STEM IN TILE A CTIVE L EARNING W ORKSHOP Learning Objectives: Then and Now Dr. Darren Hoffmann Lecturer, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology University.

STEM IN TILE ACTIVE LEARNING WORKSHOP

Learning Objectives: Then and NowDr. Darren Hoffmann

Lecturer, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology

University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine

GOALS FOR THIS WORKSHOP

Establish a way of defining understanding for ourselves and our students

Practice Analyzing and Applying principles of Understanding and Learning Objectives

Discuss ways that these tools can be useful/not useful in our courses and overall curriculum

OBJECTIVES FOR TODAY

By the end of this session, we should be able to… Describe the difference between knowledge and

understanding Construct good learning objectives that reflect

understanding of a topic Describe levels of understanding using Bloom’s

Taxonomy Adjust course objectives to reflect different levels

of understanding Apply learning objectives to common curriculum

design tasks

1. KNOWLEDGE/SKILL VS. UNDERSTANDING

Events in a timeline

Ability to type quickly

Word definitions in a foreign language

How events in a timeline lead to one another

Why arm position affects typing speed

Having a conversation in a foreign language

Students often believe: memorizing = learning

It is our job to show them: WHY it’s important to understand material

Teaching through questions, etc. HOW to understand the material

Instructional plan HOW to prove to us and themselves that they

understand the material Objectives, Assessment

STUDENTS AND UNDERSTANDING

5 Minute Free Write:Identify some key areas important to

understand in your lecture/class session

ANALYSIS/APPLICATION OF UNDERSTANDING

A way to define understanding A statement that shows students what

they can DO with their knowledge/skills A statement that guides how students

learn and how instructors teach and assess A way to make your life as a teacher MUCH

easier

2. LEARNING OBJECTIVES

General Objectives This course aims to… Written from the professor’s point of view

Specific Objectives After this lecture, you will be able to… Written for the student’s point of view

TYPES OF OBJECTIVES

1. Contain an Action Verb (what can a student DO?)2. Relate to an important course concept3. Demonstrate learning/understanding4. Be measureable5. May contain conditions and/or criteria

Makes objectives more specific

QUALITIES OF EFFECTIVE LEARNING OBJECTIVES

An education course: Expand student’s knowledge of teaching techniques

An anatomy course: The student will be able to identify 3 common embryologic causes of heart

defects

 A radiology course: Pass the final exam

 A civics course: The three branches of U.S. government

A laboratory skills course: Observe an experiment and give suggestions for areas which could be

improved to result in a better outcome

 An immunology course: Surface markers in B-cell development

ANALYSIS OF LEARNING OBJECTIVES

10 Minute First Draft:Write learning objectives for topics

in your class session and peer review

APPLICATION OF LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Several language systems for clear objectives have been established through educational science Allows us to measure the level of understanding

we are asking of students Allows students to express their understanding in

many ways 6 Facets of Understanding (1990s) Bloom’s Taxonomy (1950s)

3. LEVELS OF UNDERSTANDING

1. Explanation 2. Interpretation 3. Application 4. Perspective 5. Empathy 6. Self-knowledge

6 FACETS OF UNDERSTANDING MODEL

3 Domains of Learning Cognitive

Remember Understand Apply Analyze Evaluate Create

Affective: Awareness, appreciation, perspective, empathy Psychomotor: Skills requiring motor control

BLOOM’S TAXONOMY MODEL

http://www.res.rcs.k12.tn.us/teachers/leonardl/blooms_pyramid.html

1. An Education Course The student will be able to identify 4 different Closed Assessment Tasks. 

2. An Anatomy Course The student will be able to diagram the flow of blood through the heart, noting

relevant structures (valves, vessels, etc.).

3. A Radiology Course The student will be able to find a 5 cm pancreatic tumor mass on a CT scan.

4. A Civics Course The student will be able to name the three branches of the U.S. Government and

their primary roles.

5. A Laboratory Skills Course The student will be able to observe an experiment and give suggestions for areas

which could be improved to increase the overall yield.

6. An Immunology Course The student will be able to understand the different surface markers in B-cell

development.

ANALYSIS OF LEVELS OF UNDERSTANDING

10 Minute RevisionApply the domains/Bloom’s Taxonomy

to your class session’s objectivesChallenge yourself to incorporate the affective

domain/Facets 5 and 6 if possible

APPLICATION OF LEVELS OF UNDERSTANDING

4. PUTTING LEARNING OBJECTIVES INTO PRACTICE…

For me, it’s easier to write the objectives after organizing content/putting lecture together

For others, it’s easier to write the lecture after writing clear objectives

Pros/Cons?

HOW/WHEN TO WRITE LEARNING OBJECTIVES?

3 options 1. At the beginning of the course – one big list 2. In each lecture handout 3. At the conclusion of a unit (used as study

guide)

Pros/Cons?

HOW/WHEN TO RELEASE OBJECTIVES TO STUDENTS

Students stop/decrease asking “will this be on the test?” Students start asking for objectives from lecturers who don’t

provide them You can write test questions faster Students never complain that questions were

unfair/unexpected You can precisely identify a student’s misunderstanding You can communicate your course’s goals more clearly with

your colleagues

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU START USING GOOD LEARNING OBJECTIVES?

Sequencing Classroom Resources Assessment Instructional planning Course evaluations

5. USING LO’S IN YOUR CURRICULUM DESIGN WORK

Your objectives are the test. You’ve already written it. Bravo.

The level of objective should be reflected in the level of the tasks in the assessment.

CURRICULUM APPLICATIONS: ASSESSMENT

Instructional activities should be geared toward your student goals

Kern et al 2009 handout Knowledge vs. Problem-solving Low vs. High levels of understanding

Provide opportunities for: Elaboration (connecting new information to existing

knowledge) Transfer (applying a concept/skill to a new context) Difficulty

CURRICULUM APPLICATIONS: INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN

Start by just doing example problems in class

Option 1: Talk through the problem yourself

Option 2: Give them a problem to work on and vote with a clicker

Option 3: Think-Pair-Share approach

Option 4: Random Volunteer/Instructor Selected Respondent

ENGAGEMENT IN THE CLASSROOM: WHERE TO START?

Least Engaging

Most Engaging

Objectives: Describe the anatomical regions of the Infratemporal

Fossa and Pterygopalatine Fossa noting bony limits of each region

Predict the effects of compression of the Maxillary artery at any given location

Understand the nerves that are affected by a mandibular nerve block and determine which areas will be anaesthetized as a result.

Draw the branching pattern of the maxillary artery in the infratemporal fossa. Combine this with your previous knowledge of the branching of the external carotid leading to the maxillary artery.

In-class Activity: Labeling contest

EXAMPLE OF SOMETHING MORE INVOLVED…

Labeling Contest!!!

2

12

1

8

6

13

10

11

9

4

5

3

7

Darren Hoffmann ([email protected])

Understanding By Design, Wiggins and McTighe (1995) (6 Facets Model) Available for free electronically through

University Libraries

THANK YOU!

Do some objectives fit within others? Are some objectives heavier than others? Do the real objectives of your course reveal

hidden possibilities of sequencing?

CURRICULUM APPLICATIONS: SEQUENCING

What level are most of your objectives? The level of objective can guide your choice

of learning materials.

CURRICULUM APPLICATIONS: CLASSROOM RESOURCES

Easy: Did my students demonstrate the ability to perform the objectives that I set out for them? If assessments were designed according to

objectives, this is relatively easy to assess Hard: Making quality judgments based on

your own reflections and student evaluations Both are useful, but also influenced by non-

educational outcomes

CURRICULUM APPLICATIONS: COURSE EVALUATIONS