You may have noticed that I have been reviewing many books dealing with education and course development. I am always trying to improve my own courses, so I have been using my DCTE 760 doctoral course as an opportunity to work in that area. Fink (2003) is the last of the books I aimed to read during my spring break from classes. Unfortunately, I read this one last and could not finish it before classes started up last week. I would like to use Fink’s model, as well as others, to revamp my own courses as soon as I can get a chance.
First off, Fink (2003) is another excellent book on designing college courses from start to finish. Fink (chap. 2) begins by outlining some of the elements of a ‘good’ course. He observes that good courses:
—challenge students to significant kinds of learning.
—use active forms of learning.
—have teachers who care about the subject, their students, and about teaching and learning.
—have teachers who interact well with students.
—have a good system of feedback, assessment, and grading (p 28).
Fink mentions Bloom’s work (see my post #111 for a chapter review of the updated version) on creating a taxonomy for learning. Fink has created his own taxonomy which he claims can increase opportunities for significant learning to take place in college courses:
—foundational knowledge
—application
—integration
—human dimension
—caring
—learning how to learn (pp. 31-32).
Fink provides examples in several academic disciplines where his taxonomy can be used to create courses of all types. The first two chapters lay out Fink’s philosophy and the foundation for the taxonomy, and the rest of the book is a step-by-step guide on putting his ideas into practice. I can recommend this book to anyone looking to improve one’s courses and teaching.
Reference
Fink, L. D. (2003). Creating significant learning experiences: An integrated approach to designing college courses. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Tags: education, learning, preparation, Research, teaching, university