Coherent Programme Design
For ease of reading, please click here for a more detailed resource on Coherence, Sequence and Integration in a Programme.
‘Most curricula are unfocused…There is a notable absence of structure and coherence’.
Gardiner, 1996 (cited in Diamond, 1998, p85)
Having considered your programme's educational philosophy and the primary curriculum models to be used in your programme, your team can then get down to the practicality of planning your programme’s learning outcomes, its structure and its teaching, learning and assessment. It is important that there is a coherence and integrative approach to the programme, not a collection of individual modules. Three questions you might ask yourself at this stage:
1) Is there a coherent planning process in the programme?
2) Are there coherent teaching and learning strategies?
3) Is there a coherent, sequential and integrated design across the programme?
1) Is there a coherent planning process in the programme?
If you are using a ‘backward-design’ model (see resource Curriculum Models) the Graduate Attributes literature, which includes ideas for mapping these in a programme, should be very helpful in planning how students across a programme will achieve these attributes. Graduate attributes can be both discipline-specific and generic. The UCD Education Strategy 2009-2013 supports the development of mapping and systematic implementation of Graduate Attributes across a programme. There are many alternatives ways that you can map graduate attributes in a programme and these are highlighted in the resource Mapping Graduate Attributes.
Whether or not you use Graduate Attributes as a starting point, your team can then consider the Programme’s Learning Outcomes (described as Programme Aims/Goals in some literature). These should align with the educational philosophy and be mindful of both discipline requirements and other more general outcomes that are related to the potential employment or further study faced by the graduate (i.e. enquiry, problem-solving, ethical…) .See UCD’s UCD Education Strategy 2009-2013 for guidance on the more general attributes. See also UCD Awards and National Frameworks for Qualifications and UCD Level Descriptors UCD Quality Assurance Documents on outcomes for different educational levels.
When writing programme outcomes, they should be in language that is understood by current and potential students and society at large. They should not too un-wielding in their length and number, but enough to give an overall intention of the programme. Examples of some style include:
- By the end of the programme a students should be able to: (4-5 outcomes)
- The programme’s aim is to develop student who will be ethical, professional …..
- The aim of the programme is ‘To graduate students who are prepared for industry’ or ‘to adequately prepare students for graduate school’ see UCD Quality Assurance Documents
These programme outcomes should then be shared and available to current students throughout the programme.
Consider in your Programme Outcomes a balance between cognitive, affective and psychomotor outcomes (Anderson, 2001) or another way of looking at this is a balance between areas in the curriculum that are related to knowledge, action and self (Barnett & Coates, 2005b).
Similar to module design, the literature on Taxonomies can provide some guidance to a balance of outcomes and ideas for the verbs used to describe these. For programme outcomes, see some of the wider more comprehensive taxonomies, such as Finks (2003).
Be careful in your programme design, to allow space in the curriculum for students ‘to breathe’ and learn in different ways at different rates. Try to build in: more time for creativity, knowledge depth: time for complex concepts; and space for personal growth (Knight, 2001).
2) Are there coherent teaching and learning strategies?
These outcomes should guide you to coherent and systematic approach to the teaching/learning and assessment strategies. For example, if an outcomes is the development of a student who is ethical, responsible and can make judgements, it is important to consider how this is both experienced and assessment (either summatively or formatively) across the programme. These outcomes should help you consider the weighting and sequence of these ideas across the programme. For example:
Is there a good balance between lecture/seminars/self-directed and autonomous learning activities in the programme?
- Is there a developmental approach to the use of group-work?
- Have you ‘mapped together the curriculum, learning outcomes and assessments? Are there any gaps or significant overlaps? If so, what changes are planned and when?’ UCD Quality Assurance Guidelines
- In a research intensive University, is your curriculum supporting students development as enquirers and researchers? (Research-teaching nexus: Healey and Jenkins 2009)
Assessment
Knight (2000) advocates for a programme-wide approach to assessment practices. He highlights that there is a balance between achieving valid and reliable assessments and between assessment ‘for learning’ and ‘of learning’. He also puts forward the idea of more weighting of formative assessment in the early years of a programme. Similar to module design, assessment opportunities across a programme should align with the teaching and learning activities. As students learn in different ways and experience different social and cultural circumstances, there should be an inclusive assessment strategy that allows choice and variety of assessment for all students across a programme (Inclusive Assessment Strategies ). Assessment strategies should also encourage integration and coherence in a programme, for example capstone assessments, portfolio, concept maps… (see resource Coherence, Sequence and Integration in a Programme)
As students develop across a programme, there should be opportunities to self-monitor their own work:
Is there opportunities in the programme to develop peer and self assessment as a skill?
3) Is there a coherent, sequential and integrated design across the programme?
One of the challenges in modern curriculum design is to develop and maintain a programme that is coherent, integrated and sequential. Integrative curriculum is beginning to receive attention in the literature and there is an emergence of some curriculum designs (i.e. spiral curriculum design, see below) that assist in organising integration and coherence in a programme.
Ideas and assumptions on sequencing, integration and coherence are laid out in the accompanying resource Coherence, Sequence and Integration in a Programme.
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