Course+Objectives

Course Objectives ([|permalink])last edited by Philip Pecorino on Tuesday, 12/19/2006 12:55 PM

Though you may wish to rename this button, I will use the generic name to discuss some best practices associated with this space. In the traditional classroom and in the paper universe, we are all used to creating a paper syllabus. In the digital world and in the Bb universe, several “best practices” have evolved that I will describe in detail for you. The goal is to keep all materials visible on the screen without forcing students to scroll down. This is especially important for students with disabilities. Here is a list of folders that you may want to include. 1) **Course Objectives
 * A. The Use of Folders**

a) **Your first item in this folder may be a document detailing your course objectives. Among the best practices, stating course objectives that take into account cognitive scaffolding, illustrated here by [|Bloom’s taxonomy], can provide both clarity for students as to your expectations, and provide a roadmap for learning. For example, I want my students to learn numbers in French, but I want them to do more than just memorize words. I want them to be able to use numbers in everyday life. So I will frame my knowledge-level objective in this fashion:

Students will learn how to use numbers in a communicative way for descriptions (age, height, number of family members, etc.), events (dates, times), information (addresses, phone numbers), financial transactions (banking, paying for/receiving payment for items), and schedules (transportation schedules, entertainment schedules, etc). Mastery of numbers will be measured by ease of using numbers in oral and written communications (see Grading Rubrics under Grading Policies [– more on this below]). What is significant about this particular objective is that the subject matter cuts across several chapters, yet all of it remains on the same cognitive level. The subject matter, once learned, can be applied to several changing contexts. In this way, students understand the purpose for learning the numbers and their motivation increases as a result. Soon, they’ll be able to “sound” French as a result. b) You may want to illustrate your course objectives by creating a [|concept map]. A concept map provides a visual roadmap that can show linkages between and among your course objectives. To create a concept map, you can download the [|free concept mapping tool]. The tool allows you to create maps that embed images, audio files, video files, other concept maps, and text documents. To see a finished map, try this [|example]. Aren’t concept maps fun? 2) **Grading Policies**

a) You may wish to provide a [|rubric] for grading essays as an item within this folder. Some rubrics can be discipline-specific (ex., [|history]). Some rubrics are modeled along the guidelines of professional standards. It is useful for students to become acquainted early on with the professional expectations in their chosen field. b) A second item in this folder may be the grid for your grades (e.g., Essays = 40%). It is useful to have the grid map to course objectives whenever possible. The students then tie in the objective with the assessed outcome. Because many of you will be making use of multimedia in your course sites, you and your students may need to download and install the following free plugins. Here is a partial list of items for this folder: a) [|Word viewer]: makes as versions of MS Word reader-compatible. b)  [|PowerPoint viewer]: **__ NOTE __ : ** I will be posting soon instructions on how to upload your slides into Bb so that your students do not have to have the software on their machine to view your files. c) [|Excel viewers] d)  [|Flash player] e) [|Adobe reader] f)  [|Windows Media Player] g) [|Real player] h)  [|QuickTime player] a) When posting your syllabus, I suggest that you do so in __at least two__ of the following formats: MS Word (.doc), Rich Text Format (.rft), PDF (.pdf). Your students can then easily download and print this material, or they can carry it around with them on their PDA or iPod. b) Some of you who have attended the open houses have asked me how I create the Interactive Syllabus. I will be posting some tutorials on this soon. In the meantime, you may want to read about the pedagogical underpinnings for the Interactive Syllabus in [|my article]. Think of Bb as a digital filing cabinet. When you open up your filing cabinet, you see folders in which are found your items. Each folder has a name that identifies it. The descriptor is an added way of providing reference data for contents. Bb’s architecture makes full use of folders. By constructing your course site with folders you will make it easy for students to navigate your site, you will keep collections together, __and__ you will be able to cross-link to files using the course map tool. This is once of Bb’s best-kept secrets that allows you to interconnect your files. Moreover, when you use the synchronous classroom tool, you will be able to point to your folders and their contents and display these on the whiteboard space. This includes PowerPoint, __if__ you have produced them and uploaded them in the way that I will teach you.
 * 3) Software Downloads You May Need**
 * 4) The (Interactive) Syllabus**
 * B. Describing Folder Content**
 * C. Further use of Folders**