Module 3
Designing Curriculum

Timeline

• Suggested Timeline
  • Monday, July 3- Saturday, July 8
• Final Deadline (First attempt at the CD (which is a reflection rather than an "exam") should be completed by)
  • Saturday, July 8

Outcomes

• Describe a complete process for curriculum design/development at the course level.
• Explain the principles of equitable grading.  
• Discuss a plan for implementing equitable grading in a course/unit of your selection.
• Describe various kinds of courses available for adoption/adaptation.  Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of adopting/adapting published courseware.
• Given a general course description and goals provide basic ideas for a set of units/general topics and for each:  desired outcomes/capabilities, probable learning activities, in general or specific to outcome, as appropriate (e.g., several programming outcomes might have very similar learning activities), brief description of assessments for each unit/topic, a grading scheme for the course.

Readings/Activities

Readings

I think I used every one of these readings in our Teaching and Learning Programming course. But I think they are a SIGNIFICANT part of our whole, five-course program. So I will ask you to revisit them.

• Examine this website about "Understanding by Design"
  • http://www.ascd.org/research-a-topic/understanding-by-design-resources.aspx
  • Make sure to read the two articles under the heading "Overview of the Understanding by Design Framework:
    • "Introduction: What is the UbD Framework" [Local Copy]
    • "Teaching for Meaning and Understanding" [Local Copy.  Link on this website is broken.]
• Read this website/page about outcomes-based curriculum design:
  • https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/understanding-by-design/
• Revisit the CSTA/Iowa Standards for K12 Computer Science
  • https://educateiowa.gov/sites/files/ed/documents/IowaComputerScienceStandards.pdf
• Equitable Grading
  • A public radio article about it
  • A website devoted to it
  • EquitableGrading

Activities/Reflections

1. Competency Demo (CD3.1) Identify a computer science course that you currently teach, have been asked to design, or that you expect to see at your school in the future. This course can contain programming but should also include elements beyond programming.  Using the CSTA Standards as guidance, identify a set of outcomes that you feel are/will be applicable to the design of this course.  [Graded as a Competency Demo]
2. CP3.2 - Do some internet research to find a published curriculum that you feel supports the development of the course you have been planning/describing.  Create a summary report providing a description and key ideas/advantages that would be useful to others in this course. 

Assessment

In the previous two modules I assigned multiple writing activities that were ungraded but were used to get you thinking. However, the actual assessment of your learning came from the end of module competency demo.

Unlike those prior modules, this one only has two written activities. The first activity is a significant activity and will help me put you in groups for your project. This is evaluated like a competency demo.

The second activity is the only non-graded reflection and it actually is inteneded to come AFTER the reflection that is graded as a competency demo.