3. Course Design Overview: The Big Picture

Creating a world where environmental sustainability and social justice are the normal conditions of business

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3. Course Design Overview: The Big Picture

Design and Plan TrainingDefine Training Needs

Provide for Training

MonitorDesign and Plan

TrainingEvaluate Training

Outcomes


© SAI 2009 - draft for review Course Design Overview 2

Learning Motivations

LearningStyles

TeachingMethods

Integrated Course Design

LearningObjectives




3A. Integrating Learning Objectives into Course Design





Outcomes


© SAI 2009 - draft for review Integrating Learning Objectives into Course Design 4

Teaching Methods for Knowledge

> Knowledge (Didactic) learning objectives - to promote transfer of knowledge

– Lecture

– Case or paper presentations

– Panel discussions

Knowledge




Teaching Methods for Skills

> Skill (psychomotor) learning objectives – to encourage developing and practicing skills and behaviors

> Techniques

– Role play (e.g. practice doing a worker interview)

– Guided practice problems (e.g. writing an audit plan, writing a non-conformance report, making wage calculations)

– Localized case studies – have students write case studies based on direct experience in the field or an issue unique to their locale or culture

– Devil’s advocate exercises – have students analyze case studies from different points of view of the stakeholders (e.g. farmer, factory worker, manager, buyer, trade union, NGO, auditor, etc.)

Skills




Teaching Methods for Attitude

> Attitude (Affective) learning objectives – to encourage exploration of feelings, opinions, perceptions, attitudes, values

– Ask students to vote on controversial topics in your field– Ask students to write short opinion pieces on subjective cases, or issues

that particularly require cultural sensitivity in the field– Divide students into formal debate panels – have each group develop and

present an argument which is counter to its initial personal stance– Ask students to write journal entries (may be private or shared) reflecting

on their learning experience for the day– Facilitate discussion groups– Give students a scenario and have them write and present a skit (showing

the perspectives of different stakeholders, e.g. a scene on the factory floor)

Attitude

Click the link for a worksheet on Constructing a Student Opinion/Debate Exercise.




3B. Integrating Learning Styles into Course Design





Outcomes


© SAI 2009 - draft for review Integrating Learning Styles into Course Design 8

Design for Visual Learners

> Effective course design should also acknowledge that people have differing preferred learning styles:

– Visual learners – process information through visual stimuli, so your course should include:

> Video and photo tours (e.g. audit facility walk-through)

> Graphs

> Handouts with diagrams, flowcharts

> Samples of documents to review during audit process

> Slide presentations, overheads

> Physical demonstrations by the teacher

> Whiteboard sessions

> Instructor should use phrases that help visualize the information




Design for Auditory Learners

> Auditory Learners – concentrate on sounds and auditory stimuli, so your course should include:

– Audio presentations– Discussion groups– Question and answer sessions– Teacher and student one-on-one sessions– Instructor should carefully modulate voice, articulate, control

ambient noise levels, and encourage students to listen carefully to one another




Design for Kinesthetic Learners

> Kinesthetic learners – learn by doing, so your course must include experiential, active learning exercises:

– Role play exercises– Group exercises– Individual practice problems– Student-to-student brainstorming – first unstructured, then structured to

organize main outputs– Discussion sessions– Interactive storytelling (groups take a scenario and develop story around

critical decision points)– Student volunteers for teacher-led demonstrations– Case studies – distribute your own as well as gather from students

Click the link for Tips on Constructing a Role Play Exercise



© SAI 2009 - draft for review

Sample Photo Tour

> Click the powerpoint link to take a Photo Tour that ties together different learning styles

> Click the link to get some Tips on building your own Photo Tour




3C. Integrating Learning Motivations into Course Design





Outcomes


© SAI 2009 - draft for review Integrating Learning Motivations into Course Design 13

Addressing Learning Motivations

> Effective course design should also address the fact that your students have an array of motivations for taking the course, which will affect their attitude and performance:

– Goal-oriented – taking the course as a means to an ends, such as professional advancement

– Activity-oriented – taking the course for the sake of social interaction

– Learning-oriented – taking the course for knowledge’s sake

> Some will be extremely focused on one objective, while others will have some combination of the above




Structuring Courses around Learning Motivations> To keep students with differing motivations and objectives

continually motivated and engaged, you should balance the following:

– Structured exams and certificates, to create external award and acknowledgement.

– Balance preparation for the exam with emphasis on practical applications and real life examples. Instructor should adequately address the content and structure of the exam and prepare students for it, but should not overemphasize the exam.




Structuring Courses around Learning Motivations (continued)

– In addition to in-class group discussions and activities, sufficient breaks and ample time for networking and group interaction, both structured and unstructured. Instructor may provide sign-up sheets, collect business cards, or start an email distribution list, e.g. Google or Yahoo group) for students to keep in touch after the course.

– Links to external resources and further information for those interested. Bring in a guest speaker (like a subject matter expert from a local NGO, trade union, university, etc.) for a course module or for a brown bag lunch.


Documents

3. Course Design Overview: The Big Picture