Learning Improvement at JMU: Pilot Programs
Computer Information Systems (CIS)
Targeted Learning Outcome: Students will be able to conduct an effective requirements elicitation interview.
Why this Outcome?
- Requirement elicitation is the most important phase of building a system
- Profession is not teaching this skill well
- Comments from advisory board/employers
Modifications to Assessment, Curriculum, and Individual Courses: The CIS program (with the help of the CFI and CARS):
- Developed a rubric after gaining insights from interviewing experts in the field, debriefing with CIS faculty, and observing CIS students.
- Mapped the "As-Is" curriculum (what was currently being taught in CIS) to the "To-Be" curriculum (what will be taught, activities, etc.) by "Blooming" each area of the rubric.
- Scaffolded the learning interventions (the "To-Be" curriculum) across 7 courses.
- Created new assignments that will be utilized in courses to help students achieve all aspects of the Requirements Elicitation learning outcome.
- Will continue to use the rubric as interventions are implemented into the curriculum.
Results:
School of Communication Studies (SCOM)
Targeted Program-Level Learning Outcome: After completing the core, students will be able to integrate, evaluate, and value the theories, strategies, and practice of persuasion in a variety of contexts.
Targeted Course-Learning Outcomes:
- Analyze and evaluate persuasive messages appropriate to a given context.
- Modify and improve persuasive messages appropriate to a given context.
- Learn to apply ethical principles to varying persuasive contexts.
- Recognize and integrate ways that diverse audiences and strategies are interrelated.
- Analyze and evaluate the functions of persuasion in society as exhibited in a variety of contexts.
Modifications to Assessment, Curriculum, and Individual Courses:
- Formation of curriculum (in progress) and assessment committees.
- Collaboration of committees to create a case-study of persuasive messages and accompanying rubric. (in progress)
Results: In progress.
Center for Assessment & Research Studies
