EAD 871a - Academic Program Planning in Postsecondary Education
(formerly titled Academic Programs & Instruction)
Spring 2001
John M. Dirkx, Ph.D.
Room 419 Erickson Hall
Office: (517) 353-8927
dirkx@pilot.msu.edu
www.msu.edu/user/dirkx
Office hours by appointment
Course Overview
The purpose of this course is to develop knowledge of and skill in planning education and training programs
within postsecondary contexts. The overall focus of this course is on planning programs that provide or support
learning for individuals and groups in higher and adult education. This focus includes programs of instruction,
as well as support services. While these contexts present a myriad of situations in which program planning
occurs, we will focus on essential components of program planning that seem to be common to most, if not all
planning situations.
The objectives of the course are to develop:
1)
2)
3)
Practical skills in the planning, design, and development of educational and training programs for postsecondary
contexts;
Critical awareness and understanding of the social and political dimensions of academic program planning;
A more deliberative approach to academic program planning.
.
Instructional Approach
In this course, we take a project-based approach to the curriculum and to the design and implementation of
learning experiences. That is, our study of program planning will occur within the context of developing a
specific and real academic program plan. The specific project to guide the work of participants in this course is
the design and development of a program to orient new masters students in Higher, Adult, and Lifelong
Education (HALE). At the present time, there is no such program and the HALE faculty have expressed
interested in developing and implementing this program for the Fall, 2001 admission class. Through this project,
course participants will learn about the theoretical and conceptual aspects of program planning, develop skills in
its particular techniques and strategies, and develop a program to be implemented in August, 2001.
The group as a whole will be responsible for the development of the proposed program but course participants
will be organized into work teams. These teams will be responsible for various program planning tasks
associated with the design and development of this program. They will be expected to identify the tasks needing
to be accomplished, the decisions associated with these tasks, and the knowledge they need to effectively
address these tasks and decisions. The work teams will be provided time during regular class sessions to work
on these tasks but some of the work of the team will need to take place between class sessions. In some
instances, work teams may need to gather data for particular decisions they have identified and bring that data
back to the whole group for its further consideration.
Each class session will consist of three sets of experiences, varying in length depending on the needs at that
particular time:
a)
Information-giving and sharing from the instructor, guest presenters, and class participants;
b)
Group discussion of and reflection on theory, concepts, research, and information appropriate to the
particular tasks being addressed at any given point in time. Sources of this information will be the
assigned texts and readings, instructor and guest presenter information, and information provided by
participants from their own experiences with planning;
3)
Planning and deliberating on the course project through small work groups.
Course Outline
Part I: Philosophical and conceptual foundations for program planning

The meaning of program planning

Relationship of educational purposes to program planning

Conceptualizing the program planning process

Understanding the role of the program planner
Part II: Contexts for program planning

Analyzing and working with the external environment

Analyzing and working with the internal environment

Using participant characteristics in the planning process

Assessing needs and negotiating interests of the stakeholders
Part III: Design of programs appropriate to potential participants and their contexts

Identifying, selecting, and prioritizing program ideas, purposes, and objectives

Formulating instructional design and selecting learning experiences

Developing an evaluation plan to monitor program success
Part IV: Administrative aspects of program planning

Determining formats, schedules, and staffing needs

Promoting and marketing program

Budgeting and financing academic programs

Coordinating facilities and on-site events

Preparing follow-up activities
Resources
Texts
1.
Caffarella, R. S. (1994) Planning programs for adult learners: A practical guide for educators, trainers,
and staff developers. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
2.
Dirkx, J. M., & Prenger, S. A. (1997). A guide for planning and implementing instruction for adults: A
theme-based approach. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
3.
Forester, J.(1999). The deliberative practitioner. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
4.
Dirkx, J. M. (Ed). Academic program planning in postsecondary education: A course reader. East
Lansing, MI: Department of Educational Administration, Michigan State University.
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1.
Course Expectations
Develop a statement of the philosophical assumptions which should guide the planning and development
of the course project (20%). Identification and discussion of these assumptions will be derived from the
work teams as they consider planning for the proposed project. Each participant, however, is expected
to write up and hand a statement of their own philosophical assumptions. In a sense, this document
represents your working program planning philosophy.
2.
Design and develop an academic program (30%). There are two parts to this expectation: a) The group
as a whole will be responsible for the design and development of a program for orienting new HALE
masters students. The group will also be responsible for making an oral presentation of the proposed
program to the HALE faculty. While not everyone is necessarily expected to participate in this
presentation, everyone is expected to help in planning the presentation; b) Each participant will be
expected write up the results of this development effort and to hand in their own written program plan.
3.
Complete a final examination for the course, which will consist of a critical assessment of the group=s
program plan and its planning processes, using the research and theory studied in the course (30%). In
this expectation, each group member will complete a critical review and assessment of the plan
developed for the proposed program and the planning processes associated with the development of this
plan. This review and assessment is to be grounded in the theory, concepts, and research of program
planning studied over the course of the semester. Each assessment is expected to identify specific
recommendations for improvement of the program plan and the planning processes, based on the critical
review.
4.
Maintain a weekly reflective journal of learning experiences (5%).
5.
Actively participate in class e-mail listserv (5%). This expectation is to help foster familiarity with the
use of information technologies for communicating and obtaining information relative to academic
program planning. Each participant is expected to participate at least once a week in the class e-mail
listserv. Participation is defined as providing course-related, thoughtful and reflective questions,
comments, or responses to the questions of others posted to the listserv.
6.
Attend and actively participate in all class sessions (10%). Each participant will be assigned to a work
team and these teams will actively participate in every session, as well as work between some sessions.
It is very important for each participant to have carefully read the assignments for that week, and
to come prepared to discuss, reflect on, and use the assigned readings for that week in group
discussion and in the work of the team. The success of the instructional approach being used in this
course depends on each participant=s careful preparation and participation in the group=s discussions
and work.
Bibliography and Additional Resources
Caffarella, R. S. (1994) Planning programs for adult learners: A practical guide for educators, trainers,
and staff developers. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Cervero, R. & Wilson, A.
Clark, E. T. (1997). Designing and implementing an integrated curriculum: A student-centered
approach. Brandon, VT: Holistic Education Press.
3
Dirkx, J. M., & Prenger, S. A. (1997). A guide for planning and implementing instruction for adults: A
theme-based approach. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Donaldson, J. F., & Kozoll, C. E. (1999). Collaborative program planning: Principles, practices, and
strategies. Malabar, FL: Krieger.
Freire, P. (1972). Pedagogy of the oppressed. Harmonsworth: Penguin.
Fisher, L. A., & Levene, C. (1989). Planning a professional curriculum: A guide to understanding
program design. Calgary, Alberta: University of Calgary Press.
Forester, J.(1999). The deliberative practitioner. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Forester, J. (1989). Planning in the face of power. Berkeley: University of California.
Glasgow, N. A. (1997). New curriculum for new times: A guide to student-centered, problem-based
learning. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Savin-Baden, M. (2000). Problem-based learning in higher education: Untold stories. Philadelphia, PA:
Society for Research into Higher Education & Open University Press.
Stark, J. S. & Lattuca, L. R. (1997). Shaping the college curriculum: Academic plans in action. Boston:
Allyn and Bacon.
Wiggins, G. (1998). Educative assessment: Designing assessments to inform and improve student
performance. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Wilkerson, L., & Gijselaers, W. H. (Eds.). (1996). Bringing problem-based learning to higher
education: Theory and practice. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, No. 68. San Francisco: JosseyBass.
Professional Associations
Academy of Human Resource Development
American Association of Adult and Continuing Education
Adult Education Research Association (Divisions I & J)
Association for the Study of Higher Education
Commission of Adult Basic Education
National Association for Developmental Education
Selected Listing of Professional Journals Related to Education of Adults
Adult Education Quarterly
Adult Basic Education: An International Journal for Adult Literacy Educators
Adult Learning
Community Education Journal
Convergence
Human Resources Development Quarterly
International Journal of Lifelong Education
New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education (Monograph series)
Studies in Continuing Education (Australia)
Studies in the Education of Adults (U.K.)
The Canadian Journal for the Studies of Adult Education
The Journal of Staff Development
Training and Development Journal
Selected Listing of Journals of Higher Education
Change
College Teaching
Community College Journal
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Community, Technical, and Junior College Journal
Journal of Higher Education
New Directions for Teaching and Learning (Jossey-Bass series)
Review of Higher Education
In addition, there are numerous other educational journals not specifically related to adult education
which are also valuable sources of research and theory (e.g. Harvard Educational Review, Teachers College
Record, Educational Researcher, American Educational Research Journal, Curriculum Inquiry, Phi Delta
Kappan, etc.)
Conference Proceedings
North American conferences in adult education and human resources development routinely publish
proceedings from their conferences which are also available as resources for current research articles. Some of
these are available through ERIC. I am familiar with the following:
Academy of Human Resource Development
Adult Education Research Conference
Canadian Adult Education Research Association
Midwest Research-to-Practice Conference in Adult, Continuing, and Community Education
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Tentative Agenda
EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION 871A
Academic Program Planning - Spring Semester 2001
Course Project: To design and develop a program to orient new students in the Masters Program in Higher, Adult,
and Lifelong Education
General competencies to develop
1) Practical skills in the planning, design, and development of educational and training programs for postsecondary
contexts;
2) Critical awareness and understanding of the social and political dimensions of academic program planning;
3) Development of a more deliberative approach to academic program planning.
Session and Topics
Assignments
Part 1: Philosophical and conceptual foundations
for program planning
Session 1: Jan 8
$ Introduction and course overview
$ The meaning of program planning
Session 2: Jan 15
$ Philosophical foundations for program planning
$ Relationship of educational purposes to program planning
$ Knight, AContemporary theories of education@
$ Grundy, AThree fundamental human interests@
$ Cervero & Wilson, APlanning as a process of negotiating
interests@
$ Caffarella, Chp. 1, 3
Session 3: Jan 22
$ Conceptualizing the program planning process
$ Understanding the role of the program planner
$ Planning as a social and political process
$ Dirkx & Prenger, Chp. 1
$ Caffarella, Chp. 3
$ Cervero & Wilson, AReflecting on what program planners
really do@
$ Cervero & Wilson, ATo plan responsibly, be political@
Work groups to discuss philosophical assumptions related to
development of this program
Part II: Contexts for program planning
$ Caffarella, Chp. 4
$ Rothwell & Cookson, AAppraising the organization=s
external environment,@
$ Rothwell & Cookson, AAppraising the organization=s
internal environment@
Due: Description of philosophical assumptions that will
guide development of the program
Session 3: Jan 29
$ Analyzing and working with the external environment
$ Analyzing and working with the internal environment
$ Using an understanding of learning and participant
characteristics in planning
Due: Description of philosophical assumptions that will
guide development of the program
Session 4: Feb 5
$ Analyzing internal and external environments
$ Dirkx & Prenger, Chp. 2
Work groups report back on results of their context analysis
Part III: Design of programs appropriate to potential
participants and their contexts
Session 5: Feb 12
$ Assessing needs and interests
$ Identifying, selecting, and prioritizing program ideas and
$ Caffarella, Chp. 5-7
$ Dirkx & Prenge, Chp. 4-5
Work groups report back on results of their context analysis
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purposes
$ Identifying program goals and objectives
Session 6: Feb 19
$ Identifying, selecting, and prioritizing program ideas and
purposes
$ Identifying program goals and objectives
$ Pearce, ADetermining program needs@
$ Sork, AProgram priorities, purposes, and objectives
Session 7: Feb 26
$ Formulating instructional design
$ Selecting content to be included in program
$ Selecting learning activities to be used to address program
objectives
$ Caffarella, Chp. 8, 10, 12
Work groups to work on program needs, purposes, and
objectives
March 5 - Spring Break
Session 8: Mar 12
$ Formulating instructional design
$ Selecting content to be included in program
$ Selecting learning activities to be used to address program
objectives
$ Dirkx & Prenger, Chp. 6
$ Fellenz, ASelecting formats for learning@
Session 9: Mar 19
$ Developing an evaluation plan to monitor program quality
and success
$ Caffarella, Chp. 9
$ Dirkx & Prenger, Chp. 7
Work groups to work on program design, content, and
learning activities
Session 10: Mar 26
$ Developing an evaluation plan to monitor program quality
and success
$ Developing plans for follow-up of program results
Part IV: Administrative aspects of program planning
Session 11: Apr 2
$ Determining formats, schedules, and staffing needs
$ Coordinating facilities and on-site events
$ Caffarella, Chp. 10, 13
Session 12: Apr 9
$ Promoting and marketing programs
$ Budgeting and financing academic programs
$ Caffarella, Chp. 11
$ Havercamp, AProgram promotion and marketing@
$ Watkins & Sechrest, AAdding value: Program financing for
program planners@
Session 13: Apr 16
$ Open session
Work groups to complete evaluation and administrative
plan, and to prepare presentation
Receive final exam
Session 14: Apr 23
$ Presentation to HALE faculty of program plan
Session 15: Apr 30
$ Review and debriefing of program planning process
Due: Final exam
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