Straightforward as it Sounds, Yet

¶ … straightforward as it sounds, yet the considerations that go into a comprehensive rationale are quite varied and not necessarily obvious. Essentially, as the authors point out, the rationale for a course design must ultimately reflect the values of the society, institutions, and individuals involved in the creation and implementation of the design. This can lead to different foci for the rationales that eventually accompany course design plans, but a good rationale ill include some measure of all of the major component and considerations that go into a lesson plan.

Social values will necessarily find their way into any course rationale, whether explicitly or more subtly underneath the educational goals and other components of the rationale. These values can be directed at different areas of society, with different specific goals such as establishing social order or preparing students for responsible citizenship. A less complex and more direct aspect of the rationale is the description of the basic problem or educational need that the course or lesson attempts to address. A consideration of the specific learners at whom the course or lesson is directed and the appropriateness of the subject matter is also an essential element of the course or lesson design, of course. Of utmost importance in the rationale, however, are the establishment of the educational goals, their importance, and the ways that tee lesson or course design will help to achieve these goals. This, after all, speaks directly to the primary purpose of the course.

This chapter provides an excellent view of one of the more technical aspects of a course design. In providing a section by section overview of each of the different components of a comprehensive course design rationale, they allow for a deep yet highly practical understanding of what is needed in this supplementary document to a complete course design. Essentially, this chapter provides a roadmap to the creation of a course rationale, but in doing so it also helps develop the idea of what a course should incorporate, and various perspectives from which the project of course design can be started. In this way, the development of a course rationale as described in this chapter is also an incredibly useful tool in the development of educational ideals and goals, as well as specific course designs.

Chapter 4

While certainly not as multi-faceted or quite as complex on the surface, the intended learning outcome of a course or lesson plan also requires a great deal of though and justification in both the way it is developed and the way it is communicated. This is made very clear in the fourth chapter of Course Design, which covers many of the details, both obvious and surprising, that must be considered first when developing and then when composing an intended learning outcome statement. That is, their appear to be two distinct steps outlines in this chapter (in much greater detail, of course): developing a solid intended learning outcome, and expressing this ILO in such a way that others are easily able to ascertain the objective. This also makes it easier to teach to that specific objective.

This communication of the ILO is very important in the successful presentation of a course design. A succinct and clear ILO statement is also evidence of a clear objective and purpose for the lesson or course, meaning that the more effectively one is able to communicate the ILO, the more focused and likely the more effective the lesson plan/course design will be. This chapter also details several different types of ILOs, many of which can appear in combination in certain lesson plans, and most if not all of which will certainly b incorporated throughout the progression of a course. From purely academic goals such as the absorption of information to the acquiring of new skills and even to certain behavioral objectives, ILOs run a wide gamut, and this chapter helpfully explains how to differentiate between different learning outcomes, as well as providing some insight as to how they can be integrated into more comprehensive and effective lesson plans and course designs. Other ILO factors, such as the construction of cognition, are also detailed in this chapter, but in a more cerebral and less directly practical manner.