Department vs. Breadth
As you plan your courses, think of the curriculum to be learned as a rectangle,with the horizontal sides = breadth and the vertical sides = depth. In this imagethe area of the rectangle basically remains constant regardless of how youconstruct the rectangle. Which do you need for your course, greater breadth or greater depth? You cannot have it both ways. Mathematically inclined folks willremind us that the maximum area of a rectangle with the smallest parameter is asquare. Perhaps you also need to make your curriculum more of a square than avery narrow, but long rectangle. (Adapted from John Biggs- Teaching for QualityLearning at University, What the student does), SHRE and Open Press, 1999
Preparing course syllabi
The more explicit you make the course syllabus, the more you are communicatingwith your students about their course. This improves the chances that the studentswill succeed in the course. Here is a checklist of topics (not comprehensive, I'msure) to include in an expanded course syllabus or course manual:1.Why would a student want or need to take this course?2.What are the course objectives? Where do they lead the studentintellectually and practically?3.What are the prerequisites for the course? This includes not just previouslytaken courses but major concepts that the students are assumed to knowand be able to use in the course. How will students acquire necessary, butmissing skills or concepts?4.Why do the parts of the course come in the order they do?5.What instructional formats (lectures, labs, discussions, student presentations, group work, etc.) will be used, when?6.What does the faculty member expect from the students in day to dayclasses, in assignments, on tests, etc.?7.What is the purpose of assignments and exams?8.What will be exams and assignments evaluate - memory, understanding,ability to synthesize, application, presenting evidence logically, writingskills, problem solving, etc.?9.Why have the books been chosen? What is their relative importance in thecourse and in the discipline?10.What other resources should the students obtain/access. e.g., calculator,lab materials, professional attire, access to the Web, etc.11.Include a detailed schedule of events, classes, assignments, exams, datedue and your expectations regarding them.12.Include your policies on lateness (both personal and for assignments),make-ups, absence, class participation, etc.
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