Taxonomia Aprendizaje Fink

A Self-Directed Guide to

Designing Courses for Significant Learning







L. Dee Fink, PhD

Director, Instructional Development Program
University of Oklahoma

Author of:
Creating Significant Learning Experiences:
An Integrated Approach to Designing College Courses
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2003)

A Self-Directed Guide to

Designing Courses for Significant LearningTable of Contents

Introduction 1

An Overview of Integrated Course Design 2
Model 1: The Key Components of Integrated Course Design 2
Designing an Integrated Course 4

Initial Design Phase: Building Strong Primary Components 4
Preview of the Initial Design Phase: Designing Courses that Promote . . . 5
Step 1. SituationalFactors 6
Step 2. Learning Goals 8
Step 3. Feedback and Assessment 13
Step 4. Teaching/Learning Activities 16
Active Learning 16
Rich Learning Experiences 19
In-Depth Reflective Dialogue 19
Information and Ideas 21
Step 5. Integration 21
Final Check and Review of InitialPhase 23
Model 2: Criteria for Assessing Course Designs 24

Intermediate Design Phase: Assembling the Components into a Coherent Whole 25
Step 6. Course Structure 25
Step 7. Instructional Strategy 26
Step 8. Creating the Overall Scheme of Learning Activities 27

Final Design Phase: Important Remaining Tasks 30
Step 9. How AreYou Going to Grade? 30
Step 10. What Could Go Wrong? 31
Step 11. Let Students Know What You Are Planning 31
Step 12. How Will You Know How the Course Is Going? How It Went? 32
Concluding Counsel 33
A Self-Directed Guide to Designing Courses for Significant learning

Introduction. When we teach, we engage in two closely related, but distinct,activities. First, we design the course by gathering information and making a number of decisions about the way the course will be taught. Second, we engage in teacher-student interactions as we implement the course we have designed. The concept of Teacher-Student Interaction as used here is a broad one that includes lecturing, leading discussions, running labs, advising, communicating by email,etc. In order to teach well, one must be competent in both course design and teacher-student interactions.

However, of these two activities, our ability to design courses well is usually the most limiting factor. Most of us have had little or no training in how to design courses. In addition during the last two decades, research on college teaching and learning have led to some new ideasabout course design that have, in essence, “raised the bar” in terms of what is possible. These include ideas such as active learning, significant learning, and educative assessment.

How can college teachers learn about and take advantage of these ideas? This Self-Directed Guide is intended to introduce a useful and systematic process for designing courses. It is based on the same componentsfound in most models of instructional design, but it assembles these components into a relational, integrated model rather than a linear one. Among other benefits, this model provides clear criteria for determining when a course design is a good design.

This Guide consists of introductory comments, worksheets, and action questions in each of the three major phases of Integrated Course Design:Initial Design Phase: Build Strong Primary Components

Step 1. Identify important situational factors
Step 2. Identify important learning goals
Step 3. Formulate appropriate feedback and assessment procedures
Step 4. Select effective teaching/learning activities
Step 5. Make sure the primary components are integrated...