I am currently designing a syllabus for an international conflict management course, and the objectives I have designed are:
1. understand the theories, concepts, and issues surrounding international conflict management efforts;
2. demonstrate reflective thought through written assignments and peer-to-peer discourse;
3. relate central concepts, via case studies, to contemporary events;
4. investigate the manner in which international actors respond to conflict;
5. exhibit an ability to systematically arrange the discipline’s concepts in a coherent framework;
6. assess the course’s relevancy to the international relations discipline and evaluate its effectiveness
I attempted to design an objective based on all six of Bloom’s taxonomy, discussed in class as well as in the readings, and, surprisingly, it is more difficult then it initially looks. I followed Bloom’s model from Knowledge to Evaluation, and, after re-reading, I feel that some ideas will be merged (ie. #2 and #3 are very similar) in order to aid in streamlining the objectives. I will leave them, as written, for the time being, however, in hopes of furthering discussion.
The way in which I plan to assess whether or not I have achieved these objectives is through a series of writing assignments that will be spread throughout the course; four essay assignments focusing on case studies, as well as short in-class responses to peer-to-peer discussions. The first paper will focus primarily on the first two objectives, because they are the easiest to write about and focus on. The writing assignments following that will slowly integrate the other objectives, resulting in the fourth essay to be focused on objectives 1-5. The final assignment in the course – in thus the final exam – will be a reflective essay pertaining to the course, which will allow students to evaluate the course in a constructive manner – what worked and what did not – and utilizing the theories and applications learned to defend their critiques.
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Class Participation
Because there will be in-class discussions and writing assignments that will aid in a student’s ability to fully comprehend the information being provided in the course, class participation is required for everyone. Students are expected to have the reading assignments completed on the day of class, and be prepared for in-class activities. Reminder: class participation will be 25% of the students overall grade.
Submitting Late Assignments
I will initiate an open-window policy when concerning late assignments. All major assignments in the course will be due at the time in which they are initially scheduled, primarily Friday’s at ; however, I will be accepting paper submissions until Saturday at The window closes on Saturday at , and any assignment still pending will result in a 0 for a grade. Students are welcome to submit their work early, and those that choose to do this will receive a greater amount of feedback, then those that submit their assignments after the Friday deadline.
I think your objectives are very good. I also agree with you that #2 and #3 can be combined into one objective. Five objectives is a good number. I tried writing objectives the other day for my class, and yes, it is very hard!! My question with class participation being 25% of the final grade, how are you going to grade that? That is a big percentage to base the final grade on, especially when participation is scored on a professor's subjectivity.
ReplyDeleteSecond, I don't understand the 5:00pm Saturday submission time? Why even have a due date on Friday if Saturday is when it is "really" due? I would just write Friday's date on the syllabus, but then take assignments until Saturday based on individual requests from individual students. Therefore, you have to end up spending your entire Sunday correcting assignments because most of your students ended up turning in the assignment on Friday. Lastly, I would just keep the 5 pm Friday deadline becuase students will thank you later. Instead of them procrastinating and not working on the assignment until Saturday, they will get it done Friday, all turned in, and then have all of Saturday to work on other homework or to relax, instead of worrying about getting in my Saturday at 5 pm...just a thought.
The objectives you presented in your post are very impressive. They are supposed to be perfect regarding the goals of the course you have designed. One of the most difficult parts of a course design is writing the objectives. You have to spend a lot of time to create the objectives that perfectly convey the spirit of the course you are teaching. The idea to relate the objectives to the assignments will surely turn out the best results in the class. I would like to apply this concept while designing my own course. I support your point of merging comprehension and application together as they could be expressed under one concept.
ReplyDeleteIn my point of view, class participation should not be 25% as the students are going to get easy score just by attending the class. The evaluation made with this policy may not reflect their apprehension of the course. In my school, it was 10% of the final grade. Some people do not even support that class participation should contribute to final grade. Though I think assigning 10% of the score may encourage the students to attend the class regularly.
I also have a different view about the late assignment policy. I would not allow them another day for submission. Rather they would be given a single due date. The people who miss the deadline and submit the next day will be penalized. After that the assignment will not be considered for grading.