Hi Everyone,
I want to mention that "Dee Fink & Associates" is offering three ways to learn about the basics of good course design, two of which are relatively new. Let me provide some information about them, starting with the newest of these.
1. Online Course about "Designing Online & Hybrid Courses"
Linda Jacoby and Stewart Ross have teamed up to create this online course that will be available to start sometime in the next week or so. They are both from Minnesota State University in Mankato.
This course has two major portions. The first is about the basics of good course design, e.g., writing good learning goals, the 3-column table, etc. The second is about key topics related to the online dimension of course design, e.g., creating good course navigation strategies, using media and technology appropriately, criteria for good online courses, etc. Stewart has many years of experience with the first component; Linda has many years of working with faculty on the second component.
Value of This Course: More and more campuses are encouraging their faculty to move into teaching their courses in a fully online or hybrid format. That can be scary for faculty. This online course can reduce that fear by educating them about the both the general principles of good course design and good procedures with online/hybrid courses.
This course will operate on the basis of continuous enrollment, meaning we will start a new section whenever we have 5-8 people ready to enroll.
For more information about this course, see: http://www.deefinkandassociates.com/?page_id=164
2. Online General Course about "Designing Courses for Greater Student Engagement & Better Student Learning"
I put this course together last year, trial tested it, and am currently teaching two sections of it, with people from North Carolina, Connecticut, and Kenya. It is working very well.
It has 14 units and works through the various steps of Integrated Course Design: identifying the Big Purpose of the course and the Situational Factors, writing good learning goals, learning activities, and assessment activities, etc.
Value of This Course: As many of you know, when faculty learn about the basic principles, it is like the fog lifts about what they can and should do to teach better and have better relationships with their students. It also often gives them an agenda for continuing their education about good teaching, e.g., active learning, educative assessment, teaching strategies, etc.
This course also can solve the problem that many campuses have about how to introduce good ideas on teaching to adjunct faculty. The problem with this group is finding a time when they can all meet. Enrolling them in an online course solves this problem.
Like the preceding course, this one operates on continuous enrollment. This means we will start a new section whenever we have 5-8 people ready to go.
For more information about this course, see: http://www.deefinkandassociates.com/?page_id=161
Two Certificates Available
In both of these online courses, faculty have the opportunity to earn either or both of two Certificates:
- Certificate of Completion: This is issued when someone completes all the units in either of the courses.
- Certificate of Performance: This is issued whenever someone can submit a course design that meets the criteria of good course design that we have put together. To give you a sense of what these are like, the criteria for the general course on course design are attached.
- A number of campus leaders see great value in having a significant portion of their faculty earn either or both of these certificates, but especially the Certificate of Performance. This means a substantial portion of their faculty not only know about good course design; they can do it.
These Certificates are issued by the University of Oklahoma who is hosting the courses.
3. Annual National Workshop
As we have done for the last several years, we will offer the National Workshop on course design again; this year it will be on May 20-22, 2011 in Minneapolis.
As many of you know from having attended one, this workshop is really powerful, for three reasons:
- More Time: We have 2.5 days, so we have time for everyone to do the steps involved in re-designing their courses.
- More Feedback: Everyone sits at a table of 5-7 people with a trained Feedback Facilitator. After doing each step, everyone shares with others at their table. Hence, they get feedback from multiple people on their design activities and get to see the work of several others.
- It is a "Doing" workshop: Over 50% of the total workshop time is spent either doing the various steps or dialoguing with others about their work.
By the time participants finish the workshop, they have two major "take-away's":
- They will have the design for a whole course close to completed.
- They will understand the principles and process of good course design, so they can design all their courses in the future for greater student engagement and better student learning.
For more information about the National Workshop, see: http://www.deefinkandassociates.com/?page_id=47
I hope you might consider, or encourage your colleagues to consider participating in one or another of these opportunities. Each of them has been crafted to help participants greatly enhance their ability to create significant learning experiences for their students!
My Best, Dee Fink
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L. Dee Fink
234 Foreman Ave.
Norman, OK 73069
Phone/FAX: 405-364-6464
Email: [log in to unmask]
Website: www.finkconsulting.info
**National Project Director: Teaching & Curriculum Improvement (TCI) Project
**Senior Associate, Dee Fink & Associates Consulting Services
**Author of: Creating Significant Learning Experiences
**Former President of the POD Network in Higher Education (2004-2005)