Running head: FINAL REFLECTION

Final Reflection
Megan Segoshi
Loyola University Chicago

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Final Reflection

This course has enabled me to draw upon my previous personal, educational, and
professional experiences to understand curriculum development. My reflection in this paper
outlines not only the new knowledge I have acquired as a result of this course, but also the
learning I have done in the process. Knowledge can be fleeting, and Im sure I will not obtain all
of it forever; but the learning I have done based on the integration of course materials with real
life experiences and reflections, will surely stay. The diversity of the projects offered, which
catered to various strengths and areas of improvement of mine, have challenged my notions of
high impact learning. They have required me to unlearn things that have been ingrained in me
since childhood, and to take responsibility for my own learning. This has nicely complemented
my experiences in other courses, and is a great way to continue along my doctoral journey.
Philosophy on Curriculum Development
Throughout this semester I have acquired new knowledge about curriculum development
as well as several skills necessary in the creation of high impact learning experiences. High
impact learning can be defined as educational learning practices that help students gain
knowledge drawing from a variety of disciplines and fosters intellectual and practical skills,
personal and social responsibility, and integrated and applied learning (Kuh, 2008). High impact
learning can add substantial value to student learning experiences through various mechanisms
of delivery, including service-learning, undergraduate research, and study abroad (Kuh, 2008). I
believe that a classroom environment can be most successful when it integrates high impact
learning experiences into the coursework, ties them to well-developed learning outcomes, and
buffers them with critical reflection.

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In developing learning outcomes and course content, it is extremely important to consider

the context of the course. Content is better understood by students when it is related back to
their own lived experiences, so considering the various identities of your students is of the
utmost importance. In this regard, teaching a group of undergraduates would look very different
at a four-year, residential campus with mostly White, traditional age students than it would at a
community college, which is more likely to have more students of color and older students.
Learning is not unidirectional (i.e. from instructor to student) or static. It is an ongoing,
ever-changing process that requires high levels of engagement. I tend to take on a more
constructivist perspective on learning, understanding it as a collaborative process in which
knowledge is generated through dialogue, hands on experience, and reflection. I subscribe to the
notion that in educational settings, students share responsibility in their learning and should be
encouraged to co-create their curriculum with the instructor. Although they may be in the class
because they lack some expertise in a given topic, they have many other forms of capital and
experiences that can contribute to a very rich learning environment, and this is not to be
overlooked.
My Learning in This Course
The various assignments we completed in this course all contributed to my learning in
various ways. They also allowed me to draw upon my learning in other courses to inform my
analyses and reflections. For example, in my Doctoral Professional Seminar class, we explored
various current issues and challenges being faced in our field, such as globalization, distance
learning, access and affordability, and the rise of for-profit institutions. Having basic knowledge
of all of these issues provided me with a backdrop for analyzing many of the topics in this
course. Additionally, my Leadership instructor integrated a Freirian approach to the course, in

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which all students shared a responsibility in their learning; something that I found many of us
were very uncomfortable with at first, since we had rarely or never actually experienced having a
say in our learning before. Below I will discuss my major takeaways from the assignments in
this course, and explain some of my learning processes throughout their completion.
Case Studies
The case studies required me to analyze, compare, and contrast core curricula, course
syllabi, and service-learning programs across five different colleges and universities. These
assignments drew on my existing knowledge and experience as a student, since I had
experienced all of these elements before. They also connected my student experience with my
professional experience as a student affairs practitioner, where I learned more about institutional
context and type. There were a number of perspectives I was able to take on these comparisons.
For example, when I compared the core curricula of five universities I drew upon my
undergraduate experience to think about the impact completing a core curriculum had on my
learning. I then further analyzed the curricula by attempting to understand the institutional
contexts in which these curricula were being implemented, and analyzing why some institutions
might differ from others, and how that may positively or negatively affect their students. Finally,
this assignment and my doctoral experience thus far provided me with a more academic and
intellectual understanding of core curricula, allowing me to analyze the connectedness or lack
thereof between various courses and requirements offered by universities. I also used a critical
lens to consider the value and impact of a core curriculum, taking into account the fact that some
elite institutions have actually done away with them. My processes in examining course syllabi
and service-learning programs were similar, with me drawing from various experiences and
frameworks to formulate my analyses.

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Syllabus
Creating my own syllabus was the most intellectually rigorous assignment for me in this
course. It required me to unlearn some of my existing assumptions about creating a course, and
integrate a new framework, Finks (2003) taxonomy of significant learning. This meant starting
with consideration of the course context, developing learning outcomes, connecting them to
learning activities, and then designing constructive feedback and assessment plans that would
result in significant learning for the students (Fink, 2003). A foundational skill that I learned was
how to create learning goals or outcomes. In reflecting on this assignment, I can now see and
appreciate the value in having learning outcomes that are measurable. This can be helpful on
both the student and instructor end, so that everyone is clear on the expectations. Connecting
learning activities to these outcomes was easy once the outcomes were determined; I had to think
of ways that the activities would result in the outcomes, employing a backwards design. I then
thought carefully about the ways feedback would be delivered to students, to ensure fair and
equitable assessment. This is one part where I drew upon my own belief that learning is a
collaborative effort, and I intentionally thought of ways to engage students in their own learning
process.
In reflecting on the process of creating this syllabus, I can see how it built off of the
previous case study assignments. Having learned about the ways in which core curricula was
implemented and justified at other institutions made me think more critically about the purpose
of my course. Looking at the designs of other course syllabi, with the backdrop of Nilsons
(2010) course syllabus requirements, gave me a good idea of what information was important to
include, and how different professors at different institutions have tied learning outcomes to their
course content. Finally, I drew upon both the service-learning program analysis case study and

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my own undergraduate experience in this assignment, intentionally integrating high impact

learning practices into my course design.
Service-Learning Reflection Modules
At some point in the course I realized that the service-learning reflection module project,
while a learning exercise in itself, was also an actual service-learning project. Once I made this
realization, it become a lot clearer to me why we were engaging in what appeared to be a
somewhat messy and complicated project. According to Jacoby (1996), service-learning must
include both reflection and reciprocity; reflection because learning doesnt occur in the actual
doing of an activity, but rather in the reflecting that happens after it, and reciprocity because both
the students engaging in service and the community or organization being served should benefit
as a result of the service.
I feel that the service-learning reflection module project for Marquette University
encompassed both of these aspects, however, unlike many other service-learning initiatives, we
were not serving a community or organization that is oppressed or holds an otherwise
marginalized position in society. It was clear when we received harsh negative feedback from
them in the middle of the semester that they held quite a bit of power in this relationship, and
were comfortable exercising it in a way that felt uncomfortable for me, personally. I felt like we
were inconveniencing them. A number of factors contributed to this power differential and the
discomfort that resulted from the feedback, including their positionality as gainfully employed,
more experienced, full-time, White staff members at a university, and our positionality as
younger, job-seeking, less experienced graduate students, and in some cases students of color. In
reflecting on and processing this experience, I believe that while their feedback was useful in the
end, I would have appreciated and benefited more from feedback that was sensitive to the power

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differential and did not assume a lack of effort or commitment on our part. As students, we had
the responsibility of successfully completing a project that would suit the needs of Marquettes
service-learning program. However, I strongly believe that their staff also shared the
responsibility of articulating their needs in a structured manner that would lead to more
consistency among our various projects and overall successful product.
In my writing of this critical reflection, it is becoming evident to me that receiving their
negative feedback overshadowed much of this experience. However, there is certainly some
learning that occurred as a result of this project. My team did not implement Finks (2003)
backwards design here, in part because we werent sure where to start, structurally, with this
project. We ended up starting by writing our prompts, without learning outcomes. In hindsight,
I think we should have started by designing learning outcomes, but by tweaking our prompts and
continually revisiting the learning outcomes, activities, and rubrics (assessment), we were able to
successfully achieve something similar to Finks (2003) integrated course design. In future
projects that mimic this structure, I will be sure to always start with my learning outcomes, and
subsequently design the activities and assessment. I think we would have benefitted from having
more direction for this project, perhaps in the form of a written document that outlined exactly
what their expectations were of us, and what components of the project (because there were
many) we were recreating.
My learning from this assignment resulted from the many tensions that existed in the
relationship between our class and Marquettes expectations, which I understand is quite normal
in the service-learning experience. I learned the importance of balancing the power dynamic
between the service organization and the students, and making sure that all voices are heard,
honored, and in constant communication. This can of course be very difficult to achieve given

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all of our busy schedules and various commitments. In future service-learning experiences, I
will be very sensitive to this differential and seek to maintain a positive working relationship
with the service organization, keeping in mind that next time I may be the instructor facilitating
that relationship.
Conclusion
The value of reflection has become evident to me in this course, and even in the process
of writing this final reflection now. It really is in the reflection that learning occurs what use is
knowledge and experience if we never actively think about what we got out of it? I will be able
to use many of the concepts and skills I acquired in this course, such as the importance of
foundational knowledge and relating knowledge to our lived experiences, and how to create
learning outcomes and use them as a part of backwards, integrated course design. The learning I
have taken from this course will be on-going. As my distance from this course increases, I may
find new ways in which its content will influence my educational and life experiences.
Specifically, I will be intentional in continuing to reflect upon my learning from the servicelearning reflection module project, as Im sure more takeaways will become apparent to me in
the future. The value of reflection is that I will be able to revisit this experience at different
points in my life and view it differently based on my newly acquired learning each time.

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References

Association of American Colleges and Universities. (2008). High-impact educational practices:

What they are, who has access to them, and why they matter. Washington, DC: Kuh.
Fink, L.D. (2003). Creating significant learning experiences: An integrated approach to
developing college courses. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Jacoby, B. & Associates. (1996). Service-learning in higher education: Concepts and Practices.
San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Nilson, L.B. (2010). Teaching at its best: A research-based resource for college
instructors. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. (Ch. 1 3)