Curriculum Design - Economics workshop

Curriculum Design, Assessment & Feedback and Creativity & Innovation Economics Workshop Karen Virapen, Roisín Curran and Catherine O’Donnell Viewpoints Workshop (10.00 – 12.00) 11 th June 2010

Session Outline
Introduce Viewpoints and the workshop format (5 minutes)
Group work tasks (1 hour, 40 minutes)
Examples of workshop outputs, photos and findings and next steps ( 5 minutes)
Conclusions and questions ( 10 minutes)

Viewpoints Overview
Viewpoints has a remit to create a series of user-friendly reflective tools (in workshop and online format) to promote and enhance effective curriculum design .
The tools will help staff consider areas such as:
assessment and feedback,
information skills,
student interactions and
creativity and innovation
while considering the learner perspective.

Creativity in the curriculum
Creativity might be described as the ability to see things in a new way, addressing issues and problems with exciting, novel solutions.
It suggests approaches to learning that embrace elements such as flexibility, multi and inter-disciplinarity, collaborative learning, entrepreneurship, and risk-taking or experimentation.
Inevitably, creativity reaches beyond the boundaries of individual disciplines and encourages a focus on issue- and project-driven learning.

… linking to revalidation
Is there evidence of creativity and innovation in curriculum design and delivery?
This should take account, as appropriate, of course, school, faculty, University and national initiatives. Consider engagement with the University’s Centre for Higher Education Practice, the Higher Education Academy, Centres for Excellence in Learning and Teaching.
Consider the Key Supporting Objectives under Strategic Aim 3 of the University’s Teaching and Learning Strategy, and the associated action plans.

Today’s Workshop
An activity-based workshop that aims to encourage reflection and creativity in Assessment and Feedback practice.
Uses large laminated worksheets (with a student timeline) and best practice cards as prompts.
You will work together in groups to plan how to address your objective(s).
You will produce visual output.

Group work tasks
You will work in groups
Each group will:
Be given a worksheet, prompts, markers etc.
Be given tasks to complete.
Have the opportunity to feed back ideas and share output experiences at the end.

Task 1 – Consider your challenges at course level (10 minutes)
Spend about 5 minutes discussing/brainstorming
What are your challenges?
Do you need to redesign anything, e.g. assessment and feedback, information skills etc.?
How would/could you redesign aspects ?
You might find the course level worksheet and course level cards useful to aid your discussion.
Make Notes using post-its and share key points with the other groups via course level sheet or flip chart (5 minutes).

Task 2 – Record module level objective(s) (5 minutes)
Please take a moment to organise into small groups (if possible one for each module you wish to consider).
For each module record your key objective(s) in the box at the top of the worksheet.
E.g. improve student engagement, improve feedback methods OR introduce effective peer-feedback.

Task 3 – Choose cards (5 minutes)
For now look only at the front of the ‘Assessment and feedback’ cards and choose ones that might help you address your chosen objective(s).

Task 4 – Map principles to worksheet (5 minutes)
Place the cards on the timeline, where relevant, considering the student perspective . Note: you can place them in more than one place on the timeline .

Task 5 – Select implementation ideas (20 minutes)
Turn over the most important card(s) and tick any ideas that might help your group address your objective(s).
Rank the most important card(s) using the ‘rating’ box or rate individual ideas in order of priority.

Task 6 - Tailoring a solution (5 minutes)
Discuss how your selected ideas could be used in practice to address your objective(s)
As a group write a brief plan and make notes on the worksheet using post-its or markers in the ‘your plan’ area.

Task 7 - Action points, reflections (5 minutes)
Discuss how your plans could be brought together in teaching practice.
Make notes about overall action points and reflections in the bottom box.

Task 8 - sharing plans (15 minutes) One or two members from each group briefly feed back your progress. Share the key features of your group output . (Approx 5 minutes for each group)

Task 9 – Sharing plans across the modules (10 minutes)
Place the worksheets side by side.
Look at your plans across the modules.
Now decide/agree/plan anything you need to adjust especially while considering the module that requires redesign and how it links to the other modules.
Make some notes using post-its / markers if helpful.

Task 10 – Revisit course level worksheet (5 minutes)
Revisit the course level worksheet.
Check if anything needs adjusted or actioned course wise.
Make some brief notes on worksheet.

Some examples of workshop outputs, photos and findings

Group 1 Scenario: Improve dissertation standards Why: To bridge gap between module-based assignments and independent research.

Group 2 Scenario: Improve feedback methods Why: Students fail to engage with written assessment feedback.

Group 3 Scenario: Effective use of an ePortfolio Why: Course up for revalidation – artefacts could be useful beyond the module.

Group 4 Scenario: ‘Reflect on Me’ Why: To allow students to develop skills and share these across modules.

Group 5 Scenario: Improve student engagement Why: Course up for revalidation – going to be using a blended approach (combination of block face-to-face teaching and online learning).

Group 6 Scenario: Student Assessment handbook Why: To help 1 st year students initially in their transition to higher education.

Group 7 Scenario: Enhance CAD feedback Why: Enhance A&F to measuring student ability to analyse and manipulate drawings and make constructive comments about example drawings.

Captured Process A&F sessions R&R residential

Example A&F output Example assessment and feedback output from workshop with PhD students as part of an ‘Assessment for Learning’ session with their lecturer.

Information skills outputs The library team looking at SCONUL Pillar 6 (Use and Share Information).

Course Level Course View workshop Images

Some Quotes
From participants:
“ Thought provoking.”
“ Good to see the plan in front of you.”
“ Short sessions exploring ideas - very useful. ”
“ Enjoyed it – not too time-consuming and time used very well. ”
From external residential facilitator:
“ Broader range of designs - not just focused on learning objects.”

Next steps
Refine the workshop format based on feedback
Develop the online version of the tools
Promote and disseminate both versions
Build up examples / case studies

Conclusions and any questions? Anything you wish to ask us?

Further information Project blog: http://viewpoints.ulster.ac.uk CIES R&R Programme: http://www.cetl.ulster.ac.uk/elearning/rrs/ RLO CETL: http://www.rlo-cetl.ac.uk Dr Alan Masson, Project Director - [email_address] Catherine O’Donnell, Academic E-Learning Consultant - [email_address] Karen Virapen, Instructional Technologist – [email_address]

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Curriculum Design - Economics workshop

by Viewpoints, University of Ulster on Jun 29, 2010

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