Course Title: Building and Assessing Graduate Courses



Instructor: Michael Kiener Ph.D., CRC

            Maryville University, St. Louis



Introduction:

The following information is intended to give both new and experienced teachers a place to ask critical questions of their teaching and to provide means to answer questions centering on teaching effectiveness and student understanding. Individuals are encouraged to use this course as a starting point and to engage others in a critical dialogue on what it means to teach and learn. This course is purposely taught in an inductive manner to allow your teaching style to emerge from your experiences to better match your goals for completing this course. This course is taught around the principles of the emerging theory of Mutual Engagement.



Course Description:

This course is designed to give participants a working understanding of the teaching and learning process in higher education. The dual focus of this course centers on the essential concepts needed to develop a course and on a sound understanding of pedagogy to assess student learning. Participants will develop knowledge and skills to critically examine their teaching and learn procedures to collect and analyze data on their teaching.



Course Outcomes:

1.      Participants will develop an understanding of the procedures needed to develop a course (including syllabus design and assessment procedures)

2.      Participants will be able to apply principles of action research to their teaching to assess their effectiveness

3.      Participants will be able to apply principles of action research to their teaching to assess student understanding

4.      Participants will be able to utilize and assess different pedagogical techniques in their teaching. 

5.      Participants will analyze the emerging theory of Mutual Engagement to integrate the theory into their teaching.



General Course Content Areas:

            Teaching Philosophy

            Pedagogical Techniques

            Assessment Procedures

            Mutual Engagement

Action Research



Course Format:

In general the course is designed to be a combination of individual and group work. Although you can participate in the course individually; it is advantageous to have a learning partner to collaborate with and benefit from continuous feedback and reflection. In addition it may be helpful to complete this course work in conjunction with a course you are teaching or will be teaching. The group participation will provide opportunity to integrate the units and discuss individual progress and receive additional feedback.

Over arching learning theme: What does it mean to you to be an effective teacher?



All units relate to the over arching learning theme and build on your experiences as a teacher. The major processes used to produce exploration will be question asking, reflection, and writing.