rafik amamri
2009-08-20, 10:24
hello brothers and sisters
here is my first contribution to this forum
in fact they are some helpful documents for English students I hope you will enjoy ....................good luck in Magister exam..:sdf:
Chapter 5
Programme and course design
Introduction
Programme development and design is more important than just ******* for
a course of study. It is important to understand and realise that the pro-
gramme development process involves more than just the separate com-
ponents of the programme (i.e. that of aims, objectives, learning outcomes,
*******, learning, assessment and evaluation). Understanding the inter-
relationships between these components is key to good practice. If the inter-
relationships are not considered there is a danger that course aims will not be
assessed, that teaching can become relatively inefficient and unfocused and
that student learning is accompanied by frustration and underachievement.
In this first section of this chapter I consider and illustrate the relation-
ships between the components of the programme development process, so
that the various parts of the process can be co-ordinated to bring about
effective changes to a teaching programme. The illustrations will also help in
the culmination of evidence for a portfolio suitable for ILT accreditation.
Curriculum and programme development: the
changing context
Programme and course development and particularly curriculum develop-
ment in higher education is increasingly being influenced by external factors
such as the demands of the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) and Subject
Review. These external demands have required academics to use such terms
as aims, learning outcomes, and assessment tools and evaluation models. To
be effective, curriculum development and thus course or programme devel-
opment must have a sound theoretical basis. There must be a structure to the
programme or course that enables decisions to be made related to the nature
and quality of the learning that is to take place. There must also be a model
for the development, which draws together the various aspects of the pro-
gramme or course development. These must include aspects such as learning
outcomes and assessment. However, in order for such terminology to be
52 Programme and course design
used effectively there is a need to consider the types of questions academic
teachers need to ask in order to develop a model that will help design a
programme or course.
Below, I show how a model for a programme or course development can
be built up based on the types of question an academic teacher needs to
engage in if they are to develop a quality programme of learning and
teaching.
1 Developing a model for programme and course design
In the past, most university courses and programmes used a very simple
model of development such as identify ******* and assess it (Figure 5.1).
This form still exists but cannot be perceived as good practice. This sim-
plistic model demonstrates the commonly held view in higher education that
education merely consists of facts which have to be assessed, often through
formal examination. This model makes some fundamental assumptions
related to higher education at all levels. These include:
• The ability to pass examinations is the best method for assessing student
selection and performance.
• Knowledge is the accumulation of brick upon brick of ******* and
information (Rogers, 1969).
This simple model, based on the assumptions indicated above is very limit-
ing and inadequate, but it does allow academic teachers to ask two funda-
mental but basic questions in relation to developing a programme or course
for their students. These are:
1 Why am I teaching this *******?
2 How do I know how successful I have been?
These questions may be interpreted as dealing with ******* (Question 1) and
indirectly with assessment (Question 2). But how does this help the aca-
demic teacher who wishes to enable students to learn? The model is very
basic, but by answering the questions the academic teacher has to question
the validity and significance of what is being taught, the possible need to
balance breadth and depth, and the relevance and interest of the ******* to
the students. However, what this model ignores is that all students do not
learn in the same way, nor does it take account of the differing learning
Figure 5.1 A simple model of development
Programme and course design 53
environments that may assist learning to take place. The model also gives no
indication as to the sequencing of *******, and the possible hierarchical
structure and nature of some forms of knowledge. The model also fails to
show how concepts are linked, or indeed if there are any unifying concepts
or strands to the development of the curriculum or programme.
Good practice requires the developer of a programme or course to con-
sider the above issues. In order to do this they need to ask themselves a series
of questions, including:
1 Why am I teaching this in a particular way?
2 How should I organise the ******* of my course/programme or
curriculum?
If these questions are asked the model may be slightly improved, and be
perceived as shown in Figure 5.2. This model still neglects essential elements
that will promote planning for effective learning, such as what are the aims
of the programme, how will student learning outcomes be monitored or
assessed, what implications does the programme have for resources, etc.? To
improve this model further, the academic teacher has to ask additional ques-
tions related to what needs to be taught, how it is to be taught and the
purpose for teaching the selected *******.
The questions that should now be asked are:
1 What are the aims of the programme or curriculum?
2 What are the learning outcomes of the programme? By this I mean,
what do I expect my students to be able to do at the end of the
programme?
3 How will I know whether these outcomes have been attained?
4 How and what type of information technology (IT) will be appropriate
for this programme?
5 What resources should be used for this programme?
Figure 5.2 Improved model
54 Programme and course design
This model is now much more sophisticated and can be used to plan a
programme, singular course or module. The crucial element in this more
sophisticated model is the question relating to aims and learning outcomes.
Programmes, courses or singular modules all need their aims to be central.
Figure 5.3 shows that teaching, course *******, its organisation and the
assessment that goes with it rely heavily on clearly formulated aims and
learning outcomes. A further important element is missing from this model:
evaluation. I will return to this component later. We now need to consider
the programme development process.
2 The process of designing a curriculum or programme
Many curriculum development models have been put forward over the
years, but in essence all have some generic elements and basic requirements.
The various models have evolved through asking some key questions in
relation to what needs to be learned and taught. When you are developing
a curriculum, programme, course or module it is advisable to ask the
following questions prior to planning and developing the course:
• What educational purpose is this course serving?
• What learning experience can be provided by the course as a means of
attaining the above purpose?
• How can I effectively organise and manage these learning experiences?
• How can I determine whether the purposes are being attained?
Figure 5.3 Model used to plan a programme
Programme and course design 55
Although these questions may at first appear theoretical and complex,
they may be further broken down to help the process of developing the
curriculum or programme. This process may be viewed as five phases:
1 The selection of aims and learning outcomes.
2 The selection of learning experiences that will help in the attainment of
aims and learning outcomes.
3 The selection of ******* (subject matter) through which the aims and
learning outcomes may be attained.
4 The organisation and integration of ******* to learning experiences and
teaching–learning strategies.
5 Evaluation of the effectiveness of the aims to the learning outcomes
achieved by the students.
Simplified again, this can be translated to:
1 Aims.
2 Learning outcomes.
3 *******.
4 Assessment.
5 Evaluation.
6 Feedback.
This suggests that programme or course development progresses in a
linear fashion. This of course is not always the case. However, the above
model does provide a working scenario for development. The academic
teacher needs to consider the assumptions under which the above model
operates so that other elements may be considered when planning a
programme.
The above assumes that many aims and learning outcomes can be speci-
fied at the beginning of a programme. Although many can, often new and
unexpected aims or learning outcomes develop as the course is taught. It is
for this reason that all elements of a programme be continually evaluated.
Second, it assumes that all aims and learning outcomes can be assessed. This
too is not always the case. As you will see in Chapter 7, assessment clearly
demonstrates how and why it should be used within learning and teaching
contexts. ******* is a main area for consideration, as this can determine the
aims of the programme as well as its learning outcomes. However, *******
must not drive the programme course or module. ******* must be viewed as
a vehicle for learning and is closely linked to the aims and learning outcomes
of the designed course.
Figure 5.4 shows how the model may be viewed and used as a tool for
development. This starts to connect the programme or course learning out-
comes to the learning experiences required by the students, as well as the
>>56 Programme and course design
Figure 5.4 The model as a tool for development
Figure 5.5 Cyclical development and improvement of the model
knowledge base on which those learning outcomes may be assessed. Taking
the model one step further requires the academic teacher to think in a cyc-
lical manner, so that the programme may be continually developed and
improved. This is demonstrated in Figure 5.5. When a new programme,
course or module is being developed the academic teacher will have goals
and hopes related to the programme, course or module. These are key
motivational factors in its development and cannot be dismissed from the
process.
Goals and hopes make the development process real. These can be viewed
as a good starting point for development. Figure 5.6 shows how individual
hopes and goals fit into the development cycle. Goals are taken to be the
general outcomes a course of study might wish to attain. Many of these
goals are turned into specific detailed aims of the course. Generally these
more specific aims will be assessed; by that I mean how successfully have the
students achieved the course aims? Evaluation covers the efficacy of teach-
ing, feedback from the students, and the assessment procedures against the
learning outcomes of the course.
Points for consideration
Programme and course design
57
Using the programme development model above, consider the follow-
ing issues in relation to a course or module you are in the process of
developing or about to develop.
• How has this module or course been developed in the past?
• How do I normally plan a course or module?
• Does my approach consider all aspects of programme
development?
• How effective is my approach to planning and developing a
course?
• Have I taken account of student learning?
Figure 5.6 Individual hopes and goals in the development cycle
Developing course aims and learning outcomes
Teaching is aimed at helping students learn something they had previously
not known; hence when designing and developing a course it is necessary to
consider how the student will learn and the changes in their thinking that are
needed to help the learning process. Making teaching/learning intentions
explicit is both helpful to the student and to the teacher. This approach is
often referred to as outcomes-based learning and planning. The use of learn-
ing outcomes is now dominating the higher education literature and is based
on the recommendations of the Dearing Report (NCIHE, 1997). This report
was explicit in its requirements for higher education to develop programme
specifications. Outcomes are viewed as a middle ground between statements
of learning which are considered to be over-generalised (learning aims) and
58 Programme and course design
those which are over-specified (learning objectives) (Walker, 1994). Despite
the debates that continue with respect to learning outcomes, learning object-
ives, aims, etc., academic teachers have to deal with them and include them
in any future course development. Pedagogically, learning outcomes are a
useful tool. They are used to make explicit to those who are to teach the
programme, as well as those who are to learn from the programme, what is
expected and what should be the achievable outcomes of the programme.
When aims and learning outcomes are being selected, the academic
teacher must take account of a number of issues related to their students, the
staff going to teach the programme or course, the resource implications of
the programme and the nature of the subject being taught. Each has its own
fundamental implication for the course aims and learning outcomes.
Points for consideration
Use the questions below in relation to a course or module you are in
the process of developing, or about to develop, as a way of establishing
the possible framework for its development.
• How does this course intend to develop the students?
• How will the nature of the subject to be taught influence the con-
tent of the programme?
• How does the course take account of external demands, such as
industry or accrediting bodies?
• What economic and resource restraints will the programme have?
• Can the programme be staffed by appropriately qualified
academics?
At the outset of development these factors cannot be ignored. If a pro-
gramme is developed without such consideration it may well produce a
course of study that is irrelevant to students and cannot be staffed.
Syllabi, ******* and understanding
New programmes, courses or modules in higher education are usually
developed to meet a changing need within the subject area itself or from
external pressures such as industry or accrediting bodies such as the English
Nursing Board (ENB), Institute for Professional Development (IPD), or the
Institute of Physics (IoP). Development reflects the need to change. This
change is intended for students to learn new information, knowledge, skills,
etc. Key to development is understanding what changes in learning are
required by the students. *******s of programmes are traditionally com-
municated by syllabi. The introduction to thermodynamics, evidence-based
Programme and course design 59
practice, the theories of Karl Marx and the works of Shakespeare are all
examples of potential course ******* as frequently expressed in university
documentation. When ******* is set out as a syllabus it is easy to obscure the
range of theories, concepts, principles, processes, skills and techniques that
students are expected to learn and teachers are equally expected to cover.
Any new course should aim to change the way students think about issues,
concepts, facts and principles. To do this, students need to be able to change
their conceptions. This is very difficult to do, and there is much literature to
demonstrate how resilient individuals’ prior conceptions are. Hence any
new course development must ask the following questions:
• What changes in understanding are expected from students undergoing
this programme or course?
• What will the students be able to do as a result of following this
programme?
• What will students be able to do as a result of these changes after they
complete the course that they could not do before?
The above questions are key to selecting programme or course aims and
learning outcomes. Writing aims and learning outcomes, and thinking sys-
tematically about what students need to understand and how they will
understand them, is essential to successful programme and course planning.
Use the points for consideration given below to help you derive the nature
and context of the understanding you wish your students to be engaged in.
Points for consideration
Using the above questions, identify the key elements such as concepts,
processes and theories that you think the course you are developing
requires. Use this information to answer the following:
• What do I want my students to understand?
• Why is this understanding important?
• What should this understanding enable them to do?
• How can I establish whether or not they have understood?
Selecting aims and learning outcomes
Selecting aims and learning outcomes is a means to changing student learn-
ing and the experience in which that change will occur. Aims can be thought
of as general statements of educational intent; as seen from an external point
of view they give a programme or course a destination, while learning out-
comes are more specific, and concentrate on what students are expected to
60 Programme and course design
learn and demonstrate that they have learned. Any programme should give a
clear indication as to what it hopes to achieve so that students know whether
or not they want to achieve those things on offer, and therefore enrol on the
programme. In this way teaching and learning can be directed to achieving
the stated aims and the most appropriate assessment procedures chosen to
establish whether those aims have been achieved.
Aims can be selected from a variety of sources, the most common of which
are the subject matter itself, external agencies and the constraint of teaching
staff.
Subject matter
Deriving aims from subject matter requires the academic teacher to ask the
question: what makes that subject distinctive? For example, certain skills
can only be taught in dentistry, certain ways of viewing the particulate
nature of matter can only be taught in chemistry, and certain logic and
problem solving can only be taught in law, and so on. It is these distinctive
features which should be used in deriving aims from subject matter. Equally
important are the types of aims that are common to groups of subjects (e.g.
the ability to search literature and the ability to communicate).
Points for consideration
Using the subject/topic area that requires development, consider and
identify the particular aspects that are key to the subject and how these
may be turned into aims for your programme or course.
Classifying aims as a means to identifying
learning outcomes
Aims may be classified in a variety of ways. Educational literature regarding
the pros and cons of classifying aims is widespread (Bloom, 1964; Gagné,
1967; Kibler, 1970; McGaghie, 1974). Although much of this literature is
old it still holds today. How the classifications are used and interpreted
are again open to discussion. The aim here is to introduce the levels of
classification as a tool for identifying learning outcomes.
There are three main areas of classification derived from Bloom (1964).
These include cognitive, affective and psychomotor aims, and these can
roughly be interpreted as knowing, feeling and doing. Cognitive elements
include knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis synthesis and
evaluation. Affective elements include receiving, responding, valuing, organ-
isation and characterisation. The psychomotor elements include initiatory
pre-routine and routinised behaviour.
Programme and course design 61
The literature suggests that these should to be both hierarchical and
cumulative. This classification can be further broken down to help the
process of the selection of aims and learning outcomes as follows:
1 Using Gagné’s (1967) approach, learning can be thought of as:
• recall;
• concept learning;
• generalisation learning;
• problem solving.
2 A possible approach to learning in medicine might include:
• information gathering;
• problem solving;
• clinical judgement;
• relationship to patients;
• continuing responsibility;
• emergency care;
• relationship with colleagues;
• professional values;
• overall competence.
3 In physics, course learning might be thought of as:
• collection of information;
• application of the principles of physics;
• application of mathematical techniques;
• application of experimental techniques;
• flexibility in problem solving;
• evaluation in problem solving;
• interpretation and explanation.
Classifications such as those given above are a good starting point for
selecting more specific aims for your own programme. When writing your
aims consider the following tips:
• Lower cognitive skills include recall of information and basic under-
standing of concepts.
• Acquisition of information includes using references.
• Higher cognitive skills include ability to generalise, evaluate, depth of
thought, critical analysis, problem solving, originality.
• Study skills include skills in preparation, seeking information, and
thought communication, both verbal and written.
62 Programme and course design
• Practical skills include clinical skills and experimental design and
techniques.
• Team work.
Combination of one of the higher order cognitive skills (e.g. problem
solving and practical skills) might produce the following aims within a
science subject. At the end of this programme students will be able to:
• manipulate laboratory equipment;
• recognise when adequate results have been obtained;
• discover errors and be able to correct them;
• evaluate the accuracy of the experiment.
In a law programme the combination of higher cognitive problem solving
and practical skills might produce the following aims. At the end of the
programme students will be able to:
• Understand and be able to identify, use and evaluate rules, concepts and
principles of law, their derivation, and various theories that attempt to
systematise them.
• Acquire the techniques of legal reasoning and argument, in oral and
written form.
In an English literature programme the combination of higher cognitive
critical analysis skills and practical skills might produce the following aims.
At the end of the programme students will be able to:
• Read broadly in English, American and world literature.
• Understand in depth the literary works which are covered by the
programme.
• Respond to literature both affectively and evaluatively.
• Use critical skills in reading unfamiliar texts.
Points for consideration
Using the above classification and examples, identify and specify the
aims of your intended programme, course or module.
Learning outcomes
Chapter 3 dealt with theories of learning and their implications for good
practice. Much of the discussion rested on deep and surface learning. Here
Programme and course design 63
we return to these two notions as they relate to selecting learning outcomes
for a programme of study, course or module.
In the classifications of aims the cognitive domain of learning suggested
that understanding covered six levels, the lowest being factual knowledge
and the highest being evaluation of information. This taxonomy, although
criticised, has been extended over the years and has been systematically used
to develop programmes of learning. Most recently the discussion has moved
towards levels of learning outcomes. The Dearing Report (NCIHE, 1997,
Recommendation 21) suggests four domains of intended learning outcomes
specifically for programmes of study in higher education within the United
Kingdom. These are:
1 Knowledge and understanding;
2 Key skills (e.g. communication, numeracy, IT, learning to learn);
3 Cognitive skills (e.g. ability in critical analysis);
4 Subject-specific skills (e.g. laboratory skills, clinical skills).
The above areas can both reassure and cause concern for institutions of
higher education. Some schools or faculties are already using learning out-
comes that fit the above frameworks while others are not. It is important to
understand the levels of learning students engage in as well as how these
levels can be translated effectively into levels of learning outcomes. It is
these levels of outcome that are needed for developing a programme, course
or module.
The work of Biggs (1987, 1989) on deep and surface learning is most
useful to consider here as a tool for developing levels of learning outcomes.
Biggs suggests that there are five levels of learning, which can be expressed as:
1 An increase in knowledge;
2 Memorising;
3 The acquisition of procedures;
4 The abstraction of meaning;
5 Understanding reality.
He surmised that the first three levels concentrate on surface approaches to
learning, and the last two levels required deep approaches to learning. These
differing levels relate to perceptions about ******* and teaching. One must
appreciate that there is a difference between knowing facts or understanding
concepts and the different approaches. Ramsden (1992, p. 45) suggests that:
An approach is not about learning facts versus learning concepts: it is
about learning just the unrelated facts (or procedures) versus learning
facts in relation to concepts. Surface is, at best, about quantity without
quality; deep is about quality and quantity.
64 Programme and course design
Biggs (1989, p. 10) wrote:
Knowing facts and how to carry out operations may well be part of the
means for understanding and interpreting the world, but the qualitative
conception stops at the facts and skills. A quantitative change in know-
ledge does not in itself change understanding. Rote learning scientific
formulae may be one of the things scientists do, but it is not the way
scientists think.
The implication for selecting levels of learning outcomes from Biggs’ and
Ramsden’s arguments is that the type of learning students will engage in
depends on the level of meaning students place on the knowledge that they
are expected to acquire.
To achieve effective learning outcomes it is important not to restate the
syllabus topics using the vocabulary of aims and learning outcomes. The
following are examples of how not to write learning outcomes:
1 A lecture or session topic in chemistry may be rates of reactions; the
learning outcome then becomes ‘To acquire the knowledge about rates
of reactions’.
2 A lecture or session in English literature may be Shakespeare sonnets;
the learning outcome then becomes ‘To acquire knowledge and
understanding about Shakespeare sonnets’.
Both of these examples highlight the basic failure of merely interpreting
syllabus ******* into learning outcomes. First, the learning outcomes give
very little information to the students as to what is expected of them and
how they should go about achieving the set learning outcomes. Second, the
******** in which they are written gives no insight into expectations. What
does it mean to acquire knowledge and understanding about rates of reac-
tions or Shakespeare sonnets? One assumes that students will be required to
understand the key concepts related to rates of reactions or Shakespeare
sonnets and how these concepts can be related to real situations (e.g.
unknown reactions and new poetry).
These two examples could be rewritten to clearly show the expectations
of the learning that students should be engaged in:
1 ‘To explain the meaning and function of rates of reaction in relation to
the concept of equilibrium’, and ‘To explain the significance of rates of
reaction within the context of thermal dissociation’.
2 ‘To explain the meaning and function of sonnets in relation to Shake-
speare writing’, and ‘To explain the significance of sonnets within the
context of contemporary poetry’.
Programme and course design 65
Students may not know what all these terms mean at the start of their
programme or course, but it will help direct their learning to the relevant
literature, as well as helping them to review their knowledge of the topic as
they proceed through the programme or course. The purpose of learning
outcomes is not only to help the student attain the aims of the programme
but also to help those who teach the programme to provide a systematic and
coherent course for the student. Each level of learning outcome can be
associated with words and phrases that depict expectations. To assist the
process further, Bloom’s taxonomy shows how levels of learning can be used
to select and derive levels of learning outcomes. For example, knowledge
may be viewed as names, recall, definitions, lists, records and stating facts.
Explanation, description, discussion and recognition may exemplify com-
prehension. Application may be shown by illustration, application of facts
and information, demonstration and practical skills. Analysis is exemplified
by calculation, the ability to distinguish sets of data, analysis of information
and data and the interpretation of tests. Synthesis with Bloom’s taxonomy
represents the formulation of ideas and hypotheses, organisation of infor-
mation and data and the ability to propose design and creative thinking.
Finally, evaluation is considered to be the ability to appraise, evaluate,
compare and assess situations and information.
Points for consideration
Using the above examples from Bloom’s taxonomy, select and derive
the levels of learning outcomes for the programme, course or module
you are developing.
Aims, learning outcomes and teaching
Establishing your aims and learning outcomes is the first step to developing a
systematic programme or course. There are, however, other elements that
now need to be considered. These include the nature and context of assess-
ment, as well as the possible teaching strategies that may be deployed. Pro-
gramme design has illustrated how aims are linked to *******, the way
******* is taught, organised and assessed. However, unless teaching is
planned to achieve programme, course or module aims, then these aims will
most likely not be achieved. This may appear to be an obvious statement,
but consider the following situation. Undergraduates are often criticised for
not being able to reference correctly, or to use reference material. Yet often
the use of the library comes high in course aims. What this demonstrates is
that if that aim is not achieved, if teaching and learning experiences are not
devised early in the course to provide the necessary experiences, students
will not be able to demonstrate their assumed learning outcomes.
66 Programme and course design
The most useful way around this problem is to state the aims in terms of
what the student is expected to do. In this way there is a clear indication as
to what teaching and learning has to take place in order for the aims to be
achieved. Sequencing of topics can occur systematically once aims and learn-
ing outcomes have been selected. The main focus for sequencing topics is to
allow students to progress through their learning in a coherent and system-
atic way. It also allows for those teaching the course to know what has been
taught before their contribution and what might follow their own. Thus, to
give consistency to the students’ learning, the following basic principles for
selecting learning experiences should be considered:
1 Sequencing of a course should focus on the aims for student learning.
2 Students must be given sufficient experiences to enable aims to be
attained.
3 Topics should follow systematically so that students can develop their
conceptual thinking in a coherent way.
4 Teaching should be organised to assist student learning; this can be
facilitated so that staff are aware of what is being taught, and when.
5 The same learning experience can bring about several different
outcomes.
Case studies of effective course design
It is always difficult to imagine how theory becomes practice. Below are
some case studies of effective course design. They aim to be exemplars, but
must be seen as particular to the courses being discussed. Each approach
may be modified to suit the purpose. What is important in all these case
studies is the understanding of how teaching and learning are represented.
Good courses make their expectations clear, but they also allow freedom
and provide structure. All the case studies are based on unpublished material
using fictitious names.
1 Designing a course for the management of change: Julie Green.
2 The aims and ******* of a chemistry course for chemical engineers.
3 Making the aims of a research methods programme explicit.
4 A problem based nursing course.
Problem-based learning is increasingly coming to the forefront of medical
education. In some institutions it is the main pedagogical approach to teach-
ing and learning. Boud and Feletti (1996) reviewed the range and variety
of problem-based learning and found the following characteristics to be
generic in most courses:
• Integration of disciplinary and clinical and non-clinical subject matter.
• A non-didactic facilitator.
Programme and course design 67
• Students, and not the teacher, make decisions about what they need to
learn in relation to the scenario set by the problem.
• Small groups of students explore a problem in a structured way so that
knowledge and understanding is shared.
• Synthesis and test of information; students report back on findings.
• Formulate learning questions.
In principle, problem-based courses focus on the types of problems that
are typically found in professional life. The main requirements for such
programmes are that students have to identify the nature and context of the
problem and the information they require to tackle and solve the problem.
In this type of course knowledge, skills and professional attitudes are
addressed simultaneously.
The following course was designed to enable post-registration nurses
to tackle questions related to diagnostic and problem-based skills and
issues which were thought to be essential for post-registration work. The
first step towards establishing the course aims was a realisation that the
participants of the course would require ******* that helped develop profes-
sional skills. But at the same time, and more importantly, the participants
were able to problem solve while understanding the ******* knowledge
they would be dealing with. The aims of the programme were stated as
follows:
1 To develop skills of critical analysis, particularly in relation to proposed
solutions to problems.
2 To develop skills of information collection and analysis.
3 To develop an appreciation of how to problem solve.
4 To develop an understanding for alternative solutions.
5 To be introduced to a variety of standard methods of analysis.
6 To develop independent study skills.
Following these aims, specific learning outcomes were developed to guide
both teacher and student to understand the requirements of the programme.
Included in the learning outcomes were knowledge, clinical problem solving
and professional values.
Aims and assessment
Assessment is a key element of higher education. A major function of
assessment is to provide feedback to students and staff on how well the
course aims have been achieved. This requires the assessment procedures
of the programme to be valid and reliable. Assessment procedures have to
have a high ******* validity. Assessment is dealt with in greater detail in
68 Programme and course design
Chapter 6. However, for the purpose of this section a brief discussion related
to reliability and validity is required as a means of understanding the links
between programme aims and assessment requirements.
Reliability and validity are terms used commonly in assessment. Four
types of validity are recognised:
1 ******* validity (is the ******* covered?);
2 Predictive validity (can the assessment achievement predict future
performance?);
3 Concurrent validity (is an aim being assessed in more than one way?);
4 Construct validity (does this indirect method of assessment tell us if an
aim has been achieved?)
Reliability indicates the consistency with which an assessment procedure
measures the aim(s) it is supposed to be measuring.
An assessment procedure can be highly reliable but have a low *******
validity. For example, the achievement of certain skills might be a course
aim. A multiple-choice test paper of high reliability could be used as a sole
form of assessment for that course, but as far as assessing skills are con-
cerned, that test could have no ******* validity. The practical implication of
this is that if assessment procedures do not reflect all the course aims (i.e. if
they do not have high ******* validity) then the aims which are not assessed
will more than likely not be achieved by the students.
Points for consideration
Within the programme, course or modules you are developing state the
aims of the programme, then using the questions below identify the
nature of the assessment appropriate to the programme.
• What are the aims of the programme?
• What learning experiences do the students need to achieve the
stated aims?
• What type of assessment best fits the learning experiences?
• What type of assessment tool will show ******* validity and be
reliable?
As a final consideration point, here are four key questions to guide your
design and development of a programme, course or module.
Points for consideration
Programme and course design 69
• What do I want my students to learn?
• How do should I organise the teaching and learning experience?
• How should I assess the learning that has taken place?
• How can I establish the effectiveness of the course in relation to
the learning outcomes?
Evaluating the programme or course
Evaluating and reviewing your programme or course is essential in estab-
lishing whether key course or programme aims and objectives/learning
outcomes have been met and how successfully these have been met. The
first distinction to be made is that review and evaluation are not the same
process, nor are they used in the same way in terms of development of a
programme or course. However, both are as important as each other,
when it comes to collecting evidence of course development and delivery.
Programme or course review
Individual review of a course or programme should be happening most
of the time from an individual perspective. By this I mean that after each
session, whether taught by you or by another member of staff, that
session should be reviewed quickly and efficiently for outcome. Did students
understand, should there be a recap next session, should extension work
be given to some more able students, is there a need for work for less
able students? These are the immediate issues that individual review
requires. Evidencing this is a matter of showing how you or your colleagues
have responded to immediate changes required in the delivery of the
session.
Evaluating a programme or course
There are various levels of evaluation, and equally there are a variety of
methods that can be used to evaluate courses. Essential to effective evalu-
ation is an understanding of what it is to evaluate and the processes by
which this is done. Key questions that frame evaluation are:
• What is evaluation?
• Why evaluate?
• What is the purpose of the evaluation?
• For whom is the evaluation being conducted?
• What is being evaluated?
70 Programme and course design
• When and how will the evaluation take place?
• How do you ensure evaluation data feeds back into course planning
and development?
Evaluation is more than simply filling in a questionnaire at the end of a
session or programme, and then doing nothing with the responses. System-
atic evaluation and feedback are the key to successful teaching and learning
programmes. Evaluation is the means by which you establish what is work-
ing well in a course both from a student and tutor perspective, as well as
what is not so successful. Through the collection and analysis of this infor-
mation, judgements can be made as to how to improve and develop the
programme, course or module. Evaluation is about gaining information that
helps to make informed judgements about course effectiveness. One of the
main reasons to evaluate is to establish how well the course meets the ori-
ginal aims and learning outcomes, but this is not the only purpose of the
evaluation. It is essential that both students and staff teaching the pro-
gramme are informed as to the effective and non-effective elements of the
course or programme.
Points for consideration
In relation to the programme you are currently developing, consider
the following questions:
• Has the programme been evaluated before? If so, how regularly
and what was done with the evaluation data?
• If the data are available are they of value in developing future
evaluation tools?
• How regularly will evaluation take place and when will you
evaluate?
• Will you evaluate throughout the course or just at the end of the
course, or is it best to do both?
• How appropriate and user friendly are your evaluation methods?
• Are participants encouraged to use their own words in the
evaluation tool?
• If the programme involves practical elements how will you
evaluate against practically described learning outcomes?
• How will you disseminate and discuss the evaluation findings?
• How will you develop the course following the evaluation
outcomes?
The above points are aimed at focusing the reasons for conducting
evaluations of your programmes and courses. It is also to emphasise the
importance of feedback of information to those concerned with the course
Programme and course design 71
or programme as well as taking the evidence and developing and improving
the course or programme for the future.
The next stage of evaluation is deciding which elements of the course or
programme are going to be evaluated and when. This is particularly import-
ant if a programme, course or module has many components and is taught
by a variety of people. Evaluation should check for continuity, progression
of learning, consistency of teaching, and whether the programme aims and
learning outcomes as a whole are being achieved. In order to establish
what should or should not be evaluated within a programme or course the
following two areas should be considered:
1 Identification of broad areas for evaluation;
2 Generating specific questions for the evaluation.
1 Identification of broad areas for evaluation
The broad areas should encapsulate all areas of the programme. To make
the evaluation effective and not cumbersome these may be outlined as
follows:
• aims, objectives and learning outcomes;
• learning outcomes for the learners;
• assessment procedures;
• impact on staff and resources;
• programme balance between process, ******* and product;
• feedback and dissemination of evaluation data.
These areas focus on the main elements of a programme, course or
module. Having established how these are to be evaluated, specific questions
need to be asked so that relevant data can be collected.
2 Generating specific questions for the evaluation
Having identified the main areas for evaluation it is essential that specific
questions are asked that will help the future development of the programme.
These questions may relate to:
• the quality of the teaching experience;
• the quality of the learning environment/classroom;
• level of student motivation and attainment;
• appropriateness of academic level of the programme;
• organisation of the course, both from a student’s and tutor’s
perspective;
• availability of equipment/resources;
72 Programme and course design
• effectiveness of assessment;
• student support (e.g. tutor availability, returning of assignments,
marking schedules, etc.).
The key to successful evaluation is to keep the tool for collecting the
evaluation data focused and uncomplicated, yet making sure the questions
are specific enough to obtain reliable data.
Points for consideration
In relation to the programme you are developing at present, consider
the following questions:
• What is the purpose of the programme, course or module
evaluation?
• Which are the main areas that need to be evaluated?
• Why are these the main areas?
• Who will be the recipient of the evaluation report?
• How will you disseminate the evaluation findings?
• How will you feed back the evaluation findings to the programme
development cycle?
Evaluation methods that may be useful in a
teaching learning context
Evaluating your programme is not just an administrative process that has to
be completed. It is a very important element of ensuring effective teaching
and learning. As teaching and learning are complex and interrelated events,
evaluation methods and tools have to be chosen carefully and purposefully.
Tables 5.1–5.3 offer some suggestions on what may be evaluated and the
tools that can be used to obtain the data for the evaluation of the pro-
gramme, course, module or teaching session. These are only examples of
ways in which courses and programmes may be evaluated. The suggested
tools are by no means exclusive. It is in the interest of the programme that
the correct tools and methods are chosen.
Table 5.1 Quality of teaching and learning
Issues that need to be evaluated
Purpose, pace, and quality of teaching
Quality of student activity and work
Teaching/learning resources
Programme ******* and academic level
Quality of assessment procedures
Tutor–Student relationship
Table 5.2 Programme organisation
Issues that need to be evaluated
Planning and preparation
Programme and course design 73
Possible evaluation tool
Observation: Peer, student comment,
external assessor, self
Assessment: By self, external examiners,
course work, other tutors
Interview/questionnaire: Ask students
and tutors
Questionnaire/assessment: Ask
students and tutors, compare aims and
learning outcomes to student achievement
Mark book/exam papers,
assignments: Evidence of record-keeping
and student progress
Interview/questionnaire: Ask students,
verbally and through confidential
questionnaire
Possible evaluation tool
Course material: Evidence of schemes of
work, course handbook, tutorial material
lecture notes, student support
Staff/teaching styles and academic ******* Questionnaire: To students, asking them
to assess teaching sessions
Continuity and progression of learning
Institutional facilities used to support
programme
Course handbook/questionnaire: Ask
students and to compare aims and learning
outcomes
Questionnaire/interview: Ask students
and tutors
Reporting and tracking of student progress Student records/staff records: Ensuring
that tracking actually happens
Use of evaluation material
Academic reports from previous years
74 Programme and course design
Table 5.3 Student motivation and attainment
Issues that need to be evaluated
Levels of attendance
Final success rate
Communication
Student views
Possible evaluation tool
Registers
Finishing rates and retention rate
Questionnaire/interview: Ask students either
verbally or in writing whether they feel there has
been good communication between tutors on the
course and between themselves and their tutors
Questionnaire/interview: Ask students either
verbally or in writing whether they feel their ideas
have been valued and they have been given the
opportunity to contribute and participate in their
learning
Points for consideration
In relation to the programme you are currently developing, the follow-
ing should be considered prior to setting out the evaluation process.
• Select the specific areas that will be evaluated within the
programme.
• Select the evaluation strategies that will be adopted to give accur-
ate data.
• Identify time points for the collection of evaluation data.
• Establish and state how dissemination of data and feedback pro-
cedures will be implemented.
Evaluation and feedback are essential within the quality assurance
framework. Evaluation data are a means by which curricula can be seen to
be succeeding in achieving the aims and standards set out by that curricu-
lum. Acting on evaluation data and feedback to improve teaching/learning
environments is essential in maintaining high standards.
The evaluation cycle (Figure 5.7) is there to assist the raising of standards.
Often feedback is difficult to implement; if seen in a cyclical manner, it is
easier to understand how courses can be systematically evaluated and
improved to meet the demands of a changing student population.
Figure 5.7 Evaluation cycle
Conclusion
Programme and course design 75
This chapter has introduced the main elements of programme and course
design. It has shown how programme or course aims and learning outcomes
are the foundation on which a programme rests from its inception to its
evaluation. Within any programme design you should be able to explain the
following terms:
• aims;
• learning outcomes;
• progression;
• assessment;
• evaluation.
Programme design requires a clear understanding of the context of learn-
ing and the main areas of the subject that need to be covered by the students.
How the students progress through the programme and how each element
of the programme links is essential to effective course development.
Entrance Exam for post graduate course in literature and stylistics (2003/2004)
University of Ouragla
1-Lilerature Exam:
It is hard to make a distinction between “Reality” and “Fiction” in contemporary literatures. Comment?
2-Linguistics Exam:
Literary stylistics involves moving from micrlinguistic analysis that one does in linguistics, to microscopic or holistic analysis of the text. This may be one way to view the text historically. The question is whether this approach has the same limitation as that of the study of cohesion: i.e; that is able to tell us about linkages on a one-to-one basis (sentence level) :but it is not able to tell us how the text as a whole “hangs together” (discourse level)
*Give arguments for or against this view on the role of the linguistics in literary
Stylistics .Illustrate your arguments with adequate examples.
Good luck
Magister Exam
University of Med kheider Biskra (2002 /2003)
Civilisation and Applied linguistics
I-Civilisation:
Choose only one of the following:
British Civilisation Question:
List and give your comments about the different ways a government is established and controlled in Great Britain.
American Civilisation Question:
J.F.Kennedy,one of the most prominent presidents of America, once said that the U.S.A was a society of immigrants, each of whom had begun life a new ,on an equal footing. This is the secret o f America: a nation of people with the fresh memory of old traditions, who dare explore new frontiers.
Discuss the president’s saying and give your comments on the contribution of immigration to success of the U.S.A as a powerful nation.
II- Applied linguistics:
Account for the general evolution of linguistic theory in the last half century (structural Linguistics; Transformational Generative Grammar;Psycholinguistics;Sociolinguistics…etc.) in correlation with the general trends in foreign ******** teaching.
Good luck
Magister Exam
University of Mantouri Constantine 30 September 2004
Reading and writing convergences
I-Morning Part: Essay Writing.03 hours
Good writing is almost never accidental.
Discuss and bring out the requirements that help you achieve this?
II-Teaching English as a foreign ********: 2 hours
Explain the stages of development and the required activities foreign ******** learners have to go through in order to develop their reading and writing abilities
Magister Exam
University of Oum El bouaki 2004
T.E.F.L and General linguistics
I-General linguistics:
“What we can do as a part of investigation of ******** is concentrate on those properties which make human ******** a unique type of communication system”
* Discuss.
II-T.E.F.L:
As a teacher of a foreign ********, you have to select a specific methodology to dp the learner’s abilities in the ********.
* Discuss the method and the tests you would use ?
Magister Exam
University of Med kheider Biskra (2005)
American Civilisation and Didactics
I-Didactics:
Discuss the following Quotation:
“The need for an eclectic approach to second ******** learning combines the best features of different approaches. However, the translation of such general conclusions into actual classroom practice is a complicated affair.”
Elizabeth Ingram (1976) P.289.
II-American Civilisation:
“It is a catastrophe when evil triumphs, but it is an ever greater catastrophe if it compels the just to resort injustice in order to combat it. Unless the world returns to moral conscience ;to the value of the spirit and its primacy over force, power is only a source of destination.”
Discuss this quotation with special reference to the U.S.recent foreign policy.
Ecole Doctorale d’Anglais université de Annaba(2007)
I-General /Theoretical linguistics:
Some schools of linguistics share similarities while some others have totally different views about ********. * Discuss.
II-Sociolinguistics:
Choose one of the following topics:
1- What kind of problems can be involved in the definition of speech community?
2- What is the basic nature of ******** and how will this affect teaching?
Literature
Literary theory:
Discuss the following statement:
“One of the great problems in the theory of fiction from Aristotle to Auer Bach has been the relationship between fictional art and life: the problem of mimesis*
Support your arguments with precise examples showing evidence of a wide reading
*Mimesis: The representation of nature (or life )in artistic creation
Magister in Linguistics /Didactics
University of Algiers Bouzareah (2007)
I-General linguistics:
Discuss fully the statement made by Chomsky (1972 ):
“Personally, I am primarily intrigued by the possibility of learning something .
From the study of ******** ; that will bring to light inherent properties of the human mind”.
Magister Entrance Examination
University of Bedjaia
Literature: (03 hours)
Discuss any one of the following statements with reference to two works (at least) focusing on both form and *******.
1-British literature:
The Modernists were obsessed with the idea that the culture they were born in had come to a dead end.
2-American literature:
The re-assessment of the American Dream (in its economic, social an cultural dimensions) is a constant feature of twentieth-century American literature.
3-African literature:
Post-colonial African literature subverts both African Establishment and European literature.
This is all what I have I wish you all the best and if you have any other exam sample please send it
Yours faithfully Rafik Amamri
here is my first contribution to this forum
in fact they are some helpful documents for English students I hope you will enjoy ....................good luck in Magister exam..:sdf:
Chapter 5
Programme and course design
Introduction
Programme development and design is more important than just ******* for
a course of study. It is important to understand and realise that the pro-
gramme development process involves more than just the separate com-
ponents of the programme (i.e. that of aims, objectives, learning outcomes,
*******, learning, assessment and evaluation). Understanding the inter-
relationships between these components is key to good practice. If the inter-
relationships are not considered there is a danger that course aims will not be
assessed, that teaching can become relatively inefficient and unfocused and
that student learning is accompanied by frustration and underachievement.
In this first section of this chapter I consider and illustrate the relation-
ships between the components of the programme development process, so
that the various parts of the process can be co-ordinated to bring about
effective changes to a teaching programme. The illustrations will also help in
the culmination of evidence for a portfolio suitable for ILT accreditation.
Curriculum and programme development: the
changing context
Programme and course development and particularly curriculum develop-
ment in higher education is increasingly being influenced by external factors
such as the demands of the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) and Subject
Review. These external demands have required academics to use such terms
as aims, learning outcomes, and assessment tools and evaluation models. To
be effective, curriculum development and thus course or programme devel-
opment must have a sound theoretical basis. There must be a structure to the
programme or course that enables decisions to be made related to the nature
and quality of the learning that is to take place. There must also be a model
for the development, which draws together the various aspects of the pro-
gramme or course development. These must include aspects such as learning
outcomes and assessment. However, in order for such terminology to be
52 Programme and course design
used effectively there is a need to consider the types of questions academic
teachers need to ask in order to develop a model that will help design a
programme or course.
Below, I show how a model for a programme or course development can
be built up based on the types of question an academic teacher needs to
engage in if they are to develop a quality programme of learning and
teaching.
1 Developing a model for programme and course design
In the past, most university courses and programmes used a very simple
model of development such as identify ******* and assess it (Figure 5.1).
This form still exists but cannot be perceived as good practice. This sim-
plistic model demonstrates the commonly held view in higher education that
education merely consists of facts which have to be assessed, often through
formal examination. This model makes some fundamental assumptions
related to higher education at all levels. These include:
• The ability to pass examinations is the best method for assessing student
selection and performance.
• Knowledge is the accumulation of brick upon brick of ******* and
information (Rogers, 1969).
This simple model, based on the assumptions indicated above is very limit-
ing and inadequate, but it does allow academic teachers to ask two funda-
mental but basic questions in relation to developing a programme or course
for their students. These are:
1 Why am I teaching this *******?
2 How do I know how successful I have been?
These questions may be interpreted as dealing with ******* (Question 1) and
indirectly with assessment (Question 2). But how does this help the aca-
demic teacher who wishes to enable students to learn? The model is very
basic, but by answering the questions the academic teacher has to question
the validity and significance of what is being taught, the possible need to
balance breadth and depth, and the relevance and interest of the ******* to
the students. However, what this model ignores is that all students do not
learn in the same way, nor does it take account of the differing learning
Figure 5.1 A simple model of development
Programme and course design 53
environments that may assist learning to take place. The model also gives no
indication as to the sequencing of *******, and the possible hierarchical
structure and nature of some forms of knowledge. The model also fails to
show how concepts are linked, or indeed if there are any unifying concepts
or strands to the development of the curriculum or programme.
Good practice requires the developer of a programme or course to con-
sider the above issues. In order to do this they need to ask themselves a series
of questions, including:
1 Why am I teaching this in a particular way?
2 How should I organise the ******* of my course/programme or
curriculum?
If these questions are asked the model may be slightly improved, and be
perceived as shown in Figure 5.2. This model still neglects essential elements
that will promote planning for effective learning, such as what are the aims
of the programme, how will student learning outcomes be monitored or
assessed, what implications does the programme have for resources, etc.? To
improve this model further, the academic teacher has to ask additional ques-
tions related to what needs to be taught, how it is to be taught and the
purpose for teaching the selected *******.
The questions that should now be asked are:
1 What are the aims of the programme or curriculum?
2 What are the learning outcomes of the programme? By this I mean,
what do I expect my students to be able to do at the end of the
programme?
3 How will I know whether these outcomes have been attained?
4 How and what type of information technology (IT) will be appropriate
for this programme?
5 What resources should be used for this programme?
Figure 5.2 Improved model
54 Programme and course design
This model is now much more sophisticated and can be used to plan a
programme, singular course or module. The crucial element in this more
sophisticated model is the question relating to aims and learning outcomes.
Programmes, courses or singular modules all need their aims to be central.
Figure 5.3 shows that teaching, course *******, its organisation and the
assessment that goes with it rely heavily on clearly formulated aims and
learning outcomes. A further important element is missing from this model:
evaluation. I will return to this component later. We now need to consider
the programme development process.
2 The process of designing a curriculum or programme
Many curriculum development models have been put forward over the
years, but in essence all have some generic elements and basic requirements.
The various models have evolved through asking some key questions in
relation to what needs to be learned and taught. When you are developing
a curriculum, programme, course or module it is advisable to ask the
following questions prior to planning and developing the course:
• What educational purpose is this course serving?
• What learning experience can be provided by the course as a means of
attaining the above purpose?
• How can I effectively organise and manage these learning experiences?
• How can I determine whether the purposes are being attained?
Figure 5.3 Model used to plan a programme
Programme and course design 55
Although these questions may at first appear theoretical and complex,
they may be further broken down to help the process of developing the
curriculum or programme. This process may be viewed as five phases:
1 The selection of aims and learning outcomes.
2 The selection of learning experiences that will help in the attainment of
aims and learning outcomes.
3 The selection of ******* (subject matter) through which the aims and
learning outcomes may be attained.
4 The organisation and integration of ******* to learning experiences and
teaching–learning strategies.
5 Evaluation of the effectiveness of the aims to the learning outcomes
achieved by the students.
Simplified again, this can be translated to:
1 Aims.
2 Learning outcomes.
3 *******.
4 Assessment.
5 Evaluation.
6 Feedback.
This suggests that programme or course development progresses in a
linear fashion. This of course is not always the case. However, the above
model does provide a working scenario for development. The academic
teacher needs to consider the assumptions under which the above model
operates so that other elements may be considered when planning a
programme.
The above assumes that many aims and learning outcomes can be speci-
fied at the beginning of a programme. Although many can, often new and
unexpected aims or learning outcomes develop as the course is taught. It is
for this reason that all elements of a programme be continually evaluated.
Second, it assumes that all aims and learning outcomes can be assessed. This
too is not always the case. As you will see in Chapter 7, assessment clearly
demonstrates how and why it should be used within learning and teaching
contexts. ******* is a main area for consideration, as this can determine the
aims of the programme as well as its learning outcomes. However, *******
must not drive the programme course or module. ******* must be viewed as
a vehicle for learning and is closely linked to the aims and learning outcomes
of the designed course.
Figure 5.4 shows how the model may be viewed and used as a tool for
development. This starts to connect the programme or course learning out-
comes to the learning experiences required by the students, as well as the
>>56 Programme and course design
Figure 5.4 The model as a tool for development
Figure 5.5 Cyclical development and improvement of the model
knowledge base on which those learning outcomes may be assessed. Taking
the model one step further requires the academic teacher to think in a cyc-
lical manner, so that the programme may be continually developed and
improved. This is demonstrated in Figure 5.5. When a new programme,
course or module is being developed the academic teacher will have goals
and hopes related to the programme, course or module. These are key
motivational factors in its development and cannot be dismissed from the
process.
Goals and hopes make the development process real. These can be viewed
as a good starting point for development. Figure 5.6 shows how individual
hopes and goals fit into the development cycle. Goals are taken to be the
general outcomes a course of study might wish to attain. Many of these
goals are turned into specific detailed aims of the course. Generally these
more specific aims will be assessed; by that I mean how successfully have the
students achieved the course aims? Evaluation covers the efficacy of teach-
ing, feedback from the students, and the assessment procedures against the
learning outcomes of the course.
Points for consideration
Programme and course design
57
Using the programme development model above, consider the follow-
ing issues in relation to a course or module you are in the process of
developing or about to develop.
• How has this module or course been developed in the past?
• How do I normally plan a course or module?
• Does my approach consider all aspects of programme
development?
• How effective is my approach to planning and developing a
course?
• Have I taken account of student learning?
Figure 5.6 Individual hopes and goals in the development cycle
Developing course aims and learning outcomes
Teaching is aimed at helping students learn something they had previously
not known; hence when designing and developing a course it is necessary to
consider how the student will learn and the changes in their thinking that are
needed to help the learning process. Making teaching/learning intentions
explicit is both helpful to the student and to the teacher. This approach is
often referred to as outcomes-based learning and planning. The use of learn-
ing outcomes is now dominating the higher education literature and is based
on the recommendations of the Dearing Report (NCIHE, 1997). This report
was explicit in its requirements for higher education to develop programme
specifications. Outcomes are viewed as a middle ground between statements
of learning which are considered to be over-generalised (learning aims) and
58 Programme and course design
those which are over-specified (learning objectives) (Walker, 1994). Despite
the debates that continue with respect to learning outcomes, learning object-
ives, aims, etc., academic teachers have to deal with them and include them
in any future course development. Pedagogically, learning outcomes are a
useful tool. They are used to make explicit to those who are to teach the
programme, as well as those who are to learn from the programme, what is
expected and what should be the achievable outcomes of the programme.
When aims and learning outcomes are being selected, the academic
teacher must take account of a number of issues related to their students, the
staff going to teach the programme or course, the resource implications of
the programme and the nature of the subject being taught. Each has its own
fundamental implication for the course aims and learning outcomes.
Points for consideration
Use the questions below in relation to a course or module you are in
the process of developing, or about to develop, as a way of establishing
the possible framework for its development.
• How does this course intend to develop the students?
• How will the nature of the subject to be taught influence the con-
tent of the programme?
• How does the course take account of external demands, such as
industry or accrediting bodies?
• What economic and resource restraints will the programme have?
• Can the programme be staffed by appropriately qualified
academics?
At the outset of development these factors cannot be ignored. If a pro-
gramme is developed without such consideration it may well produce a
course of study that is irrelevant to students and cannot be staffed.
Syllabi, ******* and understanding
New programmes, courses or modules in higher education are usually
developed to meet a changing need within the subject area itself or from
external pressures such as industry or accrediting bodies such as the English
Nursing Board (ENB), Institute for Professional Development (IPD), or the
Institute of Physics (IoP). Development reflects the need to change. This
change is intended for students to learn new information, knowledge, skills,
etc. Key to development is understanding what changes in learning are
required by the students. *******s of programmes are traditionally com-
municated by syllabi. The introduction to thermodynamics, evidence-based
Programme and course design 59
practice, the theories of Karl Marx and the works of Shakespeare are all
examples of potential course ******* as frequently expressed in university
documentation. When ******* is set out as a syllabus it is easy to obscure the
range of theories, concepts, principles, processes, skills and techniques that
students are expected to learn and teachers are equally expected to cover.
Any new course should aim to change the way students think about issues,
concepts, facts and principles. To do this, students need to be able to change
their conceptions. This is very difficult to do, and there is much literature to
demonstrate how resilient individuals’ prior conceptions are. Hence any
new course development must ask the following questions:
• What changes in understanding are expected from students undergoing
this programme or course?
• What will the students be able to do as a result of following this
programme?
• What will students be able to do as a result of these changes after they
complete the course that they could not do before?
The above questions are key to selecting programme or course aims and
learning outcomes. Writing aims and learning outcomes, and thinking sys-
tematically about what students need to understand and how they will
understand them, is essential to successful programme and course planning.
Use the points for consideration given below to help you derive the nature
and context of the understanding you wish your students to be engaged in.
Points for consideration
Using the above questions, identify the key elements such as concepts,
processes and theories that you think the course you are developing
requires. Use this information to answer the following:
• What do I want my students to understand?
• Why is this understanding important?
• What should this understanding enable them to do?
• How can I establish whether or not they have understood?
Selecting aims and learning outcomes
Selecting aims and learning outcomes is a means to changing student learn-
ing and the experience in which that change will occur. Aims can be thought
of as general statements of educational intent; as seen from an external point
of view they give a programme or course a destination, while learning out-
comes are more specific, and concentrate on what students are expected to
60 Programme and course design
learn and demonstrate that they have learned. Any programme should give a
clear indication as to what it hopes to achieve so that students know whether
or not they want to achieve those things on offer, and therefore enrol on the
programme. In this way teaching and learning can be directed to achieving
the stated aims and the most appropriate assessment procedures chosen to
establish whether those aims have been achieved.
Aims can be selected from a variety of sources, the most common of which
are the subject matter itself, external agencies and the constraint of teaching
staff.
Subject matter
Deriving aims from subject matter requires the academic teacher to ask the
question: what makes that subject distinctive? For example, certain skills
can only be taught in dentistry, certain ways of viewing the particulate
nature of matter can only be taught in chemistry, and certain logic and
problem solving can only be taught in law, and so on. It is these distinctive
features which should be used in deriving aims from subject matter. Equally
important are the types of aims that are common to groups of subjects (e.g.
the ability to search literature and the ability to communicate).
Points for consideration
Using the subject/topic area that requires development, consider and
identify the particular aspects that are key to the subject and how these
may be turned into aims for your programme or course.
Classifying aims as a means to identifying
learning outcomes
Aims may be classified in a variety of ways. Educational literature regarding
the pros and cons of classifying aims is widespread (Bloom, 1964; Gagné,
1967; Kibler, 1970; McGaghie, 1974). Although much of this literature is
old it still holds today. How the classifications are used and interpreted
are again open to discussion. The aim here is to introduce the levels of
classification as a tool for identifying learning outcomes.
There are three main areas of classification derived from Bloom (1964).
These include cognitive, affective and psychomotor aims, and these can
roughly be interpreted as knowing, feeling and doing. Cognitive elements
include knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis synthesis and
evaluation. Affective elements include receiving, responding, valuing, organ-
isation and characterisation. The psychomotor elements include initiatory
pre-routine and routinised behaviour.
Programme and course design 61
The literature suggests that these should to be both hierarchical and
cumulative. This classification can be further broken down to help the
process of the selection of aims and learning outcomes as follows:
1 Using Gagné’s (1967) approach, learning can be thought of as:
• recall;
• concept learning;
• generalisation learning;
• problem solving.
2 A possible approach to learning in medicine might include:
• information gathering;
• problem solving;
• clinical judgement;
• relationship to patients;
• continuing responsibility;
• emergency care;
• relationship with colleagues;
• professional values;
• overall competence.
3 In physics, course learning might be thought of as:
• collection of information;
• application of the principles of physics;
• application of mathematical techniques;
• application of experimental techniques;
• flexibility in problem solving;
• evaluation in problem solving;
• interpretation and explanation.
Classifications such as those given above are a good starting point for
selecting more specific aims for your own programme. When writing your
aims consider the following tips:
• Lower cognitive skills include recall of information and basic under-
standing of concepts.
• Acquisition of information includes using references.
• Higher cognitive skills include ability to generalise, evaluate, depth of
thought, critical analysis, problem solving, originality.
• Study skills include skills in preparation, seeking information, and
thought communication, both verbal and written.
62 Programme and course design
• Practical skills include clinical skills and experimental design and
techniques.
• Team work.
Combination of one of the higher order cognitive skills (e.g. problem
solving and practical skills) might produce the following aims within a
science subject. At the end of this programme students will be able to:
• manipulate laboratory equipment;
• recognise when adequate results have been obtained;
• discover errors and be able to correct them;
• evaluate the accuracy of the experiment.
In a law programme the combination of higher cognitive problem solving
and practical skills might produce the following aims. At the end of the
programme students will be able to:
• Understand and be able to identify, use and evaluate rules, concepts and
principles of law, their derivation, and various theories that attempt to
systematise them.
• Acquire the techniques of legal reasoning and argument, in oral and
written form.
In an English literature programme the combination of higher cognitive
critical analysis skills and practical skills might produce the following aims.
At the end of the programme students will be able to:
• Read broadly in English, American and world literature.
• Understand in depth the literary works which are covered by the
programme.
• Respond to literature both affectively and evaluatively.
• Use critical skills in reading unfamiliar texts.
Points for consideration
Using the above classification and examples, identify and specify the
aims of your intended programme, course or module.
Learning outcomes
Chapter 3 dealt with theories of learning and their implications for good
practice. Much of the discussion rested on deep and surface learning. Here
Programme and course design 63
we return to these two notions as they relate to selecting learning outcomes
for a programme of study, course or module.
In the classifications of aims the cognitive domain of learning suggested
that understanding covered six levels, the lowest being factual knowledge
and the highest being evaluation of information. This taxonomy, although
criticised, has been extended over the years and has been systematically used
to develop programmes of learning. Most recently the discussion has moved
towards levels of learning outcomes. The Dearing Report (NCIHE, 1997,
Recommendation 21) suggests four domains of intended learning outcomes
specifically for programmes of study in higher education within the United
Kingdom. These are:
1 Knowledge and understanding;
2 Key skills (e.g. communication, numeracy, IT, learning to learn);
3 Cognitive skills (e.g. ability in critical analysis);
4 Subject-specific skills (e.g. laboratory skills, clinical skills).
The above areas can both reassure and cause concern for institutions of
higher education. Some schools or faculties are already using learning out-
comes that fit the above frameworks while others are not. It is important to
understand the levels of learning students engage in as well as how these
levels can be translated effectively into levels of learning outcomes. It is
these levels of outcome that are needed for developing a programme, course
or module.
The work of Biggs (1987, 1989) on deep and surface learning is most
useful to consider here as a tool for developing levels of learning outcomes.
Biggs suggests that there are five levels of learning, which can be expressed as:
1 An increase in knowledge;
2 Memorising;
3 The acquisition of procedures;
4 The abstraction of meaning;
5 Understanding reality.
He surmised that the first three levels concentrate on surface approaches to
learning, and the last two levels required deep approaches to learning. These
differing levels relate to perceptions about ******* and teaching. One must
appreciate that there is a difference between knowing facts or understanding
concepts and the different approaches. Ramsden (1992, p. 45) suggests that:
An approach is not about learning facts versus learning concepts: it is
about learning just the unrelated facts (or procedures) versus learning
facts in relation to concepts. Surface is, at best, about quantity without
quality; deep is about quality and quantity.
64 Programme and course design
Biggs (1989, p. 10) wrote:
Knowing facts and how to carry out operations may well be part of the
means for understanding and interpreting the world, but the qualitative
conception stops at the facts and skills. A quantitative change in know-
ledge does not in itself change understanding. Rote learning scientific
formulae may be one of the things scientists do, but it is not the way
scientists think.
The implication for selecting levels of learning outcomes from Biggs’ and
Ramsden’s arguments is that the type of learning students will engage in
depends on the level of meaning students place on the knowledge that they
are expected to acquire.
To achieve effective learning outcomes it is important not to restate the
syllabus topics using the vocabulary of aims and learning outcomes. The
following are examples of how not to write learning outcomes:
1 A lecture or session topic in chemistry may be rates of reactions; the
learning outcome then becomes ‘To acquire the knowledge about rates
of reactions’.
2 A lecture or session in English literature may be Shakespeare sonnets;
the learning outcome then becomes ‘To acquire knowledge and
understanding about Shakespeare sonnets’.
Both of these examples highlight the basic failure of merely interpreting
syllabus ******* into learning outcomes. First, the learning outcomes give
very little information to the students as to what is expected of them and
how they should go about achieving the set learning outcomes. Second, the
******** in which they are written gives no insight into expectations. What
does it mean to acquire knowledge and understanding about rates of reac-
tions or Shakespeare sonnets? One assumes that students will be required to
understand the key concepts related to rates of reactions or Shakespeare
sonnets and how these concepts can be related to real situations (e.g.
unknown reactions and new poetry).
These two examples could be rewritten to clearly show the expectations
of the learning that students should be engaged in:
1 ‘To explain the meaning and function of rates of reaction in relation to
the concept of equilibrium’, and ‘To explain the significance of rates of
reaction within the context of thermal dissociation’.
2 ‘To explain the meaning and function of sonnets in relation to Shake-
speare writing’, and ‘To explain the significance of sonnets within the
context of contemporary poetry’.
Programme and course design 65
Students may not know what all these terms mean at the start of their
programme or course, but it will help direct their learning to the relevant
literature, as well as helping them to review their knowledge of the topic as
they proceed through the programme or course. The purpose of learning
outcomes is not only to help the student attain the aims of the programme
but also to help those who teach the programme to provide a systematic and
coherent course for the student. Each level of learning outcome can be
associated with words and phrases that depict expectations. To assist the
process further, Bloom’s taxonomy shows how levels of learning can be used
to select and derive levels of learning outcomes. For example, knowledge
may be viewed as names, recall, definitions, lists, records and stating facts.
Explanation, description, discussion and recognition may exemplify com-
prehension. Application may be shown by illustration, application of facts
and information, demonstration and practical skills. Analysis is exemplified
by calculation, the ability to distinguish sets of data, analysis of information
and data and the interpretation of tests. Synthesis with Bloom’s taxonomy
represents the formulation of ideas and hypotheses, organisation of infor-
mation and data and the ability to propose design and creative thinking.
Finally, evaluation is considered to be the ability to appraise, evaluate,
compare and assess situations and information.
Points for consideration
Using the above examples from Bloom’s taxonomy, select and derive
the levels of learning outcomes for the programme, course or module
you are developing.
Aims, learning outcomes and teaching
Establishing your aims and learning outcomes is the first step to developing a
systematic programme or course. There are, however, other elements that
now need to be considered. These include the nature and context of assess-
ment, as well as the possible teaching strategies that may be deployed. Pro-
gramme design has illustrated how aims are linked to *******, the way
******* is taught, organised and assessed. However, unless teaching is
planned to achieve programme, course or module aims, then these aims will
most likely not be achieved. This may appear to be an obvious statement,
but consider the following situation. Undergraduates are often criticised for
not being able to reference correctly, or to use reference material. Yet often
the use of the library comes high in course aims. What this demonstrates is
that if that aim is not achieved, if teaching and learning experiences are not
devised early in the course to provide the necessary experiences, students
will not be able to demonstrate their assumed learning outcomes.
66 Programme and course design
The most useful way around this problem is to state the aims in terms of
what the student is expected to do. In this way there is a clear indication as
to what teaching and learning has to take place in order for the aims to be
achieved. Sequencing of topics can occur systematically once aims and learn-
ing outcomes have been selected. The main focus for sequencing topics is to
allow students to progress through their learning in a coherent and system-
atic way. It also allows for those teaching the course to know what has been
taught before their contribution and what might follow their own. Thus, to
give consistency to the students’ learning, the following basic principles for
selecting learning experiences should be considered:
1 Sequencing of a course should focus on the aims for student learning.
2 Students must be given sufficient experiences to enable aims to be
attained.
3 Topics should follow systematically so that students can develop their
conceptual thinking in a coherent way.
4 Teaching should be organised to assist student learning; this can be
facilitated so that staff are aware of what is being taught, and when.
5 The same learning experience can bring about several different
outcomes.
Case studies of effective course design
It is always difficult to imagine how theory becomes practice. Below are
some case studies of effective course design. They aim to be exemplars, but
must be seen as particular to the courses being discussed. Each approach
may be modified to suit the purpose. What is important in all these case
studies is the understanding of how teaching and learning are represented.
Good courses make their expectations clear, but they also allow freedom
and provide structure. All the case studies are based on unpublished material
using fictitious names.
1 Designing a course for the management of change: Julie Green.
2 The aims and ******* of a chemistry course for chemical engineers.
3 Making the aims of a research methods programme explicit.
4 A problem based nursing course.
Problem-based learning is increasingly coming to the forefront of medical
education. In some institutions it is the main pedagogical approach to teach-
ing and learning. Boud and Feletti (1996) reviewed the range and variety
of problem-based learning and found the following characteristics to be
generic in most courses:
• Integration of disciplinary and clinical and non-clinical subject matter.
• A non-didactic facilitator.
Programme and course design 67
• Students, and not the teacher, make decisions about what they need to
learn in relation to the scenario set by the problem.
• Small groups of students explore a problem in a structured way so that
knowledge and understanding is shared.
• Synthesis and test of information; students report back on findings.
• Formulate learning questions.
In principle, problem-based courses focus on the types of problems that
are typically found in professional life. The main requirements for such
programmes are that students have to identify the nature and context of the
problem and the information they require to tackle and solve the problem.
In this type of course knowledge, skills and professional attitudes are
addressed simultaneously.
The following course was designed to enable post-registration nurses
to tackle questions related to diagnostic and problem-based skills and
issues which were thought to be essential for post-registration work. The
first step towards establishing the course aims was a realisation that the
participants of the course would require ******* that helped develop profes-
sional skills. But at the same time, and more importantly, the participants
were able to problem solve while understanding the ******* knowledge
they would be dealing with. The aims of the programme were stated as
follows:
1 To develop skills of critical analysis, particularly in relation to proposed
solutions to problems.
2 To develop skills of information collection and analysis.
3 To develop an appreciation of how to problem solve.
4 To develop an understanding for alternative solutions.
5 To be introduced to a variety of standard methods of analysis.
6 To develop independent study skills.
Following these aims, specific learning outcomes were developed to guide
both teacher and student to understand the requirements of the programme.
Included in the learning outcomes were knowledge, clinical problem solving
and professional values.
Aims and assessment
Assessment is a key element of higher education. A major function of
assessment is to provide feedback to students and staff on how well the
course aims have been achieved. This requires the assessment procedures
of the programme to be valid and reliable. Assessment procedures have to
have a high ******* validity. Assessment is dealt with in greater detail in
68 Programme and course design
Chapter 6. However, for the purpose of this section a brief discussion related
to reliability and validity is required as a means of understanding the links
between programme aims and assessment requirements.
Reliability and validity are terms used commonly in assessment. Four
types of validity are recognised:
1 ******* validity (is the ******* covered?);
2 Predictive validity (can the assessment achievement predict future
performance?);
3 Concurrent validity (is an aim being assessed in more than one way?);
4 Construct validity (does this indirect method of assessment tell us if an
aim has been achieved?)
Reliability indicates the consistency with which an assessment procedure
measures the aim(s) it is supposed to be measuring.
An assessment procedure can be highly reliable but have a low *******
validity. For example, the achievement of certain skills might be a course
aim. A multiple-choice test paper of high reliability could be used as a sole
form of assessment for that course, but as far as assessing skills are con-
cerned, that test could have no ******* validity. The practical implication of
this is that if assessment procedures do not reflect all the course aims (i.e. if
they do not have high ******* validity) then the aims which are not assessed
will more than likely not be achieved by the students.
Points for consideration
Within the programme, course or modules you are developing state the
aims of the programme, then using the questions below identify the
nature of the assessment appropriate to the programme.
• What are the aims of the programme?
• What learning experiences do the students need to achieve the
stated aims?
• What type of assessment best fits the learning experiences?
• What type of assessment tool will show ******* validity and be
reliable?
As a final consideration point, here are four key questions to guide your
design and development of a programme, course or module.
Points for consideration
Programme and course design 69
• What do I want my students to learn?
• How do should I organise the teaching and learning experience?
• How should I assess the learning that has taken place?
• How can I establish the effectiveness of the course in relation to
the learning outcomes?
Evaluating the programme or course
Evaluating and reviewing your programme or course is essential in estab-
lishing whether key course or programme aims and objectives/learning
outcomes have been met and how successfully these have been met. The
first distinction to be made is that review and evaluation are not the same
process, nor are they used in the same way in terms of development of a
programme or course. However, both are as important as each other,
when it comes to collecting evidence of course development and delivery.
Programme or course review
Individual review of a course or programme should be happening most
of the time from an individual perspective. By this I mean that after each
session, whether taught by you or by another member of staff, that
session should be reviewed quickly and efficiently for outcome. Did students
understand, should there be a recap next session, should extension work
be given to some more able students, is there a need for work for less
able students? These are the immediate issues that individual review
requires. Evidencing this is a matter of showing how you or your colleagues
have responded to immediate changes required in the delivery of the
session.
Evaluating a programme or course
There are various levels of evaluation, and equally there are a variety of
methods that can be used to evaluate courses. Essential to effective evalu-
ation is an understanding of what it is to evaluate and the processes by
which this is done. Key questions that frame evaluation are:
• What is evaluation?
• Why evaluate?
• What is the purpose of the evaluation?
• For whom is the evaluation being conducted?
• What is being evaluated?
70 Programme and course design
• When and how will the evaluation take place?
• How do you ensure evaluation data feeds back into course planning
and development?
Evaluation is more than simply filling in a questionnaire at the end of a
session or programme, and then doing nothing with the responses. System-
atic evaluation and feedback are the key to successful teaching and learning
programmes. Evaluation is the means by which you establish what is work-
ing well in a course both from a student and tutor perspective, as well as
what is not so successful. Through the collection and analysis of this infor-
mation, judgements can be made as to how to improve and develop the
programme, course or module. Evaluation is about gaining information that
helps to make informed judgements about course effectiveness. One of the
main reasons to evaluate is to establish how well the course meets the ori-
ginal aims and learning outcomes, but this is not the only purpose of the
evaluation. It is essential that both students and staff teaching the pro-
gramme are informed as to the effective and non-effective elements of the
course or programme.
Points for consideration
In relation to the programme you are currently developing, consider
the following questions:
• Has the programme been evaluated before? If so, how regularly
and what was done with the evaluation data?
• If the data are available are they of value in developing future
evaluation tools?
• How regularly will evaluation take place and when will you
evaluate?
• Will you evaluate throughout the course or just at the end of the
course, or is it best to do both?
• How appropriate and user friendly are your evaluation methods?
• Are participants encouraged to use their own words in the
evaluation tool?
• If the programme involves practical elements how will you
evaluate against practically described learning outcomes?
• How will you disseminate and discuss the evaluation findings?
• How will you develop the course following the evaluation
outcomes?
The above points are aimed at focusing the reasons for conducting
evaluations of your programmes and courses. It is also to emphasise the
importance of feedback of information to those concerned with the course
Programme and course design 71
or programme as well as taking the evidence and developing and improving
the course or programme for the future.
The next stage of evaluation is deciding which elements of the course or
programme are going to be evaluated and when. This is particularly import-
ant if a programme, course or module has many components and is taught
by a variety of people. Evaluation should check for continuity, progression
of learning, consistency of teaching, and whether the programme aims and
learning outcomes as a whole are being achieved. In order to establish
what should or should not be evaluated within a programme or course the
following two areas should be considered:
1 Identification of broad areas for evaluation;
2 Generating specific questions for the evaluation.
1 Identification of broad areas for evaluation
The broad areas should encapsulate all areas of the programme. To make
the evaluation effective and not cumbersome these may be outlined as
follows:
• aims, objectives and learning outcomes;
• learning outcomes for the learners;
• assessment procedures;
• impact on staff and resources;
• programme balance between process, ******* and product;
• feedback and dissemination of evaluation data.
These areas focus on the main elements of a programme, course or
module. Having established how these are to be evaluated, specific questions
need to be asked so that relevant data can be collected.
2 Generating specific questions for the evaluation
Having identified the main areas for evaluation it is essential that specific
questions are asked that will help the future development of the programme.
These questions may relate to:
• the quality of the teaching experience;
• the quality of the learning environment/classroom;
• level of student motivation and attainment;
• appropriateness of academic level of the programme;
• organisation of the course, both from a student’s and tutor’s
perspective;
• availability of equipment/resources;
72 Programme and course design
• effectiveness of assessment;
• student support (e.g. tutor availability, returning of assignments,
marking schedules, etc.).
The key to successful evaluation is to keep the tool for collecting the
evaluation data focused and uncomplicated, yet making sure the questions
are specific enough to obtain reliable data.
Points for consideration
In relation to the programme you are developing at present, consider
the following questions:
• What is the purpose of the programme, course or module
evaluation?
• Which are the main areas that need to be evaluated?
• Why are these the main areas?
• Who will be the recipient of the evaluation report?
• How will you disseminate the evaluation findings?
• How will you feed back the evaluation findings to the programme
development cycle?
Evaluation methods that may be useful in a
teaching learning context
Evaluating your programme is not just an administrative process that has to
be completed. It is a very important element of ensuring effective teaching
and learning. As teaching and learning are complex and interrelated events,
evaluation methods and tools have to be chosen carefully and purposefully.
Tables 5.1–5.3 offer some suggestions on what may be evaluated and the
tools that can be used to obtain the data for the evaluation of the pro-
gramme, course, module or teaching session. These are only examples of
ways in which courses and programmes may be evaluated. The suggested
tools are by no means exclusive. It is in the interest of the programme that
the correct tools and methods are chosen.
Table 5.1 Quality of teaching and learning
Issues that need to be evaluated
Purpose, pace, and quality of teaching
Quality of student activity and work
Teaching/learning resources
Programme ******* and academic level
Quality of assessment procedures
Tutor–Student relationship
Table 5.2 Programme organisation
Issues that need to be evaluated
Planning and preparation
Programme and course design 73
Possible evaluation tool
Observation: Peer, student comment,
external assessor, self
Assessment: By self, external examiners,
course work, other tutors
Interview/questionnaire: Ask students
and tutors
Questionnaire/assessment: Ask
students and tutors, compare aims and
learning outcomes to student achievement
Mark book/exam papers,
assignments: Evidence of record-keeping
and student progress
Interview/questionnaire: Ask students,
verbally and through confidential
questionnaire
Possible evaluation tool
Course material: Evidence of schemes of
work, course handbook, tutorial material
lecture notes, student support
Staff/teaching styles and academic ******* Questionnaire: To students, asking them
to assess teaching sessions
Continuity and progression of learning
Institutional facilities used to support
programme
Course handbook/questionnaire: Ask
students and to compare aims and learning
outcomes
Questionnaire/interview: Ask students
and tutors
Reporting and tracking of student progress Student records/staff records: Ensuring
that tracking actually happens
Use of evaluation material
Academic reports from previous years
74 Programme and course design
Table 5.3 Student motivation and attainment
Issues that need to be evaluated
Levels of attendance
Final success rate
Communication
Student views
Possible evaluation tool
Registers
Finishing rates and retention rate
Questionnaire/interview: Ask students either
verbally or in writing whether they feel there has
been good communication between tutors on the
course and between themselves and their tutors
Questionnaire/interview: Ask students either
verbally or in writing whether they feel their ideas
have been valued and they have been given the
opportunity to contribute and participate in their
learning
Points for consideration
In relation to the programme you are currently developing, the follow-
ing should be considered prior to setting out the evaluation process.
• Select the specific areas that will be evaluated within the
programme.
• Select the evaluation strategies that will be adopted to give accur-
ate data.
• Identify time points for the collection of evaluation data.
• Establish and state how dissemination of data and feedback pro-
cedures will be implemented.
Evaluation and feedback are essential within the quality assurance
framework. Evaluation data are a means by which curricula can be seen to
be succeeding in achieving the aims and standards set out by that curricu-
lum. Acting on evaluation data and feedback to improve teaching/learning
environments is essential in maintaining high standards.
The evaluation cycle (Figure 5.7) is there to assist the raising of standards.
Often feedback is difficult to implement; if seen in a cyclical manner, it is
easier to understand how courses can be systematically evaluated and
improved to meet the demands of a changing student population.
Figure 5.7 Evaluation cycle
Conclusion
Programme and course design 75
This chapter has introduced the main elements of programme and course
design. It has shown how programme or course aims and learning outcomes
are the foundation on which a programme rests from its inception to its
evaluation. Within any programme design you should be able to explain the
following terms:
• aims;
• learning outcomes;
• progression;
• assessment;
• evaluation.
Programme design requires a clear understanding of the context of learn-
ing and the main areas of the subject that need to be covered by the students.
How the students progress through the programme and how each element
of the programme links is essential to effective course development.
Entrance Exam for post graduate course in literature and stylistics (2003/2004)
University of Ouragla
1-Lilerature Exam:
It is hard to make a distinction between “Reality” and “Fiction” in contemporary literatures. Comment?
2-Linguistics Exam:
Literary stylistics involves moving from micrlinguistic analysis that one does in linguistics, to microscopic or holistic analysis of the text. This may be one way to view the text historically. The question is whether this approach has the same limitation as that of the study of cohesion: i.e; that is able to tell us about linkages on a one-to-one basis (sentence level) :but it is not able to tell us how the text as a whole “hangs together” (discourse level)
*Give arguments for or against this view on the role of the linguistics in literary
Stylistics .Illustrate your arguments with adequate examples.
Good luck
Magister Exam
University of Med kheider Biskra (2002 /2003)
Civilisation and Applied linguistics
I-Civilisation:
Choose only one of the following:
British Civilisation Question:
List and give your comments about the different ways a government is established and controlled in Great Britain.
American Civilisation Question:
J.F.Kennedy,one of the most prominent presidents of America, once said that the U.S.A was a society of immigrants, each of whom had begun life a new ,on an equal footing. This is the secret o f America: a nation of people with the fresh memory of old traditions, who dare explore new frontiers.
Discuss the president’s saying and give your comments on the contribution of immigration to success of the U.S.A as a powerful nation.
II- Applied linguistics:
Account for the general evolution of linguistic theory in the last half century (structural Linguistics; Transformational Generative Grammar;Psycholinguistics;Sociolinguistics…etc.) in correlation with the general trends in foreign ******** teaching.
Good luck
Magister Exam
University of Mantouri Constantine 30 September 2004
Reading and writing convergences
I-Morning Part: Essay Writing.03 hours
Good writing is almost never accidental.
Discuss and bring out the requirements that help you achieve this?
II-Teaching English as a foreign ********: 2 hours
Explain the stages of development and the required activities foreign ******** learners have to go through in order to develop their reading and writing abilities
Magister Exam
University of Oum El bouaki 2004
T.E.F.L and General linguistics
I-General linguistics:
“What we can do as a part of investigation of ******** is concentrate on those properties which make human ******** a unique type of communication system”
* Discuss.
II-T.E.F.L:
As a teacher of a foreign ********, you have to select a specific methodology to dp the learner’s abilities in the ********.
* Discuss the method and the tests you would use ?
Magister Exam
University of Med kheider Biskra (2005)
American Civilisation and Didactics
I-Didactics:
Discuss the following Quotation:
“The need for an eclectic approach to second ******** learning combines the best features of different approaches. However, the translation of such general conclusions into actual classroom practice is a complicated affair.”
Elizabeth Ingram (1976) P.289.
II-American Civilisation:
“It is a catastrophe when evil triumphs, but it is an ever greater catastrophe if it compels the just to resort injustice in order to combat it. Unless the world returns to moral conscience ;to the value of the spirit and its primacy over force, power is only a source of destination.”
Discuss this quotation with special reference to the U.S.recent foreign policy.
Ecole Doctorale d’Anglais université de Annaba(2007)
I-General /Theoretical linguistics:
Some schools of linguistics share similarities while some others have totally different views about ********. * Discuss.
II-Sociolinguistics:
Choose one of the following topics:
1- What kind of problems can be involved in the definition of speech community?
2- What is the basic nature of ******** and how will this affect teaching?
Literature
Literary theory:
Discuss the following statement:
“One of the great problems in the theory of fiction from Aristotle to Auer Bach has been the relationship between fictional art and life: the problem of mimesis*
Support your arguments with precise examples showing evidence of a wide reading
*Mimesis: The representation of nature (or life )in artistic creation
Magister in Linguistics /Didactics
University of Algiers Bouzareah (2007)
I-General linguistics:
Discuss fully the statement made by Chomsky (1972 ):
“Personally, I am primarily intrigued by the possibility of learning something .
From the study of ******** ; that will bring to light inherent properties of the human mind”.
Magister Entrance Examination
University of Bedjaia
Literature: (03 hours)
Discuss any one of the following statements with reference to two works (at least) focusing on both form and *******.
1-British literature:
The Modernists were obsessed with the idea that the culture they were born in had come to a dead end.
2-American literature:
The re-assessment of the American Dream (in its economic, social an cultural dimensions) is a constant feature of twentieth-century American literature.
3-African literature:
Post-colonial African literature subverts both African Establishment and European literature.
This is all what I have I wish you all the best and if you have any other exam sample please send it
Yours faithfully Rafik Amamri