The Master Course Design Process Explained Using General College Botany as a Case Study
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
This paper describes the master course design process at the largest institution of higher education in Colorado, USA. The master course design process demonstrated principles of backwards design and employed a team-based approach to course development. The course map was the primary vehicle for communicating the design of the course during development and later for accountability. This case study presented the redesign of General College Botany. The General College Botany curriculum employed authentic assessment and provided an andragogical learning environment. The central authentic assessment in the course was a term-long research project. Other assignments included wiki-building discussions, traditional quizzes, and at-home labs. The accounting of this process and the assignments described for an online science course provide a template for other institutions to follow when considering the implementation of master courses in higher education settings. As botanical curricula continue to be cut from degree programs and the need for remote learning becomes imminent in the modern world, the scaling of educational resources is facilitated by master course design. Master course design promotes accountability and standardization while also affording a well-researched, constructive, and blended learning environment.
Downloads
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
- Authors retain copyright and grant the Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (JoSoTL) right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License, (CC-BY) 4.0 International, allowing others to share the work with proper acknowledgement and citation of the work's authorship and initial publication in the Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.
- Authors are able to enter separate, additional contractual agreements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in the Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.
- In pursuit of manuscripts of the highest quality, multiple opportunities for mentoring, and greater reach and citation of JoSoTL publications, JoSoTL encourages authors to share their drafts to seek feedback from relevant communities unless the manuscript is already under review or in the publication queue after being accepted. In other words, to be eligible for publication in JoSoTL, manuscripts should not be shared publicly (e.g., online), while under review (after being initially submitted, or after being revised and resubmitted for reconsideration), or upon notice of acceptance and before publication. Once published, authors are strongly encouraged to share the published version widely, with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in the Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.
References
About CCCS. Retrieved from https://www.cccs.edu/about-cccs/
Allen, I. E., & Seaman, J. (2016). Online report card: Tracking online education in the United States. [Annual report]. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED572777.pdf
Bangert, A. (2008). The influence of social presence and teaching presence on the quality of online critical inquiry. Journal of Computing in Higher Education, 20(1), 34-61. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03033431
Chao, I. T., Saj, T., & Hamilton, D. (2010). Using collaborative course development to achieve online course quality standards. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 11(3), 106-126. https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v11i3.912
Colorado Common Course Numbering System. (2016). Retrieved September 29, 2020, from https://erpdnssb.cccs.edu/PRODCCCS/ccns_pub_controller.p_command_processor
Colorado Community Colleges Online (CCCO) Strategic Plan. (2013/2014). Retrieved from http://www.ccconline.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/CCCOnline-Strategic-
Plan_Final.pdf
Colorado Community College System Fact Sheet. (2016). Retrieved from https://www.cccs.edu/resources/cccs-facts-figures/
Cullen, R., Harris, M., & Hill, R.R. (2012). The learner-centered curriculum: Design and implementation. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass & Sons, Inc.
Cydis, S., Galantino, M.L., Hood, C., Padden, M., & Richard, M. (2015). Integrating and assessing essential learning outcomes: fostering faculty development and student engagement. ¬15(3), 33-52. https://doi.org/10.14434/josotl.v15i3.13315
Davis, A. A. (2018). An evaluation of an online master course design model at a North Carolina community college Publication No. 10831562. [Doctoral dissertation, Wingate University]. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.
Drea, S. (2011). The end of the botany degree in the UK. Bioscience education, 17(1), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.3108/beej.17.2
Franetovic, M., & Bush, R. (2013). Master course shell practice: Redesign of institutional online course look and feel, alignment of core course content and delivery, and quality improvement. https://secure.onlinelearningconsortium.org/node/411286
Garrison, D.R., Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (2000). Critical inquiry in a text-based environment: Computer conferencing in higher education model. The Internet and Higher Education, 2(2-3), 87-105. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1096-7516(00)00016-6
Garrison, D.R., Cleveland-Innes, M., & Fung, T.S. (2010). Exploring causal relationship among teaching, cognitive and social presence: Student perceptions of the community of inquiry framework. The Internet and Higher Education, 13(1-2), 31-36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2009.10.002
Goldberg, N. A., & Ingram, K. W. (2011). Improving student engagement in a lower-division botany course. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 11(2), 76-90. EJ932147
Hershey, D. R. (1996). A historical perspective on problems in botany teaching. The American Biology Teacher, 58(6), 340-347. https://doi.org/10.2307/4450174
Herrington, J., Reeves, T.C., & Oliver, R. (2014). Authentic learning environments. In J. M. Spector, M.D. Merrill, Elen, J., & Bishop, M.J. (Eds.), Handbook of research on educational communications and technology (pp. 401-412). New York: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3185-5_32
Jacoby, J.M. (2017). The impact of an aesthetic online course design template on the learner user experience. [Doctoral dissertation, Massey University]. https://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/13321?show=full
Knowles, M.S., Holton, E.F., & Swanson, R.A. (2011). The adult learner (7th ed.). Burlington,
MA: Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780080964249
Lord, T., Shelly, C., & Zimmerman, R. (2007). Putting inquiry teaching to the test: Enhancing learning in college botany. Journal of College Science Teaching, 36(7), 62-65. https://www.jstor.org/stable/42992508
Marshall, J. 2016. Digitization of the IPFW herbarium and use in field botany and dendrology courses. CELT Summer Instructional Development Grant Final Report. https://www.pfw.edu/offices/celt/pdfs/Marshall_CELT-SID_Final-Report.pdf
Martinez, M.E. (2010). Learning and cognition: The design of the mind. Upper Saddle River,
NJ: Pearson Education.
Merrill, M.D. (2002). First principles of instruction. Educational Technology Research and Development, 50 (3), 43–59. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02505024
Nichols, G. E. (1919). The general biology course and the teaching of elementary botany and zoology in American colleges and universities. Science, 50(1301), 509-517. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1643463
Palloff, R.M., & Pratt, K. (2013). Lessons from the virtual classroom: The realities of online teaching (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. https://doi.org/10.1177/1521025115578237
Puzziferro, M., & Shelton, K. (2014). A model for developing high-quality online courses: Integrating a systems approach with learning theory. Journal of Asynchronous Learning
Networks, 12(3-4), 119-136. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ837519.pdf
Quality Matters Higher Education Program. (2016). Retrieved from https://www.qualitymatters.org/higher-education-program
Quizlet. (2016). Retrieved from https://quizlet.com/
Rennie, F., & Morrison, T. (2008). E-learning and social networking handbook: Resources for higher education. New York: Routledge, https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203120279
Sachar, C. 2020. Revising with metacognition to promote writing achievement: A case study. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. 20(3), 49-63. https://doi.org/10.14434/josotl.v20i3.28675
Silva, J. R. S. D., Guimarães, F., & Sano, P. T. (2016). Teaching of Botany in higher education: representations and discussions of undergraduate students. http://hdl.handle.net/1822/44500
Swan, K., Matthews, D., Bogle, L., Boles, E., & Day, S. (2012). Linking online course design and implementation to learning outcomes: A design experiment. The Internet and Higher Education, 15(2), 81-88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2011.07.002
Uno, G. E. (2009). Botanical literacy: How and what students should learn about plants. American Journal of Botany, 96(10), 1753-1759. https://doi.org/10.3732/ajb.0900025
Villarroel, V., Bloxham, S., Bruna, D., Herrera-Seda, C. (2018). Authentic Assessment: Creating a blueprint for course design. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education. 43(5), 840-854. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2017.1412396
Wandersee, J. H., & Schussler, E. E. (1999). Preventing plant blindness. The American Biology Teacher, 61(2), 82-86. https://www.jstor.org/stable/4450624
Wiggins, G. (1990). The case for authentic assessment. Practical Assessment, Research, and Evaluation. 2(2). https://doi.org/10.7275/ffb1-mm19
Wiggins, G. (1998). Ensuring authentic performance. Chapter 2 in Educative Assessment: Designing Assessments to Inform and Improve Student Performance. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, pp. 21-42. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED418997
Wiggins, G.P., & Mctighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design. Alexandria, VA: Association for
Supervision and Curriculum Development. https://doi.org/10.14483/calj.v19n1.11490
Zangori, L., & Koontz, J. A. (2017). Supporting upper-level undergraduate students in building a systems perspective in a botany course. Journal of Biological Education, 51(4), 399-411. https://doi.org/10.1080/00219266.2016.1257502
Zhonghua, L. (2005). Using contemporary education strategies to improve teaching and learning in a Botany course at Beijing Forestry University. International Journal of Innovation in Science and Mathematics Education, 13(1). 29-34. https://openjournals.library.sydney.edu.au/index.php/CAL/article/view/6046