Basics of Developing Curriculum

Marcy Alancraig, Cabrillo College

Greg Burchett, Riverside City College

Chris Sullivan, San Diego Mesa College

Participant Learning Outcomes

After attending this session, participants should be able to:• Explain and employ various

contemporary models of curriculum development;

• Distinguish between “objectives” and “outcomes” as they appear in the COR;

More Participant Outcomes

• Develop curriculum at their campuses that is both theoretically sound and attentive to local population needs.

What the X?!& is an SLO?

• Knowledge

• Skills

• Abilities

• Attitudes

that a student can demonstrate by the end of a course, program, certificate or degree

SLOs: The Big Picture

• Requires HIGHER LEVEL thinking skills

• Synthesizes many discreet skills

• Requires students to APPLY what they’ve learned

• Results in a product

• Product must be evaluated or assessed by faculty

Objective: Nuts and Bolts

• Describes small, discreet skills

• Requires basic thinking skills

• Do not necessarily result in a product

A comparison: English 1A

Objectives: • Develop a main

idea• Maintain a clear

command of tone• Show control of

standard English grammar

SLO• Write essays,

including research-based writing, demonstrating academic rhetorical strategies and documentation.

Other Sample Outcomes

• Biology: Apply concepts of chemistry to physiological systems

• Speech: Deliver well-researched speeches to inform and persuade

• Dental Hygiene: Demonstrate technique of soft-tissue curettage on clinic patients

Clicker Quiz

• Answer the following questions.

• Push A if you think the statement is an SLO.

• Push B if you think it’s an objective

SLO or Objective?

• (History course) Identify key dates in American History to 1865.

• A. SLO

• B. Objective

SLO or Objective?

• (Engineering course) Functioning as a member of a team, the student will design and present a concrete structure which complies with engineering standards.

• A. SLO• B. Objective

SLO or Objective?

• (Epidemiology course) Define and assess an epidemic for a given population and recommend factors influencing the use of health services.

• A. SLO

• B. Objective

SLO or Objective?

• (Sociology course) Understand that individuals (and their families) must be regarded uniquely as individuals with many contributing variables such as multicultural issues.

• A. SLO• B. Objective

SLO or Objective?

• (Math course) Given data students will analyze information and create a graph that is correctly titled and labeled, appropriately designed, and accurately emphasizes the most important data content.

• A. SLO• B. Objective

True or False?

• The college’s mission is peripheral to program or departmental missions in matters of curriculum development.

• A. True

• B. False

True or False?

• The course outline of record MUST contain a reference to critical thinking.

• A. True

• B. False

True or False?

• There is a standard definition of “critical thinking” in both the Ed. Code and Title V that can be applied to all courses and programs.

• A. True• B. False

True or False?

• Formative and summative assessments are mutually exclusive.

• A. True

• B. False

Value/Valor

• What do we value in a course of study?

• How do we demonstrate this?

• When do we apply these values to learning in the classroom?

Formative and Summative

• How do we evaluate student assignments?• Formative assessment:

Student self-assessmentFeedback (a la CAT)

• Summative assessment:Unit testsMid-termsFinal

Resistance is Futile: The Taxa Are Here

• Bloom (1956)

• Wiggins and McTighe (1996)

• Fink (2003)

The Promised Land (a.k.a Critical Thinking)

• “Critical thinking skills are those diverse cognitive processes and associated attitudes critical to intelligent action in diverse situations and fields that can be improved by instruction or conscious effort.”

Nancy Glock, 1987

Thank You!

• Please fill out the evaluations.

• The presentations will be posted on the ASCCC website under the Curriculum Institute within 2 weeks.