Program and curriculum support is offered through the Teaching Commons and the Office of the Vice-Provost Academic. Currently the Teaching Commons can offer support in two distinct phases.
Phase 1: Refining and validating Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs)
The aim of Phase 1 is to refine and validate approximately 8-15 PLOs per program. For this phase, the Teaching Commons can assist units in one of two ways:
- Educator survey followed by a workshop: The Teaching Commons can co-develop a survey for the unit, gather and complete a preliminary analysis, in consultation with curriculum committee designate(s). The compiled results will then be presented to the unit at a workshop. The lead time required for this option is approximately 4-6 weeks.
- Stand-alone workshop: If it is not possible to gather information ahead of time, the Teaching Commons can facilitate an informal process of refining program learning outcomes in a workshop. The lead time required is 2-4 weeks.
Phase 2: Curriculum mapping
Once a small set of PLOs has been agreed upon and validated, a curriculum map is developed in order to identify which course(s) intentionally help develop student ability to achieve the PLOs. For this phase, we propose to assist units in one of two ways:
- In-advance survey followed by a workshop: The Teaching Commons can develop a mapping survey for the unit, gather and complete a preliminary analysis, in consultation with curriculum committee designate(s). The lead time required for this option is 4-6 weeks.
- Stand-alone workshop: If it is not possible to gather information ahead of time, the Teaching Commons can facilitate the development of a draft curriculum map collaboratively in a workshop. The lead time required is 2-4 weeks.