SME
• Curriculum developer

This allowed us incorporate a variety of different views into this review of outcomes and objectives. After a group discussion around the course outcomes and whether the scope was right and whether the components fit together and made sense, we individually reviewed and commented on the objectives for each outcome for both courses.

The written comments and subsequent discussion led us to modifications, such as:

• Breaking objectives down into sub-parts, to ensure adequate time would be planned for
• Re-combining elements into groups that fit together better
• Adding missed potential objectives
• Eliminating “nice to have” objectives that went too far outside the scope of a course

This resulted in a second draft that incorporated more viewpoints, benefitted from more eyes, and pushed us to think deeper about a few key issues. Once again, we are grateful to those who were able to participate in this problem solving session for their time and expertise.

We are holding these open problem solving sessions every two weeks as part of the development of the Career Program Pathway – Creative Technologies project. The purpose of these sessions is twofold: give SFL and CT faculty multiple opportunities to get involved in the development process, and for the course developers to be able to learn from the expertise of others and apply that knowledge in this project.

Interested in the results of our last Problem Solving Session? Check out our post on this blog: Depth of Knowledge. Have ideas to share but not able to make a session? You can chat anytime with Allison, Penny, or Deanna.

Depth of Knowledge - Problem Solving Session

How deeply do learners understand what you are teaching them? Do they get why they are learning this? Can they apply it to a new situation? During the design process we purposefully develop assessment to address these questions.

This session focused on applying Webb’s Depth of Knowledge (DOK) levels to determine how in-depth learners need to know each of the learning outcomes in the CPP-CT courses. See the image below for a brief explanation of each level.

Source: http://www.synergiseducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Dok.svg

 We broke into three groups and each group chose one learning outcome to focus on. The group discussed what the learning outcome meant and the sub skills that learners need to be introduced to before they can achieve the learning outcome. The group then looked at each sub skill and determined which DOK level it represented.

As this was a brainstorming session, we also tried a new approach to increase our creative ability. We had containers of legos set out that participants were encouraged to sort by colour into piles, in between brainstorming the DOK targets. This idea is based off of research that suggests that keeping the mind engaged in a simple/mindless task enhances creativity. The lego sorting worked for some; others said they have found chores such as folding laundry or washing dishes to be beneficial.

We came away from this session with three fully developed learning outcomes with various objectives aligned to DOK level targets. This kind of work is time consuming but important, as it sets the stage for a well scaffolded course. We are thankful for the full participation from everyone who was able to join us.

We are holding these open problem solving sessions every two weeks as part of the development of the Career Program Pathway – Creative Technologies project. The purpose of these sessions is twofold: give SFL and CT faculty multiple opportunities to get involved in the development process, and for the course developers to be able to learn from the expertise of others and apply that knowledge in this project.

Interested in the results of our last Problem Solving Session? Check out our post on this blog: Authentic Tasks and Audiences. Have ideas to share but not able to make a session? You can chat anytime with Allison, Penny, or Deanna.