Learning Experiences

In order to achieve maximum learning benefits and outcomes, the curriculum must be constructively aligned.

This way, every aspect of the class --from learning outcomes, lectures, resources, activities and assessable projects-- are all directly related to each other, and support a progressive (or scaffolded) system of learning throughout the course, UNSW Australia explains.

"When the learning outcomes, activities, and assessment are not aligned, student learning is all over the place and incoherent," they warn.

In this regard, Milkova, S (ND) considers that specifying concrete learning objectives will help determine the activities that are more appropriate for the course, while those will define how can later be assess whether or not the objectives have been accomplished.

How a curriculum is planned, implemented and evaluated, as well as what people, processes and procedures are involved in the process, is what O’Neill, G (2010) defines as curriculum development.

objectives

A broad overall statement of what the learners should know and be able to do at the end of the course is, according to Ogrady-Marshall, R (2013), a learning aim and, establishing this is the starting in the curriculum development process.

Learning objectives are a breakdown, more actionable, explicit and measurable description of the aims. They state what the students will do or learn in order to reach those learning aims; and are the ones that guide the strategies and assessments of the course.

Learning objectives must contain active verbs. "The verb generally refers to actions associated with the intended cognitive process," the Iowa State University affirms. They are then followed by objects or nouns, that generally describe the knowledge students are expected to acquire or construct.

Regarding quantity, Ogrady-Marshall, R (2013) suggest stating no more than seven learning objectives for the course.

Content & activities

Create links. Review the previous class and link it to the next session.
Begin at the end. Make sure you cover what you want the students to walk away with at the end of that session. Prepare several ways of explaining and illustrating that material.
Anticipate. Be ready to answer and help students.
Manage time. If there is time left, have an extra activity planned. If you are running out of time, have identified which contents or activities can be omitted or saved for later.

Infographic showcasing examples of activities that require different levels of teacher and student participation

Lecture and discussion are on opposite ends of a continuum with many possibilities in between (Enerson, et al 2000); the teacher must keep all activities short and easy to understand (Pappas, 2013)

Choosing the contents

Once the learning objectives are settled, the next step in the curriculum development process is to translate the goals into course content and activities.

This requires making decisions on what materials should be included (textbooks, articles, lecture content) and in which format. According to Pappas, C (2013), each concept should be supported by various resources.

The next step is classifying, grouping and organising the information in modules and then divide them into sections.

"Try to figure out what they have in common and then connect them [so that your] (...) course will be divided into topics and themes," Pappas, C (2013) proposes.

Between each one, there should be enough time and even activities to allow students to assimilate the information and create knowledge.

If additional materials will be provided for students, Stanford University recommends letting them know which are "for help in doing projects or solving problems, which works you suggest they refer to when writing a paper, and which resources can benefit students."

"Be selective," Enerson, D et al (2000) advises: "if you can’t find something compelling to say about the importance, significance, or utility of the material at hand, you can’t expect your students to see the relevance either."

Choosing the activities

All classes require both ---the acquisition of skills, knowledge, information and/or attributes, as well as the opportunity to apply them. Hence, "choosing the specific teaching methods that will best achieve course and session objectives is one of the most important day-to-day decisions a teacher faces." (Enerson, D et al 2000)

Making this choice, requires knowing what methods are available and what learning outcomes each method is best suited for.

Determining what students should be able to do or know is the basis for preparing the activities, assessments and grading structures.

Then, it can be identified what activities (papers, reports, projects) and experiences (discussions, simulations, field trips, collaborative activities) will give students "the opportunity to reinforce the information and ideas of the course, as well as practice key skills," the Stanford University recommends.

Letting the students know this ---the value of such activities, and how they relate to the course content and objectives---, will foster engagement and allow them to make the most out of their learning process.

Infographic showcasing a rubric example: it includes what is being evaluated, how and why

Rubrics are explicit schemes that describe a "quality continuum" for evaluating products or behaviors. If provided to students at the beginning of term, these standards provide the expected learning experience trajectory and allow students to check in on their progress mid-assignment.

Assessments

Assessment is a series of progressive activities that, according to the UNSW Australia, act as stepping-stones that allow students to gradually build, apply and evaluate knowledge, with each task directly relating to particular learning outcomes.

"Student achievement is defined as how well they’ve mastered certain target skills," Ronan (2015) explains; assessments are, precisely, the measurement tools that provide educators and learners with the necessary objective and subjective data to determine the efficacy of programs.

Kirkpatrick's model

The Kirkpatrick Model is a tool for analyzing and evaluating the results of training and educational programs, that focus on measuring four kinds of outcomes that should result from a highly effective training program:

Reaction. Measures customers' satisfaction, specifically to gain feedback on the instructor, course material and learning environment. Evaluations provide quantitative information. This assessment usually occurs immediately upon completion of the planned event.
Learning. Measures the participants' knowledge, skills and attitudes. These assessments are done before and after the planned event, to gather information on how to improve future versions of the training.
Behavior. Measures the participants’ application “on-the-job” of the knowledge, skills and abilities learned acquired. These assessments provide more than quantitative information, because they often involve others, such as observations of supervisors and peers.
Results. Measures the impact of the training on the organization’s goals ---even return of investment (ROI). However, it can be quite difficult to establish firm evidence that the training event was the key factor to achieving these impacts.

References
Allen, M (2003) Student Learning Outcomes and Assessment Using Scoring Rubrics, California State UniversityCurriculum In The Glossary of Education Reform by Great Schools PartnershipDodge, J (ND) What Are Formative Assessments and Why Should We Use Them? In 25 Quick Formative Assessments for a Differentiated Classroom Enerson, D et al (2000) Planning a Class Session In Center for Excellence in Learning & Teaching, Pennsylvania State UniversityEngaging and motivating students (2018) In Learning to Teach Online course, UNSW AustraliaFormative and Summative Assessments In the Yale Center for Teaching and LearningLevel II Evaluation, National Highway InstituteMilkova, S (ND) Strategies for Effective Lesson Planning In University of Michigan GSI Guidebook, Center for Research on Learning and TeachingO’Neill, G (2010) Programme Design - Overview of curriculum models In UCD Teaching and Learning ResourcesOgrady-Marshall, R (2013) How To Write Aims and Objectives for eLearning Courses In eLearning IndustryOnline learning activities (2018) In Learning to Teach Online course, UNSW AustraliaPappas, C (2013) 3 Chunking Strategies That Every Instructional Designer Should Know In eLearning Industry Planning online learning (2018) In Learning to Teach Online course, UNSW AustraliaRevised Bloom’s Taxonomy In Iowa State University Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT)Ronan, A (2015) Every Teacher’s Guide to Assessment In EdudemicRubrics In In the Yale Center for Teaching and Learning Stanford Teaching Commons In Stanford UniversitySummative Assessment In The Glossary of Education Reform by Great Schools PartnershipWinfrey, E.C. (1999). Kirkpatrick's Four Levels of Evaluation In B. Hoffman (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Educational Technology

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