ABSTRACT
The literature on course design generally endorses the principles reviewed in this chapter. They facilitate ways of promoting and assessing student learning that generate the data that accrediting agencies require of programs and institutions. Writing good learning outcomes forces faculty to figure out what they really want students to learn how to do. Once instructors develop a set of clear, assessable learning outcomes, their assessments—that is, what the assignments, quizzes, and tests should ask their students to do—are right in front of them. Just about every course has cognitive (thinking) outcomes, but many have other types of outcomes as well: affective, psycho-motor, or ethical. Many teaching/faculty development centers also post basic guidelines on their websites. For advanced thinking skills such as analytic, problem-solving, and evaluative reasoning, the case method and problem-based learning rank among the most effective techniques. Many teaching/faculty development centers also post basic guidelines on their websites.
