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Course Alignment
Course alignment is achieved when all course components are directly related and work together to facilitate and indicate mastery of learning objectives. The instructional materials, learning activities, and tools/technologies must be supported by the weekly objectives (WOs) and course learning outcomes (CLOs) being assessed. Design courses with alignment in mind.
Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs)
CLOs in the Master Syllabus are determined by the department.
Weekly Objectives (WOs)
All WOs should connect to one or more appropriate CLOs and describe what learners will be able to do if they successfully complete the readings, activities, interactions, and assessments for the week.
A key part of our course development process is applying techniques to develop course assignments and exams. The developer selects CLOs to address in a given week, crafts WOs to address the CLOs, and then develops assignments for those WOs. The WOs are a way to break the broader CLOs into manageable, applicable, and discrete skills.
is a preferred guide in selecting action verbs to reflect the methods of student assessment, and the objectives should avoid emotional and subjective language. It is also important to consider the pros and cons of different assignments and assessments. For example, a group project can be good for "higher" levels of Bloom's taxonomy, such as "Create" or "Evaluate," but may not be the best choice for assessing "lower" levels of the taxonomy, such as "Remember."
If you are interested in learning more about backwards Design, , by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe is the seminal (and original) text on the process.
Below are examples of Course Objectives and some matching Weekly Objectives for a currently offered course. Notice that WOs can apply to multiple CLOs and assignments could satisfy multiple CLOs and WOs.
Objective Alignment
Course Learning Outcomes
Weekly Objective Examples
To correctly choose the appropriate statistical test for a given set of data
§ Explain the basic research designs, including correlational method and experimental method
§ Define sample and population
§ Describe the four scales of measurement
To compute basic descriptive statistics
§ Describe when the use of mean, median and mode is appropriate
§ Calculate and interpret z-scores, T-scores and percentiles
§ Calculate a simple regression line and use it for prediction
To compute basic parametric and nonparametric statistics
§ Describe and explain when it is appropriate to choose parametric versus non-parametric statistics
§ Describe correlations between two variables (e.g. negative, positive, none)
To interpret the results of descriptive and inferential statistical analyses
§ Describe the characteristics of normal and non-normal distributions of data
§ Pearson Product-Moment Correlation
§ Describe and explain errors in statistical decision-making (i.e. Type I and Type II Errors)
To use a scientific calculator and a packaged computer program (e.g. Statistica, SAS, SPSS, etc.) to compute statistics
§ Create simple, relative and cumulative frequency distributions from data sets
§ Describe when the use of mean, median, and mode is appropriate
§ Using a scientific online statistical tool and statistical analysis package, calculate measures of variability, including range, sample and population variances, sample and population standard deviations, estimations of the population variance and standard deviation, and the standard error of the mean
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Graded Assignments
All graded assignments should evaluate mastery of WOs and corresponding CLOs. The cognitive level described by the verb in the objective matches the cognitive level of the actions required to complete the assignment.
Example: Explain the basic research designs, including correlational method and experimental method. (CLO 1)
According to Bloom’s Taxonomy, “explain” is in the comprehension cognitive level, so an appropriate assessment would be a short answer that describes both the correlational method and the experimental method.
Instructional Materials
All instructional materials should contribute to gaining the knowledge and skills required to successfully complete the assessment and demonstrate mastery of WOs and corresponding CLOs.
Learning Activities and Tools
All learning activities and tools should promote the achievement of WOs and corresponding CLOs.
Perhaps the most important principle for an ID is to keep in mind that designing activities for students to interact with is more complex than simply assigning material for students to read and view. Once learning objectives and resources are organized into eight weeks, the development team builds as much active learning into the weekly modules as is reasonable in terms of student workload and relevant in terms of WOs and the overall CLOs.
Completing assigned readings and research, discussion postings, papers, and quizzes/exams often occupies most of a students’ time within the course, but diverse learning activities have potential to stimulate students’ deeper interest in course topics. Learning activities should motivate students to engage in more genuine, authentic learning. The savvy ID suggests these activities during the design process and should review and evaluate such activities through the student lens. The ID works with the developer to design activities students would find most relevant to the course topics in the context of their personal lives. These activities should engage students in collaboration or interaction, minimize their isolation and frustration, provide opportunities for feedback from the instructor and peers, and give them a sense that their actions in the course matter.
A list of typical learning activities and associated learning resources and their use can be found in the “Developer Resources” module, located in the Content area of each Course Redevelopment shell.
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