ACCELERATING TRADITIONAL COURSES 2013 CAEL Conference November 7, 2013 11:00am-12:15pm

1. ACCELERATING TRADITIONAL COURSES2013 CAEL Conference November 7, 201311:00am-12:15pm

2. Presenters Dawn Spaar Associate Dean School of Continuing and Professional Studies (SCPS) Elizabethtown College Central PA spaardl@etown.edu Patricia Ellis Special Assistant to the Dean School of Graduate & Professional Studies (GPS) Stevenson University Baltimore, MD pellis@stevenson.edu

3. Webinar Description Accelerating Traditional Courses In accelerated courses, faculty must consider the most important concepts for each course to direct their students during these abbreviated time frames. In this workshop, we will discuss how to cover the most important points, tie theory to practice and application and use clear and measurable student learning outcomes.

4. Overview Topics: • Course Development • Adult Learning Research • Student Learning Objectives • Rapid Design • The Process • Application

5. Adult Learning Research Knowles: • Andragogy—the “art and science of helping adults” • Maturity brings self-direction • Experience is a resource for learning • Adults prefer immediate application to future use of knowledge • Internal motivations are more potent than external • Adults want to know why it is important to know

6. Adult Learning Research Kolb: • Four distinct learning styles • People’s learning styles are different • Four-stage learning cycle • Experiential learning applies to everyone

7. Adult Learning Research McClusky: • Adulthood is a time of growth, change and integration in which one constantly seeks balance between the amount of energy needed and the amount available. • Ratio between the ‘load’ (L) of life, which dissipates energy, and the ‘power’ (P) of life, which allows one to deal with the load. • Margin in life is the ratio of load to power • More power means a greater margin to actively participate in learning

8. Adult Learning Research Illeris: • Three dimensions involved in learning: • cognition • emotion • society • They are presented as an inverted triangle, with cognition and emotion at the top and environment at the bottom of the inverted apex; all three aspects of learning occur within society, represented by acircle around a triangle.

9. Adult Learning Research Jarvis: • All learning begins with experience. • All learning begins with the five senses and learning is ultimately dependent on our body and biology because of the way that our senses function. • The significance is that the original sensations have been transformed into knowledge, skills, attitudes, values, and emotions. • All experience occurs within that individual learner’s world, not the wholeworld.

10. Adult Learning Research Wlodkowski and Ginsberg: They note that students need to develop a deep understanding of a subject in order for facts to become usable knowledge. • Concepts make factual knowledge meaningful. • Faculty should “focus on the key concepts of a discipline that tie the significant facts together and make them understandable and usable.”

11. Adult Learning Research Wlodkowski & Ginsberg: Steps for Designing an Instructional Plan: • Clarify the learning goals. • Determine the amount of time you have to help learners accomplish the learning goals. • Analyze the inherent structure of the material, knowledge, or skill students will learn. • Consider the assessment process.

12. Developing the Course • Design measurable learning outcomes. • Create activities for student collaboration which strengthens learning and that are relevant to adult needs. • Synthesize higher concept critical thinking and problem solving. • Develop assessment tools.

13. Developing the Course • Student Learning Outcomes • Always develop these first! • Book Selection • Course Map • Course Outline • Course Contentand Modules • Activities • Assessments

14. Matching Outcomes University/College Mission > School Mission > University/Goals > School Goals > Program Outcomes > Course Outcomes/Objectives > Module Objectives

15. Student Learning Outcomes • Credit hour definition • Learning outcomes • Assessment • Consistent learning modules • Textbook selection • Learner centered • Facilitated discussion • Active learning strategies • Real-world examples in problem solving • Classroom, online and hybrid learning

16. Student Learning Outcomes Bloom’s Taxonomy: • Designing outcomes for the six or seven levels of learning • Understanding through creation • Moving from lower levels through higher levels of student development

17. Bloom’s taxonomy [bottom-up] Sometimes presented in pyramid: • 7. Creation • 6. Evaluation • 5. Synthesis • 4. Analysis • 3. Application • 2. Comprehension • 1. Knowledge (foundation)

18. Curriculum • Each class/weekly session • Session outcomes • Pre-class assignments • Out-of-class activities • In-class activities • Instructional equivalencies • Instructor notes… Suggestions on different activities to use in addressing the learning for that session?

19. Curriculum When writing curriculum for adult learners, keep in mind their experience and relate theory to practice so that they can apply it at work the next day.

20. Course Content and Modules • What are the primary points students should learn from your course?* • These are your course outcomes/objectives • Where will they find this information? • Text? Research? Experience? • What is the best way for them to learn it? • Activities and Assessments

21. Curriculum Design • Program Learning Outcomes • (Demonstrated by…Program Assessments) • Course Objectives • Course assessments • Learning Activities to achieve the assessments and objectives. • Feedback loop (Formative assessments for the instructor)

22. How will the Program Learning Outcomes be Assessed?

23. Assessments • evidence of student learning that is tangible, visible, self-explanatory, and compelling explanation of what the students have learned. • Examples: • Scores on standardized exams • Ratings of student skills (using a rubric) by field supervisors • Scores on comprehensive exams • Portfolios • Disaggregated Assignment Grades specifically focused on one Learning Outcome. • Evidence supports proxy signs. • Examples: • Course grades • Aggregated Assignment grades • Retention and graduation rates • Student ratings of their knowledge and skills and reflections on what they have learned over the course of the program. • Scores on an end-of-program (or end-of-course) survey. Direct Indirect

24. Decide What is Important • Technology and textbooks do not drive choices • Learning outcomes drive choices • Knowledge construction • Interactivity • Relevance • Authentic Contexts What are the learning outcomes for the course?

25. Content and Modules • Traditional design can be important, but is it most important? • Tends to be top-down from the teacher, linear and prescriptive • Contextual interactive activities help students to learn better than anything else. • More cooperative, democratic learning • Lead to better learning and performance for all types of learners

26. Content and Modules Adult students want to be able to use what they learn in class immediately, applying it the very next day.

27. Content and Modules • Rather than being rigid and fixed, accelerated learning should be flexible and open-ended. • It should be more democratic than hierarchical, more collaborative than individualistic. • Accelerated learning should be creative and activity-driven rather than prescriptive and presentation-driven.

28. Content and Modules • Students learn more and better by doing more of the work while the facilitator does less. • They learn from doing the interactive activity while the facilitator gives them constructive feedback.

29. Rapid Design The following material is from The Accelerated Learning Handbook by Dave Meier. McGraw-Hill, 2000.

30. The 7 Principles of Rapid Design: • Design with the 4-phase learning cycle • Appeal to all learning styles • Make your designs activity-based • Create a learning community • Alternate between physically active and physically passive learning activities • Follow the 30/70 rule • Create a flexible, open-ended design

31. 1. The 4-Phase Learning Cycle • Preparation Arousal: overcome negatives, interest them • Presentation Encounter: introduce them to the material • Practice Integration: show them how to fit it into their lives • Performance Application: use role-playing or examples for work environment

32. 1. A. Preparation • Overcome initial fears and prior negative learning feelings: boredom, irrelevance, stress… • Be positive. • Offer clear, meaningful goals. • Create a positive emotional environment. • Calm people’s fears and remove barriers. • Raise questions, pose problems and arouse their curiosity.

33. 1. B. Presentation • Treat students as active consumers of interesting material. • Make the lesson enjoyable and immediately applicable. • Use collaborative pre-tests and knowledge sharing. • Incorporate interactive presentations and appeal to all learning styles. • Develop discovery and problem-solving exercises.

34. 1. C. Practice • Learning should be something that students create. • Develop learner processing and integration activities. • Use hands-on trial/feedback/reflection/ retrial activities.

35. 1. C. Practice (continued) • Design active learning exercises. • Ask for individual reflection and articulation. • Develop partner/team-based dialogue. • Use peer reviews and democratic facilitation.

36. 1. D. Performance • Unless learning can be applied immediately, it may disappear…. • Discuss real-world applications. • Create and execute action plans. • Follow through with reinforcement activities. • Give performance evaluation and feedback. • Develop peer-support activities.

37. 2. Appeal to All Learning Styles • Try to consider the “big 4”: SAVI • Somatic: some kind of physical activity (Easier in hybrid courses: make them move). • Auditory: Recitation and discussion aid retention. • Visual: A picture is worth 1000 words, but reading is also vital. • Intellectual: Mental reflection helps to create meaning.

38. 3. Activity-Based Designs • What activities can facilitators design to help students learn and retain the important outcomes? • Facilitators need to develop some materials, but what activities can students engage in to help them to pick up the new knowledge and skills quickly?

39. 4. Create a Learning Community • Good learning is social. • Peer teaching is positive and important. • The more interconnectivity, the better the learning. • Activities for partners and teams make teaching and learning simultaneous.

40. 5. Alternate Between Physically Active and Physically Passive Learning • Use role play with small group discussions. • Easier in a hybrid course than online: ideas? • Have students come to the board to put up a diagram or model or write out a list. • Change the person frequently. • Have student stand to recite (!) [always a shock the first time].

41. 6. Follow the 30-70 Rule Try to take only 30% of the time for instructor presentations and use the other 70% for student action, interaction and activities.

42. 7. Create a Flexible, Open-Ended Design • Fields are changing constantly; so should the courses. • Courses should be “works in progress,” being tweaked frequently as needed. • Obtain feedback from the students: • What worked? • What didn’t? • Most positive/negative aspects?

43. The 7-Step Rapid Design Process • Determine desired goals and outcomes. • Plan the main delivery. • Plan the preparation for it. • Plan the results. • Develop the material. • Deliver the course. • Make improvements.

44. 1. Determine Goals • What are the goals? • What are the values? • How will learners create them? • What knowledge or skills will learners need to be successful?

45. 2. Plan the Main Delivery • What activities and assessments will help students reach the goals? • How can the facilitator appeal to all learning styles? • How will learners participate in presentations? • How will they work together and in teams to help each other learn?

46. 3. Plan the Preparation Phase • How can the facilitator prepare learners before class starts? • What learner benefits should be stressed? • How will the facilitator create a positive social environment? • …a positive emotional environment?

47. 4. Plan the Results Phase • How can students reinforce and apply their new learning? • …and extend it after the session and course? • How can learners help improve the course and program?

48. 5. Develop the Material • Design the course map • Learning module template • Set up the course outline • Create the activities • [Compare/Contrast: Classroom, Blended/Hybrid and Online Delivery of Material] • [Interactive Learning: Technology, Games, Group Discussions, etc.] • Develop the assessments

49. 6. Deliver the Course • Facilitate the course from the pre-class assignment week (if any) to the grading of the final project/exam. • Papers and projects are much better than exams—especially for adult learners. Avoid true/false and multiple-choice tests.

50. 7. Improve the Course • What worked well and should be retained? • How are you collecting this information/data? • What needs to be dropped, added, changed or enhanced? • How can the goals be refined? • Modify Steps 1-6 accordingly.