Course Review, Standards and Medals

GideonWilliams
Community Champion
2
1057

Next September will be the beginning of our fourth year of Canvas (well, 31/2 as we had had a phased launch).  I have been thinking more and more about conducting a formal audit of the courses and getting our departments to review their courses.

By chance I came across this article from Middlesborough College in the UK who have done exactly that but have created medal criteria for their courses (Gold, Silver and Bronze) - https://www.mbro.ac.uk/about-us/news/detail/2019/03/19/going-for-gold

I contacted James Wells, the Head of Digital Curriculum, who I would imagine has played a major role in the implementation of such a scheme. I am hoping he might give me a head-up and some direction as to where best to start (UPDATE: Skype meeting set up 19/07)

I am clear in my mind that the audit needs to look at requirements that will support teaching and learning across a spectrum of elements eg from Adding resources to a Module to providing timely feedback to assignments. In delivering training to staff about Canvas, I have tried to follow the tenet of "Creating resources/activities on the platform when you know it has impact and makes a difference" leading on from many great posts such as Horse Before the Cart. Purpose first, Canvas second and Creating a Purpose

The challenge is where do you start and what outcomes do you use. There are lots of interesting models around

Digital Learning + Canvas + SAMR Checklists

Canvas Tool Guide for Teachers

Not forgetting this great post on Structural design evaluation with a checklist from  @shauna_vorkink ‌  @erin_keefe ‌  @deonne_johnson ‌ and Deactivated user‌ at https://community.canvaslms.com/groups/designers/blog/2018/06/29/course-evaluation-checklist

A quick Google search for similar models led to a nice post from Croydon college and their review of Moodle - 

https://moodle.croydon.ac.uk/elearning/item/363-gab-quality-report-2012-pilot What was interesting about this model was how the college went from a Yes/No tick box of features for each 'medal' to a points based system. I agree with the author, Andrew Checkley, on this point and this is something I would be using in mine. Although the Course Reckoner is yet to be made, I am thinking about using Excel and Forms. Although the amazing  @tobe_baeyens ‌ created a Canvas quiz from the Evaluation tool guide above - I turned all the items with one star into a little checklist that I added to our Canvas teacher course. It's a graded quiz. The quiz has one question with 15 checkboxes. Teachers do get 1 point for every item they check. The grades appear in the gradebook, so I can give feedback based on what (they say that) they did. So food for thought.

Whilst I am interested mainly in Canvas, I am also aware that many of our staff also use Class Notebook to support students (using the Class Notebook integration in Canvas) so not quite sure how I go about this.

My question to the Community asks if anyone has done something similar and would they be willing to share some of their ideas.

2 Comments
isobel_williams
Community Contributor

Hi  @GideonWilliams ‌

Have not done this yet but it is an interesting idea I would like to explore further.  Especially in the K-12 environment. 

I came across this model https://teaching.unsw.edu.au/course-design-model-rase   and I like the organisation of having to have all 4 components in a course.    It doesn't tie you down to any one set of tools, but tries to make you think how you are supporting the students within each section of a course.

Perhaps it could be aligned with SAMR in a matrix, with Bronze - Gold as the course progressed - eg 

 

Substitution

Augmentation

Modification

Redefinition

Resources

 

Activity

Support

Evaluation

Fill in the boxes with appropriate examples - could be used with the class notebook too. 

Maybe a list in each box with a point for each and a minimum number of points to progress. 

10 points for Bronze

20 points for Silver

30 points for Gold

Isobel

GideonWilliams
Community Champion

Hi Isobel

Thanks for the link and also for this great suggestion. SAMR is an interesting model although it is not something that is probably familiar to many of our teaching staff. I really like the idea that staff have to think about where the tool fits to award themselves some points.