WORKSHOP II HOMEWORK

In preparation for the workshop, we would like your team to complete three tasks that will give you a taste of the redesign process and make the workshop a more productive and meaningful experience.

Required Reading

• Redesign Case Studies

NCAT has provided the higher education community with almost 200 case studies of redesigns that both improved learning and reduced costs (see http://www.theNCAT.org/PCR/Proj_Success_all.html). The case studies are sorted by discipline, redesign model, and degree of success. Participants should read the case studies that are in the discipline of the course they intend to redesign and in the model they intend to use.

• How to Redesign a College Course Using NCAT’s Methodology

This "how-to" guide is designed for those who want to improve learning and reduce costs in all sections of a single course in any academic area other than mathematics. This guide describes how to implement NCAT's course redesign methodology to increase student success and reduce instructional costs. Those considering a redesign in mathematics should read How to Redesign a College-Level or Developmental Math Course Using the Emporium Model or How to Redesign a Developmental Math Program Using the Emporium Model as appropriate.

• Increasing Success for Underserved Students: Redesigning Introductory Courses
  

This report examines the impact of the redesign techniques developed by NCAT’s Program in Course Redesign on the success of adult students, students of color, and low-income students.

Partial Draft of the Cost Planning Tool and the Scope of Effort Form

Completing the Cost Planning Tool and the Scope of Effort form has proven to be an important part of the course redesign process because doing so facilitates a team analysis of all of the instructional tasks in both the traditional and redesigned formats of the course as well as their associated costs.

For the workshop, we would like you to complete a draft of sheet 1 (the summary of personnel costs) and the top half of page 4 (the annual cost of the traditional course) of the Cost Planning Tool as well as a draft of sheet 1 of the Scope of Effort form for the course(s) you intend to redesign. This exercise will familiarize you with the various components of the course, help you consider those that can be changed and those that cannot be, and help you analyze the sources of course costs.

Downloadable versions of the Cost Planning Tool and the Scope of Effort form, instructions for completing them, and completed examples can be found in the appendixes of How to Redesign a College Course Using NCAT’s Methodology.

If you experience difficulty downloading the tool, contact Pat Bartscherer at patb@theNCAT.org.
Electronic versions of the Cost Planning Tool and the Scope of Effort form should be sent to [NAME] at [E-MAIL ADDRESS] by [ONE WEEK PRIOR TO THE WORKSHOP].

Workshop Presentation

We would like each of your team members to be prepared to present a five-minute summary of your team’s choice of redesign model and the ways you intend to implement the essential elements of course redesign within that model.

During the workshop, we intend to divide the participants into groups of eight each, breaking up redesign teams, so that you can share your ideas about models and principles and receive feedback on your ideas.

References: Chapters I and III of How to Redesign a College Course Using NCAT’s Methodology. We encourage you to consider all six redesign models as you think about your own plans rather than assume that you should follow the model used by the core institutions in your particular discipline—with the exception of mathematics. (See http://www.theNCAT.org/RedMathematics.htm if you are planning a mathematics redesign).

Table of Contents

Introduction
I. The Critical Components of a Successful Course Redesign Program
II. Assessing Institutional Readiness to Redesign
III. Making Key Decisions before the Program's Launch
IV. Developing a Plan of Work
V. Building Awareness and Capacity
VI. Assessing Course Readiness
VII. Preparing Teams to Submit Strong Proposals
VIII. Selecting Proposals That Will Succeed
IX. Monitoring the Redesign Implementations
X. Maintaining Consensus and Ensuring Sustainability
XI. Building Capacity and Scaling Initial Success

Appendices:

A. Plan of Work
B. Publicity Plan
C. Call to Participate
D. Application Guidelines
E. Workshop I Agenda
F. Workshop II Homework
G. Workshop Logistics
H. Workshop II Agenda
I. Workshop III Invitation
J. Workshop III Agenda
K. Workshop IV Invitation
L. Workshop IV Agenda
M. Final Report Format
N. Program Evaluation