STLHE 2016 SAPES

Understanding the State of the Curriculum through an Examination of Course Syllabi
by Adam Goodwin, David M. Andrews, and Jess C. Dixon

A team composed of the department head, a faculty member, and a graduate student from a department of Kinesiology at an Ontario university recently conducted a review of its undergraduate curriculum and teaching practices. The project’s aim was to enact change within the department’s curriculum and its delivery that will provide more and better opportunities for students to learn, grow, and be successful both in and out of the classroom. The most recent course syllabi used for each course taught over the previous five years was retrieved from the department’s central syllabi database. Syllabi were coded using NVivo for: learning outcomes (e.g., Bloom & Krathwohl, 1956), experiential learning activities (e.g., guest speakers, field trips), forms of assessment (e.g., written assignments, examinations, presentations), teaching practices (e.g., case studies, laboratories, lectures), and congruence between departmental and course goals and policies. From the 87 syllabi examined during the project, 74% of courses offered a minimum of one experiential learning activity, there were a total of 492 learning outcomes listed across all syllabi reviewed (Understanding = 28.1%; Applying = 18.3%; Creating = 14.6%; Remembering = 14.4%; Analyzing = 12.6%; Evaluating = 11%; and Other = 1%), and 31% of the syllabi required slight modifications in content to align with updated departmental or university policies (e.g., a statement about teaching evaluations being conducted at the end of the term; a missed examination policy statement). The aim of the presentation is to highlight the rationale for the project, the methods used, and how the results are being used to inform a department-wide discussion about required changes to the curriculum and teaching practices.