Reflection: goals, outcomes/objectives

Last week I had started thinking about the task of redesigning my art appreciation class, applying ideas from our text, Rapid Instructional Design by George M. Piskurich.  I recognized that based on my understanding of the reading, the goal for learners should be 100% have learned what was taught, or I have not really taught it. I have the objectives for students that is given to me by administration so my perceived next step is to analyze how to apply the objectives to the learning modules in art appreciation for an 18 week face to face class that is supplemented with Blackboard. Quizzes and some movies and discussions will be housed on Blackboard as well as all PowerPoint lectures and handouts. Next, I will be developing a hybrid and finally, a fully online class. The goal set forth by our division Associate Dean is for each faculty member to to create 2 modules for a class each semester. My goal is to create four.

I could go ahead and do what the author suggests and “take your completed objectives and distribute them to your trainees, along with a list of resources (procedures, books manuals, videos, CD-ROMS, people and so on) they can use to master the objectives. Then leave them on their own to do so” (page 130). The author states that “the two main problems with this shortcut are (1) the availability of resources and (2) the inconsistency in what the trainees pull from the resources.” (page 130) The short cut to self-directed learning would probably be the best for the student/trainees to actually learn the material but since I’m also being paid to teach the class as a subject matter expert, I will be the one to also supply the directed learning tasks in a variety of modes to the students. That way I can measure what they need to learn and determine how well they have learned it.

Listed below are the expected outcomes that were set in place by administration and I will need to adhere to these until the new core objectives are put into effect in 2014. Many have used the terms outcomes and objectives as meaning the same thing and I know not to confuse these two with goals but after reading the text and studying these outcomes, most of them are not really stated very well. Nevertheless, I have to work with them because they are set forth by administration in order to fulfill our mission for the general education core.

I believe that 1a, 1b and 3b are not true objectives because they are not observable and directly measurable but I still need to measure them in my assessment findings at the end of each semester. Also notable is that each item is referring to the “graduate” and not the student who completes my class. So whoever set this up was probably not a good course designer. The following items seem more like goals for the liberal arts program and reflect from both points of view of the program and the student.

[1a] The UNT Dallas graduate will explore English, the arts and humanities, math, the natural sciences, and social and behavioral sciences.

[1b] The UNT Dallas graduate will make connections between different areas of knowledge and different ways of knowing.

[2a] The UNT Dallas graduate will be able to locate, evaluate and organize information including the use of information technologies.

[2b] The UNT Dallas graduate will think critically and creatively, learning to apply different systems of analysis.

[3a] The UNT Dallas graduate will engage with a variety of others in thoughtful and well-crafted communication.

[3b] The UNT Dallas graduate will broaden and refine their thinking as a part of the give and take of ideas, seeking to better understand other’s perspectives as well as their own.

[4b] The UNT Dallas graduate will be able to express ways that exposure to different ideas, perspectives, cultures and viewpoints have enriched their thinking.

[5a] The UNT Dallas graduate will be able to articulate the values that undergird their lives, the UNT Dallas community and the larger society.

Out text explains that “course goals are statements developed to explain what the course will cover.” (page 117) and “objectives let the trainees know what they need to do, tell the designer and the trainer what they  need to do, let higher management know what’s going on, and are the criteria for trainee and course success.” (Page 117) After reading, I realized that I was really not working with a good set of objectives so what the author writes is true: “course designers think they are developing them when they are not,” and “you never truly understand the importance of objectives until you are given the task of developing content and training…”(page 117)

So my first task will now be to actually create some good objectives for my art appreciation class that reflect the mission of the University and also what I am asked to measure by administration that will be used for assessment during our accreditation process. My objectives will be written on the syllabus and will be the initial stage of my design document. So I am now going to put myself in the position of the student, pick the right verbs to create some good course objectives that include standards and conditions, and get to work creating some “SMART” and “SMARTER” objectives (pages 129, 130).

Reflection: Instructional Design

The book called  Rapid Instructional Design: Learning ID Fast and Right   is really helping me to redesign my art appreciation class for Fall. George Piskuich promises that the book will “help you make sure that what is in your program is what your trainees need to learn.” (page 3) So far I have read chapters 1-4 and have already picked up some very useful ideas.   

There are two issues that I have to address for art appreciation since it is in the common core for general studies in a liberal arts program. First of all I need to focus on the learning objectives which have been set forth by the state of Texas. There are now 6 areas (reduced from 37), for each class that is part of the general education core to address:

1. Critical Thinking

2. Communication Skills

3. Empirical & Quantitative Skills (optional for creative arts)

4. Teamwork

5. Social Responsibility

6. Personal Responsibility (optional for creative arts)

Secondly, I have to figure out how to measure these objectives. The art appreciation class that I have been in the process of re-designing needs to help students develop skills in these 6 areas. The state has told me what students need to learn and it’s my job to decide how to design the class so students will demonstrate their learning through art appreciation.  

Over the past three semesters I have designed assignments intended to measure student learning in similar areas and have been collecting data about student outcomes. I have also been offering commentary about what I think is needed to change the outcomes and making follow-up statements in a program that we use called TracDat. The standards for our whole division were set that 80% of students would achieve 80% of a given outcome. After one semester of results, that was reduced to 75% of students will achieve 75% of a given outcome. This seems to be a decent target for general education. However, after reading the text, asking for 75% concerns me because if the saying is true that “you haven’t taught if they haven’t learned” (page 116) then we as teachers in the general education program are not very successful. I certainly wouldn’t want a Doctor that is advising me to have earned 75% in his or her coursework. Of course we’d love for everyone to achieve 100%! I can’t change anyone else or the division plan but I can work on revising my course to be an effective trainer and course designer. When I return from the ISTE2012 conference next week I will also be given the opportunity to create something to share with the division in the Fall. Our Director of the Office of Distance Learning & Instructional Technologies has set aside monetary assistance for me to prepare something to do with "Projects or ideas that impact development or delivery of entire programs or courses across disciplines." So I'm really looking forward to preparing something that is based on this class experience and also the conference.

Reflection: Writing Across the Curriculum

I'm back from my first conference,"writing across the curriculum." It was interesting to notice how many of the presenters were technology adept and how many were not, but aside from that it was a meaningful experience. After attending this writing conference (as an artist/educator and  technology user) and reading Dr Chris Bigenho's writings about his "journey" I was inspired and thought that I would also reflect on where I have been these past few years and through the process of writing, I hope to discover new things about the fields of educational technology and where I (as a computer artist/educator) am going.

First of all, I noticed that because I have been educated in the fine arts, I have not developed the knowledge of how to research and present my results in writing. As a visual artist, one researches but the outcomes are always in visual form. Academic artists usually write an artist's statement about the art (product) and also give gallery talks or even write about their work on a web site or Blog. The process is similar in that we show the end results of a project and write about the product for others to read.

There is one similarity that I noticed: both the artist and the academic researcher have been inspired to create something based on a "problem" or should I say, a challenge.

This is why I was fascinated when I read about "Action Research" on Dr Bigenho's portfolio site. Yes, I admit that I had to look up what this was exactly. When I did the lights came on and I realized that I have been doing this in my head since I began to teach. I do it in my head when teacher evaluations are published and when we have to post data on Trac Dat for SACS. I do it in my head when I receive a batch of papers or projects that are not what I wanted or at least what I thought I wanted.

So with this new spark of inspiration from learning about "Action Research" I can now try and formally figure out why some things work and others do not. I'm also looking forward to reading the text when I get back to Missouri on Monday evening so I can learn more terms for what I have been doing in my head for years. It's like the person who does math in their head but must learn how to show their work.