Course Design Document

EDUC 765: Trends and Issues in Instructional Design

By: Johnine Ornelas
Submitted: February 26, 2015
Updated August 6, 2015

PROJECT PROPOSAL MODULE 2

Project Title
Design and development of a critical reading and thinking course for first-year nursing
students.

Sponsoring Organization
A community college based in the Twin Cities metropolitan area
The college mission is to make individual dreams achievable by providing access to learning
opportunities that prepare students to live and work in a democratic society within a global
community. The college fulfills this mission through:

General education
Liberal education
Technical education
Baccalaureate transfer education
Workforce development
Developmental education
English language learning
Continuing education

Project Description
The goal of the Professional Nursing (NPRO) Program at the community and technical college is
to graduate skilled professionals who can then begin working in a field which has been
historically understaffed. This is a highly competitive program: Between 300 to 375 students
apply each year for 120-150 openings. Students who test 78 or higher in reading on the
colleges ACCUPLACER placement test are considered to be college ready and equipped to
handle both the nursing prerequisites and the nursing courses themselves.
A discussion with Jane Persoon, Interim Director of Nursing (January 22, 2015) calls this
assumption into question. According to Ms. Persoon, the program has a high failure rate in the
first two semesters, between 15-20%. Further, according to Ms. Persoon, nursing students are
unable to apply what they are learning and lack the ability to analyze, synthesize and evaluate
information.
The college currently teaches a general critical reading course that is designed to be applicable
across a range of disciplines and programs. Its learning outcomes include (Common Course
Outline, 2010):
Monitor and adapt reading to improve comprehension.
1

Summarize and evaluate the ideas presented in print and visual texts.
Analyze and synthesize information from multiple texts in multiple mediums.

Currently, only students who test into developmental reading and intend to pursue a nursing
degree are required by the nursing program to take this course. However, it is unclear whether
these developmental students, approximately 10% of whom are admitted to the nursing
program (Personal communication, January 26, 2015), do better, worse or about the same
during their first two semesters in the program compared to their non-developmental
counterparts.
Data to answer this question is not available at this time. But given the high failure rates, which
cannot be accounted for by the admission of developmental students alone to the nursing
program, it does suggest the following questions for both reading and nursing faculty at the
college:

Would all (or some) nursing students benefit from taking a critical reading and thinking
course during their first two semesters in the program?
If only some students would benefit, what criteria would be used to require them to take a
critical reading and thinking course?

Aim
The aim of this project is to increase the number of students who successfully complete the
nursing program.

Target Audience
Nursing students who are at risk of failing one or more courses during their first semester.

Delivery Options
The critical reading course taught at the college is currently provided in hybrid, face-to-face and
asynchronous formats. These options are provided because students vary in their learning styles
and preferences, as well as their access to reliable internet access. If critical reading became a
requirement for all or some nursing students, some sections should be redesigned to meet the
instructional needs of this population.

FRONT-END ANALYSIS: INSTRUCTIONAL NEED MODULE 3

Instructional Need
As mentioned above, there is a significant failure rate (15-20%) for nursing students
during their first two semesters. Starting Fall, 2014, all students must take the Test of
Essential Academic Skills (TEAS V) as part of the admission process to the NPRO program.
The TEAS V has 150 items that test nursing applicants in four areasreading, math,
science and writing. The reading section of the test has 42 items, some of which require
application of higher level thinking skillsanalysis, synthesis and evaluation. (Sample
reports provided by Jane Persoon, Interim Director of Nursing, January 22, 2015).
A composite score of 62 or higher on the TEAS V predicts student success in the Registered
Nurse (RN) program, while a composite score of 50 or higher predicts success in the
Advanced-standing for Licensed Practical Nurse (PN) program.
The NPRO Program piloted TEAS V in the Fall, 2012. A cohort of 57 students admitted to
the Practical Nursing Diploma Program was required to take the TEAS V that semester. Ms.
Persoon then followed those students over four semesters. (Students have up to six
semesters to complete the PN Diploma Program.) The results are not encouraging. Out of
the original cohort of 57 students, only 46 went on to enroll in classes during the second
semester. This is a failure rate of 19.3%. Those with higher composite scores were more
successful during their first semester, but their success during the second semester was
mitigated by the fact that many students (11 out of 46, or 24%) had to retake the
Applications of Nursing course (Data set provided by Jane Persoon, February 11, 2015).
The existing performance problem identified by Jane Persoon, and borne out by the initial
results of the TEAS V, indicates that this is an instructional problem. Thus if the aim is to
increase student success in the NPRO Program, then students need to become better
critical readers and thinkers.

FRONT-END ANALYSIS: LEARNER CHARACTERISTICS MODULE 3

Learner Analysis
There are two groups who could benefit from taking a critical reading and thinking course:
Primary Audience: Students who have been admitted to the NPRO Program, but
encounter problems during their first semester.
Secondary Audience: Students who have been admitted to the NPRO Program but whose
individual TEAS V reading scores indicate consistent problems correctly answering
analysis, synthesis and evaluation questions correctly.

General Learner Characteristics

75% of the students attending the college fall into one or more of the following
underrepresented categories: students of color, low income and/ or first generation
college students. Nursing students are similar in their characteristics:
o 53% are students of color
o 52% are low income
o 26% are first generation college students
19% are between the ages of 21-24 years old; 79% are 25 years or older
72% are women
70% of nursing students are part-time
Nursing students are admitted twice a year to one of three cohorts: day, eveningweekend, or day-evening.
Although 53% of students attending the college place into developmental reading,
99% of students in the nursing program placed as "college ready."

Entry Characteristics

Students need to have been admitted to the NPRO program.

Students must be comfortable using technology in the classroom.
Students must be open to improving their reading skills.
Students need to be familiar with their own learning style, and be able to
demonstrate familiarity with a variety of strategic reading strategies that either
support their strengths or mitigate their weaknesses.

Contextual Analysis
Orienting Context
Students going into nursing have already demonstrated a commitment to their education
given the investment of time and money in their studies. Their goals include:

Successfully passing the TEAS V and being admitted to the NPRO Program.
Increasing their chances of successfully completing a challenging program in the
required four to six semesters once admitted.
Decreasing or avoiding additional costs, both of time and money, when they have to
repeat a course.

Further, struggling students tend to be more open to instruction when they perceive it will
help them be more successful and when they can see its direct applicability to the content
they need to master. Finally, the NPRO Program holds all of its students to a very high
standard. Admission to the program requires a letter grade of B or higher in all courses

taken to meet the minimum science requirement. Once admitted, students must get a letter
grade of C or higher in each course they take during the semester or they cannot enroll in
the following semesters courses.
Instructional Context

Reading courses are offered during the day and evening to accommodate students
busy schedules.
The nursing program has three cohorts: day, evening-weekend, and day-evening.
Classrooms are generally well lit, temperature controlled and equipped with the
latest instructional technology, including projectors, computers, document cameras,
and DVD players
Classrooms vary in their seating arrangements. Some of them are more conducive
to group work than others.
The college is located in downtown Minneapolis and is easily accessible by bus and
train. It has ample parking, both in a ramp and on the street.

Transfer Context

Students should be able to directly apply what they are learning in the critical
reading and thinking course to their nursing courses. To successfully do the work in
their nursing courses, students need to be able to apply the higher order thinking
skills of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.
For new skills and knowledge to be transferred from one learning context to
another, students need to be provided with content and situations drawn from what
they will be doing in their nursing classes (Morrison, Ross, Kalman and Kemp, p.
191). Ideally, the content in one or two sections of the critical reading and thinking
course would be geared specifically to nursing students. In turn, nursing instructors
could point out when higher order thinking skills are demanded of students and
when they are being applied.

INSTRUCTIONAL IMPACT BASED UPON LEARNER CHARACTERISTICS

Application of Learning Theories
Since the goal is to enhance the critical reading and thinking skills of nursing students, a
number of learning theories will be useful in designing instruction.
1. Adult learning theory provides a number of essential principles that should guide
the design process:
For students to see the value of taking the critical reading and thinking course,
they need to know why they are learning what is being taught and how it applies
to the real world, in this case their nursing courses.
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It is essential to respect the varied experiences they bring to the leaning

situation and to capitalize on them. For instance, many nursing students are
already working in the health care field as nursing assistants or home health
aides. They bring valuable insights to the learning setting.
Finally, students have a wealth of experience being students and giving them
opportunities to share what works and what does not is itself valuable.

2. The concept of self-regulation, which is the ability to know when, what and how to
study, and self-efficacy, the belief in ones own ability to solve problems in order to
achieve ones goals, are extremely important for success in college and beyond.
3. Transformative learning theory operates on the assumption that students can
transform their meaning structures (perspectives and schemas) when confronted
with a problem or situation that needs to be solved (Mezirow, 1994). This
transformation provides the basis for developing solid critical thinking skills.
4. Situated learning theory posits that new knowledge is acquired within the context of
a community of practice that encourages and rewards collaboration and the
construction of knowledge among peers (Cobb and Bowers, 1999). Nursing as a
field has its own culture and practices, which nursing students are trying to master
in a highly structured and collaborative environment.

Application of Motivational Theories

Kellers ARCS model provides a systematic way of identifying and incorporating intrinsic
motivational strategies into the design and delivery of instruction. According to Keller
(2010) an audience analysis can help identify motivational problem areas for each of the
four major categories of the ARCS model and for any of the relevant twelve subcategories
he identified:

Attentionperceptual arousal, inquiry arousal, variability

Relevancegoal orientation, motive matching, familiarity
Confidencelearning requirements, success opportunities, personal control
Satisfactionnatural consequences, positive consequences, equity

The students referred to take the critical reading and thinking course potentially have
motivational problems in all four areas. In the area of attention, inquiry arousal is crucial.
Students must be given opportunities to seek new knowledge by engaging in interesting
problems-solving activities around the readings. In the area of relevance, all three
subcategories are important. Students need to understand how what they are learning in
the critical reading and thinking course will help them be more successful in their nursing
courses and thus help them achieve their ultimate goal of entering the nursing profession.
They need to be provided with an array of individual and collaborative learning

opportunities so they can fulfill both achievement and affiliation motives. As well,
familiarity needs to be built into the instruction, so students connect what they have
already learned and are learning in their nursing courses to the critical reading and
thinking course content.
In the area of confidence, providing students with opportunities for success and a sense of
personal control is essential. The students taking the critical reading and thinking course
are by definition struggling students who have already seen failure in one or more of their
nursing program courses. The critical reading and thinking course has to increase their
confidence in their ability to build and apply their cognitive skills so that they are able to
master the content in their other courses. As well, students need to recognize that it is
their own effort and ability to solve problems that contributes to their success, not chance
or even innate intelligence.
Finally, building satisfaction through natural and positive consequences reinforces
motivation and learning. Students need both meaningful opportunities to use what they
are learning, both in the critical reading and thinking course and their nursing courses, and
to see extrinsic rewards in the form of improved grades.

Impact of a Diverse Audience on Instruction

As mentioned, the student population the college is very diverseracially, culturally,
religiously, linguistically, and socio-economically. As well, disability and sexual orientation
needs to be taken into consideration. An awareness of these differences is essential,
especially for students going into nursing. One way to address these differences is to
incorporate readings that provide a framework for understanding difference and then
encouraging discussion of its application to the nursing field.
Another consideration is individual student learning preferences and their impact on
behavior. How learners take in information (cognition), process it (conceptualization), and
feel about it (affect) all impact behavior and thus learning. While instruction cannot be
tailored to each students preferred style of learning, it is important to be aware of how
learners learn, to be cognizant when they are not learning, and to take steps to rectify the
situation. As well, reading alone is not enough. Learners need opportunities to discuss
difficult concepts, practice new skills, and connect new knowledge to prior learning. While
there is debate about whether or not learning styles can be matched to specific
instructional strategies (Morrison, et. al. (2013), p. 54), I believe the learner needs to be
aware of their own learning preferences, and to have a repertoire of strategies they can use
to effectively learn a variety of material regardless of the format it is presented in
readings, lectures, simulations, graphics, etc. For example, if you do not process
information well while listening to a lecture, note-taking or mapping skills become critical.

All students can be successful if they are provided with the proper supports and direction.
Although an awareness of cultural backgrounds and differences is important, it is critical to
treat each student as a unique individual.

TASK/GOAL/PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS MODULE 5

Goal Analysis
Goal: Increase the number of nursing students who successful complete their first two
semesters of the NPRO program.
Performance Criteria: To achieve this goal, students must pass each of the following
courses with a grade of 2.0 or higher in the NPRO program:
First Semester
NPRO 1000: Introduction to Health Concepts (8 credits)
ENGL 1110: College English 1 (3 credits)
BIOL 2224: Anatomy (4 credits)
Second Semester
NPRO 1100: Wellness-illness Concepts Across the Lifespan (7 credits)
BIOL 2225: Physiology (4 credits)
PSYC 2240: Life Span Development (4 credits)
Gen. Ed.: Choose one course from the following one of the following MnTC
Goal Areas 1, 3, 5 or 9* (3 credits)
*The Minnesota Transfer Curriculum Goal Areas are defined as follows:
MnTC Goal Area 01: Written and Oral Communication
MnTC Goal Area 03: Natural Science
MnTC Goal Area 05: History and the Social and Behavioral Sciences
MnTC Goal Area 09: Ethical and Civic Responsibility
Source: Minnesota General Education Transfer Curriculum Competencies Retrieved
February, 2015 from
https://mctc.decisionacademic.com/Catalog/ViewCatalog.aspx?pageid=viewcatalog&catalog
id=2&chapterid=158&topicgroupid=235&loaduseredits=False&_ga=1.12518525.87285549
6.1402085150
(Interestingly, MnTC Goal Area 02: Critical Thinking is not required.)

Performance Gap: Currently 15-20% of nursing program students do not successfully

complete their first two semesters. This gap in performance has been attributed to a lack
of higher order thinking skillsapplication, analysis, synthesis and evaluation.
8

Closing the Gap: Requiring students identified as struggling during their first semester in
the program to take the critical reading and thinking course that builds students higher
order thinking skills. Struggling is defined as students who have failed NPRO 1000.
Please note: Given the competitive nature of the program, priority is given to applicants
who have already completed ENGL 1110, BIOL 2224 (Anatomy) and BIOL 2225
(Physiology) with a grade of B (3.00) or higher prior to admission to the program. Students
are permitted to retake these courses one time to achieve a higher grade before they apply
to the NPRO program.

GOAL ANALYSIS
Step 1 - Write down the goals.
Original goals:
Increase the number of nursing students who successfully complete their first two
semesters of the nursing program.
To close the performance gap, have struggling students take the critical reading and
thinking course, which focuses on applying higher order thinking skills analysis,
synthesis, and evaluation.
Step 2 - Write down everything a person would have to say or do for you to agree that
the person has achieved the goal.

surveys or previews the text before reading

writes guide questions or uses study guides and/ or lecture notes provided by their
instructor to focus their reading
marks and annotates key information
utilizes context clues, word parts and/ or a dictionary when they encounter
unfamiliar or unknown vocabulary
processes what they have read by creating review and study tools such as: concept
maps, outlines, Cornell Notes, & flash cards
reflects on what they have read by analyzing, synthesizing or evaluating new
information
engages in thoughtful, respectful discussions with others about what they are
reading and learning
applies what they are reading and learning to knew situations and problems

Step 3 - Sort the items Listed in step 2.

Comprehension:
surveys or previews the text before reading
writes guide questions or uses study guides and/ or lecture notes provided by
their instructor to focus their reading
marks and annotates key information
utilizes context clues, word parts and/ or a dictionary when they encounter
unfamiliar or unknown vocabulary
Application:
engages in thoughtful, respectful discussions with others about what they are
reading and learning
applies what they are reading and learning to knew situations and problems
Analysis
reflects on what they are reading by making connections to what they already
know or have learned.
processes what they have read by creating review and study tools such as:
concept maps, outlines, Cornell Notes, & flash cards
Synthesis
integrates new information with what they already know, thus building new
schemas or adding to and revising existing schemas
Evaluation
evaluates the validity of what they are reading, and the arguments and/ or data
presented in various texts.
Step 4 - Write a complete sentence to describe each of the items on your final list.
1. Students demonstrate a variety of active learning strategies for managing difficult
and complex texts.
2. Students monitor their own understanding and takes steps when comprehension
breaks down.
3. Students reflect on what they are reading and learning and integrate new
information into new or existing schemas.
4. Students demonstrate an ability to analyze, synthesize and evaluate what they are
reading and learning.
5. Students can recognize and evaluate their own assumptions and ideas as well as
those of others.
6. Students engage in thoughtful, respectful discussion with others.
7. Students apply what they are reading and learning in order to solve problems or
interpret new information.

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INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES MODULE 5

Project (Instructional) Goal
To increase the number of nursing students who successfully complete their first two
semesters by having them take the critical reading and thinking course, so they develop the
higher order thinking skillsanalysis, synthesis and evaluationthey need to be
successful.

Terminal Objectives and Enabling Objectives

1. Student uses at least one pre-reading strategy 100% of the time. (Cognitivebehavioral)
Student identifies what to focus on in the text by previewing the text, writing
down learning objectives and skimming summary and review material before
they begin to read. (Comprehension)
Student identifies what to focus on in the text by writing guide questions for
each of the topics and subtopics listed in the assigned text before they begin to
read. (Comprehension)
2. Student applies marking strategies (highlighting and annotating) to 100% of the
assigned text with 80% accuracy. (Cognitive-behavioral & Psychomotor)
Student defines the term marking as including highlighting or underlining AND
annotating. (Knowledge)
Student describes the steps in the marking process with 100% accuracy.
(Comprehension)
Student identifies and defines unfamiliar or difficult vocabulary with 80%
accuracy. (Comprehension)
Student differentiates between key ideas and important details verbally or in
writing after reading a passage of the text with 80% accuracy. (Analysis)
Student uses a combination of highlighting and annotating to identify key ideas
and important details in an assigned text with 80% accuracy. (Application)
Student evaluates their own and a classmates marking using criteria defined in a
rubric with 80% accuracy. (Evaluation)
3. After reading the assigned text, the student uses either concept mapping or the
Cornell Note-taking method to create a review and study tool with 100% accuracy.
(Cognitive-behavioral)

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Student describes two note-taking strategiesconcept mapping and the Cornell

Note-taking methodafter viewing a lecture with 100% accuracy.
(Comprehension)
Student can apply the criteria for a good set of notes to examples of both notetaking strategies using a rubric with 80% accuracy. (Application)
Student reviews what they read and marked in the text using a checklist with
100% accuracy. (Analysis)
Student organizes what they have read and marked into a set of notes using their
preferred note-taking strategy with 100% accuracy. (Synthesis)
Student scores their own notes and those of another student using criteria
defined in a rubric with 80% accuracy. (Evaluation)

4. Student critically evaluates the assumptions, points of view, ideas, theories and
principles presented in a variety of texts, verbally or in writing. (Cognitivebehavioral & Affective)
Student recognizes underlying assumptions, common fallacies, alternate points
of view and related theories, ideas and principles presented in a variety of texts
with 80% accuracy. (Knowledge)
Student summarizes the assumptions, common fallacies, points of view, related
theories, ideas and principles presented in a variety of texts verbally or in
writing with 80% accuracy. (Comprehension)
Student analyzes the assumptions, common fallacies, points of view, related
theories, ideas and principles presented in a variety of texts verbally or in
writing with 80% accuracy. (Analysis)
Student critically reflects on their own assumptions and point of view, verbally
or in writing, based on their analysis of what they are reading, 100% of the time.
(Synthesis & Evaluation)
5. Student can apply higher order thinking skills to solve a nursing problem.
(Cognitive-behavioral & Psychomotor)

ENABLING OBJECTIVES MATRIX & SUPPORTING CONTENT MODULE 6

Title of the unit/module: After reading: Creating a set of notes for review and study
List Terminal Objective Here: After reading the assigned text, the student uses either concept
mapping or the Cornell Note-taking method to create a review and study tool 100% of the
time. (Cognitive-behavioral)

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List Pre-instructional Strategy: Overview & Pretest

Enabling
Objective

Level on Blooms
Taxonomy*

Fact, concept,
principle, rule,
procedure,
interpersonal,
or attitude?
Concepts
Procedures

Learner Activity
(What would
learners do to
master this
objective?)
Use a comparison
chart while
viewing a lecture
to note down the
steps and criteria
for each type of
note-taking
strategy.

Delivery Method
(Group
presentation/lecture,
self-paced, or small
group)
Lecture (online)
Individual activity

Student
describes both
concept
mapping and
the Cornell
Note-taking
method after
viewing a
lecture with
100%
accuracy.

Comprehension
Application

Student can
apply the
criteria for a
good set of
notes to an
example of
each notetaking
strategy using
a rubric with
80% accuracy.

Application

Principles

Uses a rubric to
evaluate examples
of each type of
note-taking
strategy.

Small group
discussions
Pair activity

Student
reviews what
they read and
marked in the
text using a
checklist with
100%
accuracy.

Analysis

Principles

Compares what
and how they
marked the text in
a small group
using the checklist
as a guide.

Small group
discussions
Small group activity

Student
organizes
what they read

Synthesis

Principles
Procedure

Creates a set of
notes based on
what they marked.

Individual activity

Student creates
their own notes
from the lecture.

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and marked
into a set of
notes using
their preferred
note-taking
strategy with
100%
accuracy.
Student scores
their own
notes and
those of
another
student using
criteria
defined in a
rubric with
80% accuracy.

Evaluation

Principles

Assesses their
notes and a
classmates notes
using explicit
criteria.
Writes a brief
summary of the
results of their
evaluation.

Pair activity
Individual activity

REFERENCES
Adult Learners. Innovative Teaching Institute. Teaching and Learning Services. Rochester
Institute of Technology. Retrieved on January 18, 2015 from
http://www.rit.edu/academicaffairs/tls/course-design/instructional-design/adultlearners
Cobb, P. and Bowers, J. (1999) Cognitive and situated learning perspectives in theory and
practice. Educational Researcher, 28 (2), 4-15. Retrieved from
http://edr.sagepub.com.ezproxy.lib.uwstout.edu/content/28/2/4.full.pdf+html
Office of Strategy, Planning and Accountability (2014). MCTC data shop: Data as of fall
2014. Retrieved March 6, 2015 from
https://my.minneapolis.edu/~/media/Intranet-Site/Files/Departments/Office-ofStrategy-Planning-Accountability/Data%20Shop/Data%20Shop%2020150127.pdf
Guild, P.B. (2001) Diversity, Learning Style and Culture. School of Education at Johns
Hopkins University. Retrieved on January 18, 2015 from
http://education.jhu.edu/PD/newhorizons/strategies/topics/Learning%20Styles/diver
sity.html

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Hynick, K. (2010) Program Review FY 2009: Reading and Study Skills Department. [Memo]
Retrieved from MCTCs Employee Share Drive.
Keller, J. (2010) Motivational design for learning and performance: The ARCS model
approach. (New York: Springer Science & Business Media)
Mezirow, J. and Associates (1990) Fostering critical reflection in adulthood: A guide to
transformative and emancipatory learning. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishing.
Mezirow, J. (1994) Understanding transformation theory. Adult Education Quarterly, 44 (4),
224-44.
Minneapolis Community and Technical College Office of Strategic Planning and
Accountability (2015). Program review FY 14: Program retention and graduation rates,
CTE only (Data file). Retrieved from https://my.minneapolis.edu/Departments/StaffDepartments/Office-of-Strategy-Planning-and-Accountability/Reports/Program-Review
Morrison, G., Ross, S., Kalman, H., and Kemp, J. (2013) Designing effective instruction (7th
ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
The critical reading and thinking course: Critical Reading of Academic Texts. Common Course
Outline. Updated Fall, 2010. Retrieved from MCTCs Employee Share Drive.
Profile for Minneapolis Community & Technical College. Retrieved January 23, 2015 from
http://www.mnscu.edu/collegesearch/index.php/institutions/profile/0305

FINAL PROJECT RUBRIC

Please see the final project rubric at: http://www2.uwstout.edu/content/profdev/idtrends/Portfolio-Rubric.pdf and the
reflection paper rubric at: http://www2.uwstout.edu/content/profdev/idtrends/Portfolio-RubricReflection.doc

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