The document provides guidelines for effective course development using the Quality Matters rubric, emphasizing the importance of aligning course objectives with activities and assessments. It outlines the ABCD objectives formula and suggests measuring various cognitive skills through specific assessment methods. Additionally, it includes resources for further assistance in course design and assessment strategies.

1. AnastasiaTrekles, Ph.D.

2.  Use the Quality Matters rubric and Standards 2, 3, 4,
5, and 6 to help guide your course development.
 Develop course objectives at all appropriate levels
of Bloom’sTaxonomy for your course.
 Align objective statements to activities and
assessments to gauge whether learners are meeting
the stated outcomes.

3.  When objectives match up with the way you
assess learning, you get a more accurate
measure of success
 Without alignment:
 Students receive mixed messages about what’s
important
 Students may feel like there’s too much or not enough
going on in the course
 You may get poor results on tests and projects
 Students may not be prepared for the next level in
their programs

4.  Aligning course objectives, activities, and
assessments may sound harder than it is
 Often you can build the activities right into
the objective statement
 If an activity doesn’t match up with an
objective, then it’s not worth doing (adjust
accordingly!)
 The Course Blueprint can help you lay out
your objectives and match to appropriate
activities and assessments in a visual way

5.  A quick review…
 The ABCD Objectives Formula:
 Audience: who are the learners?
 Behavior: what do you want to be able to observe them
doing?
 Condition: under what conditions will they do this?
 Degree: to what degree must they perform to be
successful?
 For example: After the course, students will be able to
discuss at least three major outcomes from the
American CivilWar, including social and political
implications.

6. • Evaluation
make judgments based on criteria
• Synthesis
compile information in a new way
• Analysis
break down information into parts
• Application
use information in a new situation
• Comprehension
interpret information
• Knowledge
recall information
Lower Order Thinking Skills
Higher Order Thinking Skills

9. Type of Objective How to Measure
Discuss/Recall/Identify Discussion board, summary paper,
objective test
Apply/Use Essay or fill-in test, labs, report paper
Analyze Problem-solving, analysis paper, case
studies, presentations
Create/Design Research paper, creative essays, art,
prototypes, plans, student-created tests,
presentations
Evaluate/Judge Journals, case studies, debates, peer
review, critiques
Perform an action Performance review, plays, skits,
demonstrations, presentations, peer and
small group practice

10.  Going back to that example: After the course,
students will be able to discuss at least three
major outcomes from the American CivilWar,
including social and political implications.
 What types of activities could be used to help
students reach this objectives?
 How would you assess attainment of this
objective?

11.  Transform these scenarios into objectives
with aligned activities and assessments
1. Students must learn how chlorophyll works
in plants.
2. Students must take a position on an issue
and defend it.
3. Students must assess someone’s blood
pressure and heart rate.
4. Students must solve linear equations.

12.  Visit:
http://www.qmprogram.
org/myqm
 If you are in the
Mentorship program:
enter your email address
and click Forgot
Password
 Not in the Mentorship
program? You are “new
here” and “Purdue
University-North Central
Campus” is your
institution

13.  Click Course Review
Management System
from the toolbar
 Click My Course
Reviews
 Click Self Reviews
 Click Complete New
Self-Review to begin
 Review standards and
annotations for help
 You can save and return
anytime

14.  Carnegie MellonAssessment page:
http://www.cmu.edu/teaching/assessment/h
owto/basics/objectives.html
 University of Colorado assessment tutorial:
http://www.ucdenver.edu/faculty_staff/facult
y/center-for-faculty-
development/Documents/Tutorials/Assessme
nt/index.htm

15. Reach us at:
 pncolt@pnc.edu
 Twitter and Facebook: @PNCOLT
 http://www.pnc.edu/distance for all
workshop notes, links, and training needs