Curriculum Design is Simple (But Not Easy)

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Curriculum Design is Simple (But Not Easy)

• J. Philip East
• Computer Science Department
• University of Northern Iowa
• east_at_cs.uni.edu
• www.cns.uni.edu/east

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Wadiyamean, Its Simple

• Two-step Process
• Decide what you want students to be able to do
• Design/select activities that have students do
  what you want them to learn to do
• Well , I suppose you should also assess student
  performance and your instruction (thus, there are
  three steps)

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More Simple -- Two Types of Courses

• Programming
• Goal students are able to design and implement
  good programs to solve given problems
• Process students design and implement programs
• IT Fluency
• Goal students are able to function effectively
  as a citizen in a computer-rich culture
• Process students experience learning new
  software learn (somewhat independently) about
  computer technology analyze impact of
  computing technology

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The Not-So-Simple Part

• Programming course
• Specifying what it takes to develop good
  programs
• Teaching so that students gain expected
  expertise
• Fluency course
• Teaching in a manner that maximally develops
  student skill and inclination for life-long
  learning
• Deciding on the projects project topics
  appropriate for student backgrounds and life-long
  learning goals
• teaching includes planning, implementing, and
  assessing instruction

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Lets DO It

• Develop list of characteristics of good
  programs
• Develop list of topics that programs might
  address
• Outline a programming course
• Develop list of usage skills for fluency
• Develop list of intellectual tasks for fluency
• Outline a fluency course

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Characteristics of Good Programs--Good Programs

• Work--compile run
• Work--correctly perform expected tasks
• Are robust
• Are simple/elegant
• Are well laid out/readable
• Are maintainable/extensible/well-designed
• Are modularized
• Have sensible interfaces (a good API)
• Are user-friendly
• Are well-documented and documentation matches code

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Program Topics

• Interactive processing
• GUI development
• File I/O data validation business processing
• Simulation
• Games
• Sorting and searching
• Extracting data for report generation
• Real-time and/or concurrent programming

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Programming Course Outline

• ?
• ?
• ?
• ?
• ?
• ?
• ?

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Computer Use Skills

• Extend knowledge/skill with familiar operating
  systems and applications
• Learn new operating systems and applications
• Learn independently
• Customize OSs applications
• Select appropriate tools (hardware, software,
  applications)
• Trouble shooting

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Fluency Decision Tasks

• Analyze a significant task and evaluate various
  tools for accomplishing it
• Purchase system (with internet access)
• Consider customized software versus the use of
  off-the-shelf applications
• Analyze a societal issue (suggesting and
  supporting a resolution or course of action)
• Read and determine implications of a software
  license

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Fluency Course Outline

• ?
• ?
• ?
• ?
• ?
• ?
• ?

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What Are We Missing?

• Prerequisites that must be included in the course
• Additional necessary(?) knowledge/understanding
• ?
• ?
• ?
• ?
• Assessment (student performance instruction)

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Some General Programming Knowledge

• Language syntax and semantics
• Language features
• Data representation precision
• Run-time environment machine level operation
• Characteristics of good design
• Design using common language features
• Correctness testing
• Documentation and program layout

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Oops, I forgot the Basics

• Variables (or their equivalent)
• Action and/vs control statements
• Conditional execution
• Repetition (via loops or recursion)
• Building parts of programs
• Interaction of the parts

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Fluency Content Components

• Learning new applications systems
• Computer network operation
• Data information representation
• Algorithmic thinking
• Capabilities limitations of computers
• Impact risks of computer use
• Expectations for the future

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Course Planning Principles

• Focus on what you have students do
• Provide skill development exercises
• Scaffold learning activities
• Have all major assignments serve multiple goals
• Discuss evaluate programs/projects in class
  (plan for feedback to students)

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Planning Process

• Course
• Select big ideas (content goals) their
  relationships
• Anticipate student skill experience
• Rough out unit progression
• Units
• Select/Identify major assignment/activity
• Identify component skills development
  activities
• Plan set of class activities--focus on what
  students do
• Reflect daily, after unit, after course

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Final Thoughts?

• Take baby steps--choose one course at most to
  work on
• Be patient with yourself
• Dont expect immediate success
• Dont judge my ideas by my practice (I think
  and talk better than I teach)
• Questions/Comments
• contact me at east_at_cs.uni.edu