Chapter 4
Designing Courses for Health Professionals
Part I
Guidebook
CONTENTS
Chapter
1. Defining Competency Based Goals
2. Developing Learning Objectives
3. Linking Evaluation with Objectives
4. Using Evaluation to Design Instructional Activities
5. Planning Sessions
CHAPTER 4
USING EVALUATION TO DESIGN INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITIES
PURPOSE
The purpose of this chapter is to provide guidelines for designing activities to help students move from entry level skills and knowledge to mastery of job-related competencies.
Overview
To outline the overall teaching strategy, an INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITIES will be developed for the entire course as follows:
ú The course is divided into segments (as defined by successive evaluation events). (See Form 3).
ú A variety of teaching methods are considered.
ú Activities are designed for each segment (to assist students to move from one evaluation event to the next).
Figure 8: The Learning Ladder Showing Testing Points
DEFINITION: Activity ___________
Any event or experience which is designed to assist students learn a segment of the course.
In-Class Activities
Some events or experiences may be in a classroom and/or during class hours, In-class activities might include: (See also Chapter 8, Teaching Methods, pages 69 – 79.)
- discussion of a case study
- role play activity
- simulation/game lecture or programmed lecture
- panel discussion
- laboratory exercise
- clinical experience
- evaluation activity
- practice problem solving
- complete exercises
Outside Activities
Other events or experiences may be outside the classroom and/ or outside of class hours. Outside activities might include:
- constructing facilities/wells, latrines, etc. under supervision
- interviewing
- observing
- teaching
- field trips
- data collection exercise
- clinical exercise etc.
You have already answered an important part of the problem of selecting activities to help students learn by designing a COURSE EVALUATION PLAN.
How so?
Each item in your evaluation plan… each set of testing conditions and performance… whether for pretesting, entry level testing, progress testing or posttesting represents an event or an activity and can assist students to learn… learn by doing.
A. Designing Instructional Activities
Refer as needed to your COURSE DESCRIPTION, (FORM 1) JOB DESCRIPTION (FORM) AND INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES/EVALUATION (FORM 3)
GUIDELINES:
Design Instructional Activities
1. Look at the first two items of your COURSE EVALUATION. In order to move students from the first evaluation event to the second, note what students need to learn in this segment of the course.
a. What knowledge should they acquire (key terms, concepts, etc.)?
b. What skills should they learn (doing, thinking, communicating?)
2. Study Figure 10: Teaching Goals, on page 39. Still considering the first segment of the course, in order for students to learn new skills and knowledge as outlined in step one, decide if you need to design activities…
a. to provide a frame of reference
b. to provide a reason to learn
c. to transmit information
d. to demonstrate skills and attitudes
e. to allow practice of skills and attitudes
f. to respond to student performance _
3. Review the teaching methods described in Chapter 8
a. Depending on teaching goals and on desired levels of student participation, certain teaching methods are usually more appropriate than others in bring-ing about the desired learning. Try to choose methods that will match as closely as possible required on the job learning experience.
b. Pay special attention to those teaching methods with which you are less familiar. The choice of a method should be based on whether or not it will help students learn rather than on whether you as a teacher are “comfortable” with the method.
Figure 9
Table of Teaching Goals
If Your Teaching Goal is |
This Must Occur |
Using these Activities |
1. To provide a frame of reference |
Relate what is TO BE learned to the past and the future. Review past sessions. Overview new material. Connect old material to new. |
Show a video of a task being done on-the-job. Follow the video with a discussion of what experience, if any, students have had with that task. |
2. To provide a reason to learn |
Motivate and excite students. Make them curious |
Conduct a guest interview with someone who has suffered/benefited as a result of a job related task being done poorly/well. Have students and the guest discuss the need to learn the task well. Send students to the field where they might experience a task being carried out. |
3. To transmit information |
Provide students with key terms and concepts, criteria, theories, guidelines, etc. |
Assign readings: give handouts; use computer aided instruction exercises, flow charts, worksheets, lectures etc. |
4. To demonstrate skills and attitudes |
Model (by doing) the desired skills and attitudes. Display what the students should ado and how they should act (especially as related to the job for which they are being prepared.) |
Have students assume job-related roles, Present and on-the-job situations (real or made up) and ask students to act out their roles in the context of that situation. If the skill involves doing or communicating, make it possible for students to practice this skill. |
5. To allow practice of skills and attitudes |
Guide and encourage students to demonstrate desired skills and attitudes as related to on-the-job performance. Work for improvement with each practice activity. |
Give a practical examination to assess physical skills. Call attention to good performance. |
6. To respond to student performance |
Respond to students (both individually and in groups) and comment on their performance. Emphasize what is good, and suggest ways to improve where needed. |
C. Consider Which Methods Are Feasible Given The Constraints And Resources Of Your Course.
…the variety of teaching methods available
…the specific skills and knowledge that students need to learn
…your teaching goals for this segment of the course
…the desired student performance at the end of this segment as described in the EVALUATION (FORM 3)
4. Design as many activities as you need (both “in-class” and “outside” activities) in order to:
a. meet your teaching goals
b. convey needed skills and knowledge
c. ensure the desired student performance
At this point, you have described all the activities that you think students need to experience to move from one step (checkpoint) to the next on the learning ladder, shown below.
Figure 10: Learning Activities on the Learning Ladder 
5. Complete your INSTRUCTIONAL /EVALUATION ACTIVITIES for the entire course, segment by segment. Remember that your instructional activities should enable students to accomplish the tasks listed as evaluation activities.
Form 4: Course Syllabus
Session # |
Instructional/Evaluation Activities |
|
|
|
Self Check and Review
Look at your COURSE DESCRIPTION, JOB DESCRIPTION, COURSE INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES/EVALUATION and especially your ACTIVITIES. Before going on, check to make sure you have done each of the following:
For each segment of the course:
1. Designed activities to teach skills and knowledge needed for the next higher level of evaluation.
2. Designed activities as needed to meet teaching goals such as :
ú to provide a frame of reference
ú to provide a reason to learn
ú to transmit information
ú to demonstrate skills and attitudes
ú to allow practice of skills and attitudes
ú to respond to student performance
3. Designed activities using methods that are appropriate for each teaching goal and for the desired learning.
4. Designed activities which are feasible, given the course constraints and resources.
