CUDD 1110 Assignment #2: Curriculum Alignment Assignment
Week 8
Weight 25%
Chart A
Professor Name:
Course Name:
Course Code:
Credential:
Program Name:
Program Year:
Semester:
Grade
/4
Beverley Myatt
Positive Psychology
GNED 1132
NA
Delivered Across All Programs
NA
Winter 2014
Criteria*
Course Learning Outcome 1
Curriculum Alignment and Rationale
Course specific learning
outcome
Outcome: Summarize research that supports the principles, strategies and skills of
happiness and well-being according to Positive Psychology.
List the course learning
outcome
List the domain and the level
Domain: Cognitive
Intended Learning Activities
(Teaching/Learning Method)
/4
How will I teach this?
Include content activities and
practice activities
Level: Foundational
Title of Content Activity: Foundations of Positive Psychology
Teaching and Learning of Content Method 1: Power Point and Lecture
summarizing the basic themes of positive psychology, comparing positive
psychology to traditional psychology, and explaining issues involved in measuring
happiness.
Teaching and Learning of Content Method 2: Travelling Files; Students are
divided into groups, and each group reviews a file with a myth statement about
Include 2 to 3 content
activities and align to practice
activities
.
happiness/positive psychology (they don’t know they are all myths); each group
reviews the files one at a time, and indicates if they agree or disagree and why;
instructor reviews the files after the activity, and explains why they are all myths.
Title of Practice Activity: Foundations in Positive Psychology
Practice Activity 1: Problem-Based Learning Activity; In groups, students review a
scenario/case study and are tasked with deciding if the scenario warrants a
traditional or positive psychology approach, and then deciding how they will know if
the person has been helped at the end of the psychological intervention
(highlighting measurement issues).
Practice Activity 2: Happiness Questionnaire; students complete a researchbased happiness questionnaire designed by a leading positive psychologist (Martin
Seligman); they score it and create their own “happiness profile”.
_______________________________________________________________
Title of Content Activity: Set Point Theory of Happiness/Well-Being
Teaching and Learning of Content Method 1: Power Point and Lecture
summarizing the Set-Point Theory of happiness and well-being; presentation on the
implications of this theory on the development of personal happiness and wellbeing.
Teaching and Learning of Content Method 2: Students watch two videos, one
explaining the concept of Set-Point as it applies to weight loss, and one explaining
the Set-Point Theory as part of a “happiness formula”.
Teaching and Learning of Content Method 3: teacher-directed class discussion
on the comparison between set-point theory as it applies to weight loss and as it
applies to happiness and well-being.
Title of Practice Activity: Set Point Theory of Happiness/Well-Being
Practice Activity 1: Article Review: In small groups, students review an article or a
portion of an article previously highlighted by the teacher, which summarizes SetPoint Theory and then identifies weakness in the theory using current and previous
research results; students summarize the highlighted points which they then
present to the class.
Practice Activity 2: Presentation using Fill-in-the-Blank Sheets: Groups present
their article summaries to the class; the class completes a fill-in-the-blank sheet as
they listen to the summary from each group; a word bank is included with the fill-in-
the-blank sheets to facilitate new vocabulary development related to Positive
Psychology
Practice Activity 3: Think-Pair-Share: Students find a partner in the class; in pairs
students discuss the research, and decide on 3 main points, 2 ways of
understanding the information, and 1 thing they would still like to know about the
Set-Point Theory of happiness.
Rationale for choosing the
teaching method/learning
activities.
Why did you choose the
content and practice learning
activities?
Why did I choose the content activities and how does this help the students
to meet the course learning outcome?
As the learning outcome I have outlined is summative, I have listed two content
units to illustrate that the students are exposed to Positive Psychology research
throughout the course.
In both the Foundations of Positive Psychology and Set-Point Theory content
units, I have chosen a combination of lecture, video, group work and class
discussion in order to meet the needs of a variety of learners. Theories and
research can be difficult for some students to understand, and boring for others, so
the variety in the content methods also addresses these issues. For instance, the
Set-Point Theory is approached from a more familiar perspective (weight loss) and
then extended to the new learning context (Positive Psychology). Similarly, the
Travelling Files activity allows students to engage in and discuss the basic
concepts of Positive Psychology in a fun and non-threatening way. Reviewing the
files after the activity is completed allows the teacher to highlight key points that the
students can now connect to the “learning files” they have developed in their own
“mental filing cabinets”.
With respect to meeting the course learning outcome, the content activities provide
the students with knowledge about Positive Psychology and the research which
underlies it. The content activities also allow the students to see how this research
supports specific principles and strategies that lead to happiness. For instance,
when we explore the research around the Set-Point Theory and the happiness
formula, the students learn which parts of the formula are “fixed” and which parts
they have influence over. They also learn which specific strategies and skills will
have the most impact on the changeable aspects of the formula. Strategies for
promoting happiness stem directly from this learning.
Why did I choose the practice activities and how does this help the students
to meet the course learning outcome?
In the practice units, students are able to further explore and understand the
research outlining the principles and strategies of Positive Psychology. If students
do not “use” the material, they will “lose” it, and will not be able to accurately convey
their learning in an evaluative situation.
In the Foundations in Positive Psychology practice activities, students begin to
think about and distinguish between the concepts of traditional psychology and
Positive Psychology in a practical way. The problem-based activity provides
students with a “real world” scenario, which is motivating and concrete. In this
activity, students are also asked (indirectly) to come up with their own measurement
ideas by thinking about how they will know if someone’s happiness level has
changed or improved. Again, this is a concrete and meaningful task which allows
them to engage with the foundational concepts of the field.
In terms of the learning outcome, the problem-based activity initiates thinking
about the strategies of happiness from a Positive Psychology perspective, as well
as some of the issues researchers in the field face in terms of measuring abstract
concepts. Taking the happiness questionnaire further allows students to see the
issues of measurement “in action”. As the task is one in which they are assessing
their own happiness, it is an authentic and engaging activity. After taking the
questionnaire, we spend time evaluating the experience, with students contributing
their feedback to the class. In terms of the learning outcome, this allows
students again to see “in action” some of the issues related to research and to
measuring an abstract concept such as happiness. It also allows them to see the
connection between research and practice, as the questionnaire is based on key
research in the field of Positive Psychology.
In the Set-Point Theory practice activities, students are exposed to actual
research articles, allowing them to summarize the research for themselves. I
chose this activity in order to expose students to first-hand research in the field. The
activity is “scaffolded” for them, as it is a unit close to the start of the course and few
students will have direct experience with journal articles. The thinking is that if the
activity is broken down for them, students will likely be less overwhelmed and will in
turn learn more from the activity. In addition, the “fill- in-the-blank” part of the
practice activities allows students who did not read the actual article to engage with
the material and to have good notes for later evaluation purposes. During the
presentations, we also engage in discussion about the practical implications of the
research. For instance, students are ask to think about questions such as: “If SetPoint Theory is true, and our state of happiness returns to a set-point after
experiencing a good event or a bad event in our lives, how does this in turn
influence our thoughts and behaviour?” and “If Set-Point Theory only explains part
of the happiness formula, what other factors are involved in raising our level of
happiness?” So, not only does this practice activity directly support the learning
outcome by teaching students how to read, understand and summarize Positive
Psychology research, but it also leads to thinking about the implications of the
research in terms of the principles, skills and strategies that support happiness.
Lastly, I chose the “Think-Pair-Share” activity to give students another opportunity
to summarize the key research information. Some students don’t like big group
discussion, perhaps being more introverted, and the smaller, two-student
discussion format provides an opportunity for all students to actively process the
information regarding Set-Point research. The activity requires students to
summarize what they have learned, which directly corresponds with the learning
outcome.
Evaluation Method
(including description)
/4
List one of the evaluation
methods you are using to
evaluate the CLO listed above.
List the domain
List the Level:
Evaluation Method: The evaluation that best reflects the learning outcome is the
Final Project. This project requires students to describe their plan for future
happiness, which in turn requires them to summarize the Positive Psychology
research from the course. Students will need to identify a plan for their personal,
academic and professional happiness by referring to the Positive Psychology
principles, skills and strategies that they have learned throughout the course. In
essence, they will complete a plan for their future well-being by summarizing the
ingredients that go into living the “good life”.
Domain: The domain for this assignment is cognitive as students must remember
and think about the research that supports the principles, strategies and skills of
happiness and well-being according to Positive Psychology in order to describe
their plan.
Level: The level for this assignment is foundational as it requires students to
remember and understand the research that supports the principles, strategies and
skills of happiness and well-being according to Positive Psychology. The project
also requires that they apply the information in a new way, which is still a
foundational task according to Bloom’s Taxonomy.
Rationale for choosing the
evaluation method
Why did you choose this
evaluation method?
Make sure to include
alignment to practice and
content activities.
Total /12
Grade
/4
The rationale for choosing this evaluation method: I chose this evaluation
method because it requires a cumulative summary of the research that supports the
principles, strategies and skills of happiness and well-being according to Positive
Psychology in a practical and meaningful way. To complete their personal projects,
students will need to refer to the research that has been discussed throughout the
course, and will need to identify which principles, strategies and skills are
meaningful to them. The content activities, practice activities and evaluation
method are all in the same learning domain (cognitive) and reflect the same level
(foundational). The content activities provide students with an understanding of the
Positive Psychology research that they will draw upon in their Final Project. The
practice activities provide students with the chance to engage with the research in a
meaningful way so that they can personally evaluate the principles, strategies and
skills that will best benefit them.
Instructor Comments:
Criteria*
Course Learning Outcome 2
Curriculum Alignment and Rationale
Course specific learning
outcome
Show competence in analyzing, planning, implementing and reporting of personal
and interpersonal change efforts according to the philosophy of Positive Psychology
List the course learning
outcome
List the domain and the level
Domain: Affective
Level: Advanced
Intended Learning Activities
(Teaching/Learning Method)
/4
How will I teach this?
Include content activities and
practice activities
Include 2 to 3 content
activities and align to practice
activities
.
Title of Content Activity: Gratitude
Teaching and Learning of Content Method 1: Power Point and Lecture
summarizing the concept of gratitude according to positive psychology and
identifying the connection between the practice of gratitude and the development of
personal happiness and subjective well-being; the measurement of gratitude and
gratitude change is also discussed.
Teaching and Learning of Content Method 2: Video Presentation; students
watch a video which chronicles the experiences of several subjects in a gratitude
experiment; students are exposed to the emotional impact of expressing gratitude
to an important person in the subject’s lives; group discussion follows the viewing of
the video and allows for students to connect with the information on both a personal
and an interpersonal level.
Teaching and Learning of Content Method 3: Small Group Discussion; in groups
of 4 or 5, students discuss their thoughts and feelings about expressing gratitude
and identify ways in which they can bring more gratitude to their lives (e.g. gratitude
journal, gratitude letter, etc.); students explore, both personally and interpersonally,
the issues related to implementing various gratitude strategies.
Title of Practice Activity: Gratitude
Practice Activity 1: Gratitude Survey/Think-Pair-Share; students take a welldocumented gratitude test developed by the leading American researchers of
gratitude and forgiveness; benchmarks for making sense of the results are
reviewed; students discuss their impressions about the test and their personal
results with a partner and then share with the rest of the class, if they are
comfortable in doing so.
Practice Activity 2: Gratitude Letters; students think of one person who has been
important in their lives, but has never properly been thanked; students write a letter
of gratitude to that person, thanking them for the positive influence they have had in
their lives; questions for self-reflection are posted on the white board; students
reflect on the experience of writing the letter and write their thoughts/reflections on
the white board.
Practice Activity 3: Small Group Discussion; in groups of 4 or 5, students discuss
what it would be like to give the gratitude letter to the person it was written for; they
discuss how it would impact the student’s life and how it would impact the other
person’s life and come up with 3 benefits for each, thinking about the concepts of
Positive Psychology (e.g. happiness is related to strong social connections and
expressing gratitude would strengthen those social ties); each group posts their
results on the white board, and results are later posted on DC Connect.
Extension Activity: Students are invited to meet with the person for whom they
wrote the gratitude letter; they are asked not to tell the person the reason for
meeting with them in advance of the meeting; students are asked to read their letter
out loud, slowly, with expression and with eye contact; they can then give the
person the letter as a gift; students are invited to post about their experiences on a
DC Connect discussion board
Rationale for choosing the
teaching method/learning
activities.
Why did you choose the
content and practice learning
activities?
Why did I choose the content activities and how does this help the students
to meet the course learning outcome?
The teaching methods of lecture and power point were chosen to convey to
students the research related to the significance of gratitude to happiness and
subjective well-being. Before students can be expected to adopt new skills,
attitudes and beliefs, the significance in doing so needs to be communicated to
them. Students should also understand that the concepts and attitudes being
promoted for personal change are research and evidence-based. The video was
chosen to visually demonstrate the personal and interpersonal impact of making
changes to gratitude. By witnessing the impact of gratitude on others, the students
will be able to better connect to the concept of personal and interpersonal change.
The small group discussion activity provides a forum for students to begin to
explore the personal change process with respect to the concept of gratitude. In
addition, the video and discussion formats will also provide for variety in the content
delivery methods.
The content activities help students to meet the learning outcome by guiding
them through the process of personal and interpersonal change. The content
activities provide them with information illustrating how changes to gratitude will
promote their happiness and well-being, connect them on an emotional level to the
concept of gratitude change, assist them in exploring their feelings about the
concept of gratitude change, and help them to identify ways in which they can bring
about personal and interpersonal change.
Why did I choose the practice activities and how does this help the students
to meet the course learning outcome?
The gratitude survey was selected as a practice activity to provide students with
personal feedback on their gratitude levels, as well as a baseline from which to
make personal and interpersonal change with respect to gratitude. The gratitude
letter activity was chosen as it has been documented in Positive Psychology that
expressing gratitude in this format contributes to increased happiness and
subjective well-being. The activity was a meaningful one, which students could
complete independently within the context of the classroom environment. The
small group discussion activity was chosen to provide students with a
classroom-based forum for beginning to explore and evaluate their feelings, beliefs,
motivations and values with respect to happiness and well-being. The extension
activity was chosen as it provides students with a format for connecting with the
course material outside of the classroom, and the task itself is an authentic task
which has been designed to promote the development of gratitude, as well as
happiness and well-being.
The practice activities help students to meet the learning outcomes by
allowing them to begin the process of personal and interpersonal change. The
activities are structured to provide the students with some tools that will allow them
to analyze the concept of gratitude as it relates to personal well-being, plan for the
development of gratitude on both a personal and interpersonal level, and implement
an authentic, research-based task to promote personal and interpersonal change.
The group discussion provides the students with the opportunity to practice verbally
reporting on personal change efforts, while the extension activity offers students an
opportunity to practice the communication of change efforts in writing.
In the group discussion format, students can begin to make connections between
the concepts presented in this course and their own attitudes and beliefs, hopefully
leading to personal and interpersonal change. Lastly, the extension opportunity also
provides students with an authentic task for promoting personal and interpersonal
change.
Evaluation Method
(including description)
/4
List one of the evaluation
methods you are using to
evaluate the CLO listed above.
List the domain
List the Level:
Rationale for choosing the
evaluation method
Why did you choose this
evaluation method?
Make sure to include
alignment to practice and
content activities.
Total /12
Instructor Comments:
Group Project: In a group of 4 people, students are to develop a one-week
program to improve some aspect of their personal and interpersonal
happiness/well-being. Students submit a group paper outlining the one-week
program and its impact on group members. The group paper must include sections
analyzing their chosen aspect of personal and interpersonal change, planning of the
one week intervention program, implementing of the week long intervention
program, and analyzing/reporting on the group’s findings as a result of
implementing the program.
Domain: This learning outcome is in the affective domain, as the group project
requires students to examine and change their attitudes, with the goal of promoting
greater happiness and well-being. In completing the group project, students will
also have to explore and evaluate their feelings, beliefs, motivation and values with
respect to happiness and well-being.
Level: This learning outcome is at a more advanced level, as students are moving
beyond simply reflecting what they have learned in class and are analyzing/
evaluating content from the course to create and implement personal and
interpersonal change programs. The group report also requires students to analyze
and evaluate the effectiveness of the implementation portion of their program in the
discussion section of the report.
I chose this evaluation method because it is an authentic task that lends itself well
to a structured reporting format, as well as a realistic grading scheme. Personal
change or growth can be hard to quantify, and part of the learning outcome requires
students to “show competence” in personal and interpersonal change efforts. The
evaluation method is in the same domain and same level as the learning
outcome, the content activities and the practice activities. The content and practice
activities prepare students to formally explore and change their attitudes, feelings,
beliefs and values by conducting a group personal and interpersonal change
project.
Chart B
Essential Employability Skill Outcome 1
Grade
Criteria
Essential Employability Skill
List one essential employability
skill on your outline in its
entirety.
Evaluation Method
(including description)
/4
List the type of evaluation with
a brief description that will
assess this employability skill.
Rationale
This evaluation method
assess’ the Essential
Employability skill listed
because….
Total /4
Curriculum Alignment and Rationale
Essential Employability Skill: Show respect for the diverse opinions, values,
belief systems, and contributions of others.
Evaluation Method: Graded Discussion Board Postings; students are expected to
post their own reply to discussion board assignments, of which there are 4 in this
course. For full marks, they are also expected to reply to at least one other post, in
a manner that demonstrates respect for the opinions, values, beliefs and
contributions of others.
Rationale: This evaluation method assesses the Essential Employability skill listed
because students are required to read other student’s responses to the discussion
board posting, and to respond in a respectful and supportive manner. On the
discussion boards, students “contribute their own ideas, opinions, and information
while demonstrating respect for those of others”.
Instructor Comments:
Essential Employability Skill Outcome 2
Grade
Criteria
Essential Employability Skill
List one essential employability
skill on your outline in its
entirety.
Curriculum Alignment and Rationale
Essential Employability Skill: Manage the use of time and other resources to
complete projects.
Evaluation Method
(including description)
/4
List the type of evaluation with
a brief description that will
assess this employability skill.
Rationale
This evaluation method
assess’ the Essential
Employability skill listed
because….
Total /4
Instructor Comments:
Total / 32 (25%)
Evaluation Method: Group Project (Self and Peer Evaluation Rubric): As part of
the mark for the group project outlined earlier in this assignment, students will be
graded based on the results of self and peer assessments of their contributions to
the project. Assessed contributions on the rubric include the time devoted to
discussions, meetings and group work, as well as the usefulness of ideas and
information conveyed by group members.
Rationale: This evaluation method assesses the Essential Employability skill listed
because the rubric has been designed to evaluate each student’s time commitment
to the group and to the project, as well as their contribution to the group workload
with respect to both the quantity and quality of work. The rubric will evaluate the
extent to which students have been able to “develop an ability to plan and predict
ways of achieving goals” as outlined by the group, as well as allocate their time and
other personal resources as effectively as possible.