Description: The artifacts included for this indicator were designed for my children’s Literature Course.  Students gain knowledge of exemplary texts to be used within the curriculum to provide interdisciplinary content. The colored pencils links to a new addition to my Course Information Sheet containing Core Goals, Department Goals and Course Objectives.  These are aligned with specific measures related to what students will accomplish in the course.  I have also included one example of a student’s technology project and two examples of a display of five books that were read and critiqued to provide ideas of how these texts could be used in multiple content areas. These examples are instructional activities used as assessments for evaluating student learning.  There is also a link to the entire Syllabus containing all learning activities for this course.

Reflection:  Within the last few semesters of this program, I have gained an appreciation for the synergy of program goals, course goals and the goals of the institution itself.  The bigger picture of how each course is related to the program in general and in turn to the entire institution is compelling in its articulation of the interconnectedness of goals and activities.  We have spent a great deal of time covering a variety of instructional design theories and principles, including Dick and Carey, ADDIE, Kemp, Backward Design and others. In each of these I have learned the importance of continuity and alignment between assessments and objectives. Goals must be stated in such a way that they are measurable.  Assessments must provide evidence of the stated goal and/or objective.  My research includes an emphasis of this as I continue to teach my students this important feature of designing a lesson plan. Similarly, my students are often asked to create artifacts, which could be used in a K-12 classroom as a model for a particular assignment. These artifacts are just a couple of examples of the learning activities rooted in effective assessment and design.