On create learning outcomes that will can be the foundation for the rest of your course development. Slides in support of workshop described at http://wp.me/p1Mdiu-rQ.
Sticky Teaching - Ideas and Evidence from CTL Staff Retreat
Course Design: Learning Outcomes
1. Learning Outcomes
Jeff Lindgren
Assistant Director
Center for Teaching and Learning
lindg027@umn.edu
2. What are learning outcomes?
“Learning outcomes or learning goals are goals that
describe how students will be different because of a
learning experience. More specifically, learning
outcomes are the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and
habits of mind that students take with them from a
learning experience.”
Suskie (2009, p. 116)
3. Avoid pitfalls.
• “Twin sins” of course design (Wiggins and McTighee
(2005)
– aimless coverage of content
– Isolated (though possibly engaging) activities
that are disconnected from goals
• Only “understand-and-remember” type of
learning goals (Fink, 2003)
4. Try to integrate potential learning goals from
internal and external resources.
Possible internal resources:
Your college’s mission statement, vision statement, and
strategic goals.
UM student learning and development outcomes
Possible external resources
Goals from relevant disciplinary associations and acreditors
Suskie (2009, p. 116)
6. Taxonomy of Significant Learning
• Write learning outcomes using the
“Questions for Formulating Significant
Learning Goals” worksheet.
• Fink (2003)
7. Big ideas are like “conceptual velcro”
• Consider identifying a few big ideas and then
design around them. Big ideas should
answer:
– What is most important here?
– How do the pieces connect?
– What are the priorities?
8. Clarifying content (and learning
goal) priorities
Worth being familiar with
Important to know and do
Big ideas and
core tasks
Wiggins and McTighee (2005)
9. Consider using questions to frame
big ideas
• Big idea: What are the three branches of
government. (Question: How might a government
guard against abuse of power? )
Wiggins and McTighee (2005)
10. Workshop
• Step 1: Clarify content priorities/identify big
ideas
• Step 2: Use questions to frame the big ideas
11. Bibliography
• Fink, D. (2003) Creating Significant Learning Experiences: an
Integrated Approach to Designing College Courses. San Francisco:
Jossey Bass http://www.finkconsulting.info/publications.html
• Wiggins, G & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by Design (2nd ed.).
Upper Saddle River: Pearson.
• Suskie, L. (2009). Assessing Student Learning: a Common Sense Guide
(2nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.