Course Redesign
As instructors we always face the challenge of refining learning activities and materials in response to practical experience, changes in curricula, and student feedback. Now, another motivation to redesign courses is to take advantage of digital technologies or to refine existing technology-enhanced courses.
Seminar
October 9, 2003
12:00 p.m.-1:30 p.m.
101 Walter Library
Moderator:
Melissa Avery
Shool of Nursing
Panelists:
John Anderson and Carol Gross
Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, College of Biological Sciences
Aaron Doering and Theresa Tichich
Department of Curriculum and Instruction; College of Education and Human Development
Craig Hassel and Linda Brady; Paul Brady
Department of Food Science and Nutrition; Department of Rhetoric, College of Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Sciences
The process engages us in the kinds of questions identified by researcher Carol A. Twigg and others:
- Does the use of technology improve student learning?1
- How do we assess learning in this setting--is it primarily a matter of content acquisition, or do we consider questions of community building, student motivation, the ability to think like a professional, or other aspects of the learning process?
- Are the costs of purchasing, maintaining, and supporting the technology tools offset by the learning gains?2
To date, research in this area has focused largely on demonstrating the efficacy of technology-based redesign initiatives for large-enrollment courses3 or on describing individual course redesign efforts4. Comparatively little attention has been paid to describing interdisciplinary approaches to the redesign of activities and materials formerly delivered in nondigital formats or to the revision of existing technology-enhanced learning materials and activities. The TEL seminar on October 9 featured panelists from a variety of disciplines to initiate a discussion relevant to all instructors. At the seminar, we asked the panelists to consider topics such as those described below.
Minimizing the Costs of Course Redesign
They discussed how they and faculty colleagues and teaching assistants are identifying resources useful to students in a number of courses or recitation sections and developing a body of materials to cover these core concepts. This will not only improve content consistency across the curriculum, but save colleagues time they can then use to expand the library of materials.5
Improving Time-Flexibility and Accessibility
They also considered how such efforts are enabling campus or outstate students to access course activities and materials at more convenient times and from more convenient places but still participate in academically rigorous communities through:
- the use of electronic communication technologies;6
- the development of assignments designed to facilitate the creation of portfolios;7 and
- the creation of multimedia modules that enable students from around the world to discuss a central topic from a variety of disciplinary and cultural perspectives.8
Enlisting Student Support in the Development Process
They also discussed how they are recreating student activities in advanced courses as content development assignments. This not only will provide students with valuable professional development experiences but instructors with electronic course materials they can make available to later course participants9.
Campus Projects
The moderator and panelists have redesigned or are in the process of redesigning University of Minnesota courses that will or already include technology-enhanced learning activities and materials. The panelists have received TEL grants for these projects, which they described at the seminar.
TEL Grant Proposals
Anderson, John, and Carol Gross. "Developing a Resource Library and Common Web Interface for Biochemistry" [2002-03 Technology-Enhanced Learning Grant proposal]. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, 2003. http://dmc.umn.edu/grants/2002/Anderson.pdf.
Dillon, Deborah, and Aaron Doering. "Developing an Online Course for Pre-Service Teachers" [2002-03 Technology-Enhanced Learning Grant proposal]. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, 2003. http://dmc.umn.edu/grants/2002/Dillon.pdf.
Hassel, Craig, Linda Brady, Carolyn Nayematsu, and Paul Brady. "Health and Wellness: An Integrated Approach to Classes Across Cultures and Curriculum" [2002-03 Technology-Enhanced Learning Grant proposal]. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, 2003. http://dmc.umn.edu/grants/2002/Hassel.pdf.
Exemplary Project Case Studies
Case studies of the panelists' course redesign projects are available in the Exemplary Projects section of our site:
- Anderson and Gross' Resource Library and Common Web Interface for Biochemistry;
- Dillon and Doering's Online Course for Pre-Service Teachers; and
- Hassel, Brady, Nayematsu, and Brady's Health and Wellness: An Integrated Approach to Classes Across Cultures and Curriculum.
Questions and Comments
About 30 people, including the moderator and panelists, attended the seminar and asked questions and discussed topics such as the following.
Questions for Anderson and Gross
Why are you creating this site if it's simply supplementary?
Anderson said that creating resource sites like these has wide implications beyond the classroom. The site keeps the examination materials relevant to specific topics in the course, supports students' alternative learning styles, and connects the theoretical portions of the course with the real research being conducted at the University.
Questions for Doering and Tichich
Why are you using synchronous rather than asynchronous discussion tools?
Dillon and Doering want the students to be accountable.
Can you link the off-campus students with the cohort on campus?
Doering said they haven't considered this but it is a great idea.
Questions for Hassel, Brady, and Brady
How are you producing the videos and how much do they cost?
Professional documentarians are producing the videos. The materials, hardware, software, and set-up costs are around $10,000.
Bibliography
The panelists and our consultants recommend the following course redesign sources:
Angelo, Thomas, and Patricia Cross. "Teaching Goals Inventory Online." Iowa City (IA): University of Iowa Center for Teaching, 2003. http://www.uiowa.edu/~centeach/tgi/index.html.
An online self-assessment tool that may help you select appropriate online educational technologies.
Center for Academic Transformation. "Program in Course Redesign." Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 2003. http://128.113.35.25/PewGrant.html.
A list of resources related to large-enrollment, introductory course redesign projects, including information about the project plans and outcomes of 30 such projects, and links to planning resources such as a Course Planning Tool, a "formatted spreadsheet that enables institutions to compare the before costs (the traditional course format) and the after costs (the redesigned course at the end of the development process)."
George Mason University. "Effective Practice--Technology Across the Curriculum." Boulder (CO): EDUCAUSE, 2001. http://www.educause.edu/ep/ep_item_detail.asp?ITEM_ID=84.
A case study of an initiative to integrate technology use across the curriculum.
Instructional Development Centre. "Steps in Developing Web Courses: Course Redesign Guide." Kingston, Ontario (CA): Queen's University, 2003. http://www.queensu.ca/idc/technology/steps.html. Reproduced from Boettcher, Judith V., and Rita-Marie Conrad. Faculty Guide for Moving Teaching and Learning to the Web. Florida: League for Innovation in the Community College, 1999, p.55.
Lists effective teaching/learning strategies, technologies, and assessment methods for specific learning objectives.
Jonassen, D., and T. C. Reeves. "Learning with Technology: Using Computers as Cognitive Tools." In D. H. Jonassen (ed.), Handbook of Research for Educational Communications and Technology. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1996, pp. 693-719.
Recommended by Aaron Doering.
MediaSpinners LLC. "Atomic Learning Web-Based Software Training and Support." Atomic Learning, Inc., 2003. http://atomiclearning.com.
The Web site of a company that produces current tutorial and review materials used by Aaron Doering's students.
San Diego State University. "The WebQuest Page." 2003. http://webquest.sdsu.edu.
Information about WebQuest projects like the ones Aaron Doering's students develop.
TeacherWeb, Inc. "TeacherWeb.com." TeacherWeb, Inc., 2002. http://www.teacherweb.com.
An easy-to-use development system and storage space recommended by Aaron Doering that enables students to develop a portfolio they can access (and add to) throughout their university careers and beyond.
Twigg, Carol A. "Improving Learning and Reducing Costs: Redesigning Large-Enrollment Courses." Troy, New York: Center for Academic Transformation, 1999. http://www.center.rpi.edu/PewSym/mono1.pdf.
A report of The Pew Learning and Technology Program.
University of Minnesota General Biology Program. "The General Biology Program." Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, 2003. http://genbiol.cbs.umn.edu.
One of the models for John Anderson and Carol Gross's Biochemistry Resource Library.
- Twigg, p. 5.
- Ibid., p. 4-5.
- See, for example, Twigg.
- See, for example, our Exemplary Projects. Available online: http://dmc.umn.edu/projects/index.shtml (22 September 2003).
- Anderson and Gross.
- Dillon and Doering.
- Ibid.
- Ibid.
- Craig Hassel, et al.
