Some really interesting replies to this Sarah - thanks for asking.
Unsurprisingly, I guess my thinking is very close to David Baume's (we do
share the same birthday), and is nothing more than common sense, but here
goes anyway...
A Formulate appropriate intended learning outcomes, in language the
students themselves will be able to make sense of. [Avoid, of course,
vague statements including phrases such as 'Demonstrate your understanding
of...'].
B Identify evidence of achievement of the intended learning outcomes,
thinking particularly of which outcomes are best evidenced in read/write,
auditory, visual and kinaesthetic dimensions (see Neil Fleming's VARK).
C Formulate learning activities which will allow students to develop
evidence, including rehearsal for producing the various forms of evidence
which will eventually be linked to assessment. These activities should
include opportunities for practice, repetition where necessary, and
learning through mistakes. The activities should ideally help students to
want to learn (i.e. should appeal to them), and always should help them
see the point of the activities (the need to learn), and allow them to
reflect on what they are doing.
D Specify standards linked to each form of evidence of achievement of the
learning outcomes, so that students will be aware of the levels of the
targets implied by the intended learning outcomes.
E Support students' learning, providing feedback, and getting them to
self-assess their evidence of achievement of the learning outcomes, giving
them feedback on their self-assessment. Peer assessment can also be useful
in helping students to compare their progress towards attaining the
specified standards by comparing with each other.
F Ensure that assessment is fit-for-purpose, for example that read/write
is not the channel used to assess evidence of achievement that is better
measured in other ways. Ensure that formative feedback is given on the
extent and standard of students' achievement of the intended learning
outcomes along the way, so they tune in to how the final assessment is
intended to work.
I guess the only (minor perhaps) differences in
my thinking here is the focus on evidence of achievement, and liberating
this where appropriate from the read/write domain, and purposefully
building in the dimension of feedback on self-assessment, rather than
just feedback on students' achievements.
I hope this helps,
best wishes,
Phil
www.phil-race.com
> This year I have been receiving a lot of requests from course leaders,
> Deans and heads of department for some structured help with curriculum
> development and redesign. While we are putting together a professional
> development programme from keen developers within our own University and
> throughout the sector in the Irish context, I'd be very grateful if any of
> you could point me in the direction of really good tried and tested
> expertise/ trainers/facilitators in the UK or further afield. In
> particular, if you can recommend someone with specific expertise in
> curriculum development and redesign in the Humanities disciplines, that
> would be very useful.
> Many thanks
> Sarah Moore
>
> Dean, Teaching and Learning
> University of Limerick
> Limerick
> IRELAND
>
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