Curriculum, Course and Program Design, and Assessment
Readings & Websites

• Diamond, Robert M. 1998. Designing and Assessing Courses and Curricula: A Practical Guide. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. [321 pp.]
  • This book provides a useful model for faculty members, department chairpersons, and administrators who recognize the many forces pushing universities and colleges to reexamine their curricula and make appropriate changes. The author provides a model for designing, implementing, and evaluating courses and curricula and addresses the roles of faculty curriculum committees and administrators in these processes. The first two chapters provide an overview of the model and argue that curriculum work is an important scholarly activity. Later chapters go into more detail about the model offered.
• The Engineer of 2020: Visions of Engineering in the New Century. 2004. Washington, DC. The National Academics Press.
  • This small volume, published by the National Academy of Engineering is must reading for anyone in the sciences and engineering.  It not only addresses the challenges being faced by schools and colleges of engineering in the US but describes, in some detail, the competencies that will be required by engineers in the future.  Has implications for faculty and administrators in all the arts and sciences.
• Field Guide to Academic Leadership 2002 (Robert M. Diamond, Editor.) Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.
  • The following chapter in the Field Guide is brief, to the point, and directly related to the content focus of this section:
    • Chapter 9. Curricula and Courses: Administrative Issue by Robert M. Diamond. A discussion of issues relating to the curriculum. Includes a list of common problems found at the course level and recommendations on how you can assist faculty in the process of course improvement. Here you will also find detailed information on the questions that should be asked before making a decision to undertake a major curriculum or to redesign a course.
• Fink, L. Dee. Creating Significant Learning Experiences: An Integrated Approach to Designing College Courses. San Francisco. Jossey-Bass: [2003 pp.]
  • Introduces a design model that maximizing the quality of learning by utilizing resources both within and outside of the classroom. Loaded with practical suggestions. Ties in nicely with the learning outcomes and assessment initiatives.
• Gaff, Jerry G. 1980. "Avoiding the Potholes: Strategies for Reforming General Education." Educational Record 61, no. 4: 50-59.
  • This especially helpful article written nearly two decades ago identifies over forty contemporary obstacles or "potholes" that commonly interfere with committee efforts to reform general education programs. The practical approaches offered to overcoming these obstacles to curricula change can also be applied to other campus-wide initiatives to enhance student learning.
• Jacoby, Barbara (editor). 2003. Building Partnerships for Service-Learning. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass: [400 pp.]
  • Focuses on improving teaching, learning and research by working with the community agencies, business and industry, in the design and delivery of instruction using service-learning.
• Maki, Peggy L. Assessing for Learning: Building a Sustainable Commitment Across an Institution 2004. Sterling, VA. Slylus Publishing [256 pp.]
  • Sets the assessment of learning within the context of both the level of a program, department, division or school within an institution and the level of the institution based on its mission, educational philosophy and educational objectives.  Defines assessment as the ability to determine the match between what we expect of our students and their actual performance.  Provides case studies, resources, and exercises. Will assist institutions in responding to the calls for increased accountability and the use of learning outcomes.  Published in association with AAHE.
• New Times, New Strategies: Curricular Joint Ventures. 2003. Washington, DC. American Council on Education. [25 pp.]
  • Describes cooperative curriculum projects in a wide range of disciplines and discusses models, strategies and certification issues.  Includes programs between units on the same campus, among different institutions, with community partners, and international associations.
• Recommendations for Urgent Action: Transforming America’s Scientific and Technological Infrastructure. 2006. Washington, DC. Project Kaleidoscope. [30 pp.]
  • Reviews the recommendations and the rational behind them of nearly 20 recent reports addressing America’s capacity as a world leader in addressing societal problems through scientific and technological innovation.  Must reading for anyone involved in the design of courses and curricula in business, engineering and science.
• Reinventing Undergraduate Education: A Blueprint for America’s Research Universities. 2000. New York.  DKA Associates. [44 pp.]
  • This report is from The Boyer Commission on Educating Undergraduates in the Research University, which began its work under a Carnegie Foundation grant in 1995.  This report, after a brief introduction to the challenges facing research universities, describes 10 projects at different research universities designed to improve the undergraduate experience.
• Saroyan, Alenoush, and Cheryl Amundsen. 2004. Rethinking Teaching in Higher Education. Sterling, VA. Stylus Publishers: [256pp.]
  • Rethinking an existing course or designing a new one. Covers the analysis of course content, conceptions of learning, selecting teaching strategies and both student and teaching evaluation.
• Stark, Joan S. and Lisa R. Lattuca. 1997. Shaping the College Curriculum: Academic Plans in Action. Needham Heights, Mass.: Allyn and Bacon. [460 pp.]
  • Defining the curriculum as an "academic plan to foster students' academic development," this comprehensive book synthesizes much research about curriculum planning. The authors argue that a curriculum, as a plan, should address eight elements: purpose, content, sequence, learners, instructional processes, instructional resources, evaluation, and adjustment plans. Additionally, the authors explain how various external, organizational, and internal influences affect and should be considered in curriculum planning.
• Wehlburg, Catherine M. 2006. Meaningful Course Revision: Enhancing Academic Engagement Using Student Learning Data. Bolton, MA. Anker Publishing [140 pp.]
  • Does a nice job of tying together student assessment and course redesign, and the continual revision process.
• Tomorrow's Professor
  • Published 100 times a year this newsletter, which is free to subscribers, highlights a single publication in each issue. Each issue, approximately four to six pages, may include an entire essay but more often is all or part of a carefully selected chapter of a recent publication, an article in a newsletter or a research report. It is an excellent way for you to get a sense of the focus and writing style of books before purchasing. Below are specific issues that address the focus of this resource section. They may be retrieved by number thru the following link (http://ctl.stanford.edu/Tomprof/postings.html). Issues are posted two weeks after publication. On this site you can also find a complete list of all past publications in the series.
    • #666: Preparing Doctoral Students for Faculty Careers that Contribute to the Public Good. Ann Austin and Benita J. Barnes
    • #698: A Possible Model for Higher Education: The Physics Reform Effort. Richard Hake
    • #702: In Doctoral Education, It’s Time for an Overhaul. Phillip Cohen and Rick Cherwitz.
    • #753: Making Teaching and Learning Visible. Daniel Bern
    • #765: "Using the Assessment Process to Improve Doctoral Programs" by Kelly Frank and Karen Klomparens.