1. Feeling LO? Making Connections Through Curriculum Mapping Assessment Workshop Fall 2015 Swarup Wood Professor of Chemistry California State University Monterey Bay

2. Background CSUMB is developing systematic assessment of our newly adopted ILOs We will need to develop high quality assessment of MLOs, GE outcomes, and to understand how programmatic courses support mastery of the ILOs Beholding to our stakeholders as well as our accreditors

3. Assumptions Curriculum mapping can be an engaging effective way to align curricular resources to achievement of learning outcomes (student success) Teaching is valuable in so far as it produces learning Very very very rarely a course’s curriculum is better connected to a faculty’s interest than to the programs MLOs… Think about the classrooms and institutions where most of us grew up

4. Continued Outcomes-based environments require alignment between the institutional, program, and course level learning outcomes Outcomes-based environments require alignment between learning outcomes and what is actually going on in class How do we know?

5. If Student Success Relies Upon Mastery of Program Learning Outcomes… Assumes MLOs are well developed up through the curriculum Assumes that course learning outcomes are well aligned with core skills and knowledge areas embedded in the MLOS Assumes students are provided adequate exposure and multiple opportunities to practice these core skills and knowledge areas Curriculum mapping is a way of testing these assumptions

6. Why Develop Curriculum Maps? To meet the demands of your accreditors? Because your dean requires it? To determine which courses address which outcomes? To develop and scaffold your outcomes up through your curriculum? To make meaningful connections between: –ILOs, MLOs, and CLOs –Course learning outcomes and the teaching, learning and assessment resources devoted to those outcomes

7. Outcomes for Today Understand several uses of curriculum mapping Deconstruct several of your MLOs into skill and content areas Use curricular mapping strategies to connect MLOs to: –ILOs and CLOs –Teaching, Learning, and Assessment resources that serve those outcomes Understand how curriculum mapping can be used to map pedagogical approaches, etc

8. Deconstructing Outcomes into Discrete Skills and Content Areas Outcome: Analyze the concepts of power relations, equity, and social justice using examples of each concept in the US society, and other societies On your own, imagine yourself an 18 year old –Identify skills and content areas you would need help with in order to master this

9. With Colleagues Describe one of the skills at different levels 100, 200, 300, 400 or… Introductory, developing, mastery Effective curriculum mapping assumes that we are able to do this –And can help facilitate being able to do it

10. With a Colleague Deconstruct at least two of your program’s MLOs into skills and content areas For two skills –Use the grids towards the back of your handout: Where in your program is this skill introduced, developed, and mastered

11. What is going on in a given course to support acquisition of that skill? Does a faculty lecture on it? –If so, is lecture an effective way to work that skill? Does the course use images that illustrate the process of that skill Do students practice it? –In class? –Through assignments? What is the Basis for Marking That Cell: Guiding Questions?

12. Do Students Receive Feedback on Development of the Skill? Once? Twice? I have no clue if or where this skill is taught…and less understanding how much feedback students receive What would it take to find out?

13. Course Title A Course Title B Course Title C Course Title D 100 levelx 200 levelxx 300 levelxxx 400 LevelX InternshipX Co-curriculumxx Alignment of an MLO With Courses Throughout the Program: MLO 1

14. Alignment of an Outcome-embedded Skill In Courses Throughout the Program: Skill___ List the Evidence Course Title A Course Title B Course Title C Course Title D 100 200 300 400

15. Aligning MLOs with ILOs Look back at the two MLOs you deconstructed into skills and knowledge areas Use the grid at the end of the handout to align those skills and knowledge areas with those that comprise one of our Core Competencies: Critical Thinking

16. Explanation of issues: Establishes or requires student to consider issue/problem critically, state clearly and describe comprehensively. Evidence: Establishes or requires students to take information from source(s) with enough interpretation/evaluation to develop a comprehensive analysis or synthesis. Viewpoints of and selection of experts are questioned thoroughly. Influence of context and assumptions: Establishes or requires students to thoroughly (systematically and methodically) analyze own and others' assumptions and carefully evaluate the relevance of contexts when presenting a position. Student’s position: Establishes or requires students’ position (perspective, thesis/hypothesis) to be imaginative, taking into account the complexities of an issue. Limits of position (perspective, thesis/hypothesis) are acknowledged. Others' points of view are synthesized within position (perspective, thesis/hypothesis). Conclusions and related outcomes: Establishes or requires students to develop conclusions and related outcomes (implications and consequences) that are logical and reflect student’s informed evaluation. Requires students to appropriately rank conclusions.

17. Explanation of issues EvidenceInfluence of context and assumptions Student’s position Conclusions MLO skill or content area Alignment of MLO Skills and Content Areas with Elements of the Critical Thinking ILO

18. Things to Keep in Mind Alignment Layers Building faculty intention between and among the layers Making connections Faculty’s top complaints around students? –Where do we go first? Faculty needs versus student needs Curriculum (learner-centered?) Pedagogy (learner-centered?)

19. More Ways to Use Alignment Grids MLO Skills and Knowledge Areas vs Pedagogy MLO Skills and Knowledge Areas vs Cognitive Domain MLO Skills and Knowledge Areas vs Depth of Learning Experience MLO Skills and Knowledge Areas vs Brain Engagement

20. Curriculum vs Pedagogy Equity Power Relations Social Justice WritingSkills Analysis US and othersocieties Outcome: Analyze the concepts of power relations, equity, and social justice using examples of each concept in the US society, and other societies. Pedagogy Role play power relations x x x x Discussion on NY Times articlex x x x Guest: Rev Monica Galligan x x Model analysis-what are the component pieces of an analysis? Group work on societal norms x x Lecture-components of an analysis

21. Are The Pedagogies We Are Using… Actually facilitating the kinds of learning we want? Helping our students learn how to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate? Giving our students practice with these skills?

22. Aligning Pedagogy with Cognitive Domains Knowledge Comprehension Application Analysis Synthesis Evaluation Lecture Discussion Video Debate Role play Modeling Practice Group work Problem solving

23. Pedagogies vs Cognitive Domains (LO: Perform an Analysis of…) Lecture –Knowledge: meaning of analysis, component pieces of analysis –Model the process of analysis Group work –Knowledge and Comprehension: Groups read an analysis, diagram its component pieces, and discuss the meaning and function of each piece Practice –Application and Analysis: Homework assignment in which students conduct their own analysis with an additional piece that illustrates their thinking around how they conducted the analysis Evaluation –Application and Evaluation: Students apply a rubric to several sample analyses, discussing the positive and negative attributes of each one

24. Curriculum vs Brain Engagement Content:EquityContent:PowerRelationsContent:SocialJustice Content:US and Other Analysis Outcome: Analyze the concepts of power relations, equity, and social justice using examples of each concept in the US society, and other societies. In the grid: descriptions of what faculty are doing (curriculum and pedagogies) to engage these areas Engage their senses Motivation-why important to students Leverage their prior knowledge Structure for reflection Pictures and images Structure for story telling-how are faculty working to help students tell their own stories with their new knowledge?

25. Aligning Curriculum with Activities, Practice, Assessment Equity Power Relations Social Justice Writing Skills Analysis US and other societies Outcome: Analyze the concepts of power relations, equity, and social justice using examples of each concept in the US society, and other societies. Learning Activities …. x x Assignments … x x Assessment …. x x x x

26. Guiding Questions Who is filling in the X’s? Do we have a common understanding of what the outcomes mean? To what extent are the courses with X’s genuinely well connected to the outcomes? –How do you work with part time faculty to facilitate this? Can you see connections between course skills/content and the course learning outcomes? –And the MLO?...and the ILOs? Were the program learning outcomes developed at the same time as the programs courses and curriculum?

27. What Kind of Experiences Will Your Program Facilitate? Go back to two MLOs you deconstructed earlier Using what we’ve discussed today, develop three questions or issues you have about how your program facilitates student mastery of these skills or content areas

28. Back Out of The Weeds Making connections Coherent curricula-linking institutional learning outcomes –To major learning outcomes –To course learning outcomes –to what is going on in class Thanks