Back to Basics on Curriculum Design, Paving the Way for Your learners
Elizabeth Bennert, MA
Associate Director
Postgraduate Medical Education: Harvard Medical School
Jennifer Livengood, PhD
Instructional Designer
Postgraduate Medical Education: Harvard Medical School
Irritation!
Tell us of an unsatisfactory educational experience. What did you find irritating?
This experience could have been:
Online
Live
Formal or informal
Impromptu
On-the-job
In the community
Basic Learning Needs
Needs
How to Address Need
Time to process content
Chance to use what you already know
Learn what is useful
Having a choice or control
Care about the content
Chance to test your knowledge
Chunk out the content
Acknowledge prior content
Focus on mastery
Provide control
Real-world examples
Practice activities
Course Development Process
Course Description and Summary
Summative Assessment
Course Outcomes
Task Analysis
Objectives
Formative Assessment
Learning Content
Course Development Process
Course Description and Summary
Summative Assessment
Course Outcomes
Task Analysis
Objectives
Formative Assessment
Learning Content
Course Description and Summary
- Foundation
- Purpose of the curriculum, not the structure
- Learners determine if the program fits
Course Development Process
Course Description and Summary
Summative Assessment
Course Outcomes
Task Analysis
Objectives
Formative Assessment
Learning Content
Course Outcomes
- Outcomes are not objectives
- Outcomes do not describe program structure or assignments
- Outcomes are actionable or task-based
- Outcomes become the modules of the program
- Outcomes provide expectations
Outcome? ... Objective?
Outcomes
Objectives
Examine food quality at fast-food restaurants
Summative
Big Picture
Formative
Discreet
Determine the best flavor profile at the top ten grossing fast-food restaurants
Outcome? ... Objective?
Outcomes
Objectives
Examine food quality at fast-food restaurants
Summative
Big Picture
Formative
Discreet
Determine the best flavor profile at the top ten grossing fast-food restaurants
Actionable
SMART
Outcome? ... Objective?
Identify the three types of plate boundaries
Critique the current Netflix-produced television series and movies in the past year.
Evaluate current online video streaming services
Examine the role of plate tectonics in the shaping of the planet
Analyze the functions of a personal computer
Describe the functions of the motherboard, video card, processor, hard drive, and memory cards
Objective
Outcome
Evaluate current online video streaming services
Examine the role of plate tectonics in the shaping of the planet
Analyze the functions of a personal computer
Critique the current Netflix-produced television series and movies in the past year.
Identify the three types of plate boundaries
Describe the functions of the motherboard, video card, processor, hard drive, and memory cards
Course Development Process
Course Description and Summary
Summative Assessment
Course Outcomes
Task Analysis
Objectives
Formative Assessment
Learning Content
Summative Assessment
- Based on outcomes
- Demonstrate knowledge gained
- Assessments should map back to a specific outcome
- Learner proves mastery
Summative Assessment
Formative
Assessment
Formative
Assessment
Course Timeline
Outcomes
Objectives
Objectives
Course Development Process
Course Description and Summary
Summative Assessment
Course Outcomes
Task Analysis
Objectives
Formative Assessment
Learning Content
Task Analysis
- Based on outcomes
- Steps needed to master the outcome
- Foundation for building objectives
- Basis for creating learning content
Course Development Process
Course Description and Summary
Summative Assessment
Course Outcomes
Task Analysis
Objectives
Formative Assessment
Learning Content
Objectives
- Signposts for learners
- Actionable verbs
- Assessable
- Based off the tasks you just created
- Helps focus learning content and leaves out the "nice to know" information
Outcome? ... Objective?
Outcomes
Objectives
Examine food quality at fast-food restaurants
Summative
Big Picture
Formative
Discreet
Determine the best flavor profile at the top ten grossing fast-food restaurants
Actionable
SMART
Course Development Process
Course Description and Summary
Summative Assessment
Course Outcomes
Task Analysis
Objectives
Formative Assessment
Learning Content
Summative Assessment
- Based on outcomes
- Demonstrate knowledge gained
- Assessments should map back to a specific outcome
- Learner proves mastery
Summative Assessment
Formative
Assessment
Formative
Assessment
Course Timeline
Outcomes
Objectives
Objectives
Formative Assessment
- Use the objectives to create the Formative Assessment
- Low-stakes assessment - it's not the final summative evaluation
- Learner can gauge personal progress
- Learner can find areas of opportunity or focus
Course Development Process
Course Description and Summary
Summative Assessment
Course Outcomes
Task Analysis
Objectives
Formative Assessment
Learning Content
Learning Content
- The "need to know" information
- Covers what is needed for formative assessments
- Includes knowledge-checks, progress checks, no-stakes assessments, and practice activities, when possible
- Include real-world examples like cases and stories
Alignment
- Curriculum structure that is organized and purposefully designed
- Free of academic gaps and repetition
- Aligned across lessons, courses, and subject areas
- Aligned curriculum assists in finding areas of opportunity to add to your program
Curriculum Map
Course Description
In this course, methods of needs assessment and developing, assessing, and evaluating training organizations are the focus. Emphasis is also placed on teaching and learning strategies. Types of educational programs are available to industries are discussed.
- Explain the training process and employee development
- Examine the relationship between strategy and T & D
- M1.01: Identify the key roles of training professionals
- M1.02: Describe the forces influencing the workplace and learning
- M1.03: Discuss the changing role of training
Course Outcomes
Learning Objectives
Practice Activities
Learning Content
Assessments
Your Existing Curriculum
- Assemble a curriculum map
- program sequence
- objectives
- learning experiences
- assessments
- Analyze for repetitions, gaps, "nice to knows" and use the outcomes and task analysis for the basis
- Update the map to address any gaps or other changes that need to be made
- Align prerequisite knowledge and skills
Your Existing Curriculum
- Develop lesson plans and strategies that emphasize context and allow for practice
- Identify additional resources if needed
- After each run of the curriculum, assess data for effectiveness
Questions to Keep in Mind
- Why do I need to know this?
- How does it apply to me?
- How will I use this in my life?
- Why should I care?
Takeaways
- View the content as a learner
- Start with the end in mind
- There is such a thing as too much
- Allow for practice
- Tell stories