Faculty - REA Course Learning Outcomes Alignment Directions
Estimated Reading Time: 5 Minutes |
2024 |
Faculty - REA Course Learning Outcomes Alignment Directions
This article will discuss how to align your courses learning outcomes in your Canvas course. This process can only be completed in live Canvas course sections.
The work you complete below will be copied during the course copy process.
Complete This First
Complete the steps below first to bring the course learning outcomes into your Canvas course.
- Go into your course.
- Click Outcomes on the course menu.
- In the top right, click Find.
- Click the down arrow on Account Standards.
- Click the down arrow on Department - Reading/Study Skills.
- Click the down arrow onyour course (e.g. REA 010).
- In the center pane, choose either Add All Outcomes at the top or individually click +Add to any single outcome(s).
- Click Done.
Adding Course Learning Outcomes to a Rubric (click here)
A faculty member may already have a grading rubric that they prefer to use for an assignment that is also being assessed by course learning outcomes. This means that if you have Paper #1, you attach your own grading rubric to the assignment, and then add the specific course learning outcomes that apply to that assignment into your established grading rubric.
This method means you can assess individual course learning outcome criteria across multiple assignments within your grading rubrics.
No other action is needed by the faculty member other than assessing the course learning outcomes aligned to the assignment(s).
Your grading rubric must be created in Canvas before completing the steps below. Start at step #8 if you already attached your rubric to an assignment.
Tip: How to create rubrics in Canvas
- Go to the assignment that has a grading rubric.
- Click on the title of the assignment.
- Click + Rubric.
- Click Find a Rubric in the top right.
- Ensure your correct course is selected in the left-hand panel.
- In the right-hand panel, select your grading rubric.
- Scroll down and click Use This Rubric.
- You will see the rubric posted to the assignment. Click the pencil (edit) in the top right.
- Towards the bottom, choose Find Outcome.
- Choose the folder for the outcomes you added from the directions at the top of this page (e.g. REA 010).
- Select a rubric criterion that will be assessed with your rubric.
- Uncheck "Use this criterion for scoring".
- Select Import (repeat 11-13 for each criterion that you want to add to your rubric).
- Check "Use this rubric for assignment grading".
- Select Update Rubric.
- The rubric and assignment are now ready for student submissions and grading.
You will notice as you add the specific course learning outcome criteria to your grading rubric and uncheck "Use this criterion for scoring" the total points of your grading rubric do not change.
Students will only be awarded points based on your grading criteria and the imported course learning outcome criteria will not impact the students grade on the assignment. The course learning outcome criteria will simply be tracking mastery.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I check that I aligned all course learning outcomes in my course?
You can go to Outcomes on the course menu and select the tab Alignments. This will show you which outcomes are aligned with which assignments along % of coverage in the course.
Canvas Guide: Outcomes Alignment
How do I access the course learning outcomes reports?
It is not necessary to pull any outcomes reports to send to your coordinator. They will have a special role to pull all data for their specific area. If you wish to track student mastery in your course, you can go to Grades then in the top left in the drop-down (it is set to Gradebook by default), you can choose Learning Mastery Gradebook.
Canvas Guide: How do I use the Learning Mastery Gradebook to view outcome results in a course from the Gradebook?
Canvas Guide:How do I view outcomes or student results individually in the Learning Mastery Gradebook from the Gradebook?
Can I add course learning outcomes retroactively?
The primary consideration here is that applying Outcomes retroactively wont automatically update previously graded assignments. Instructors can add them to the course, but any previous grades or rubrics need to be re-assessed for the outcome data to become available.
Will students see the course learning outcomes when it is applied to assignments?
The simple answer is yes. There is no way to hide this from students. A simple announcement can inform students of the course learning outcomes and eliminate most questions. Below is a suggested announcement you can use and adjust according to your needs.
Dear [Students Name],
I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to provide you with important information regarding the tracking of data for course learning outcomes.
As part of the reporting procedure for course learning outcomes, I will be adding our course learning outcomes to some of your assignments to assess overall mastery of the learning outcomes. It is essential to note that this portion of the assignment rubric (designed by bulls eye to the left of the criteria) is for reporting purposes only and will not influence the grade assigned to the associated assignment or impact your final course grade.
The following assignment(s) in this course will be associated with specific course learning outcomes:
Assignment Name
Assignment Name
Please be reassured that the grade you receive on these assignments is not influenced by the learning outcome portion of the rubric. Should you have any questions or require clarification, please do not hesitate to reach out to me. Your understanding and cooperation are greatly appreciated.
Best regards,
[Your Full Name]
[Your Position]
[Your Contact Information]