Content+Analysis


 * Content Analysis**

The third stage of the project involved a content analysis of the course/learning objectives. To facilitate this process a content analysis evaluation tool was developed. It went through several iterations and piloting before a final version was developed. The latter involved a joint evaluation of two syllabi by the project members. A final measure to ensure consistency across evaluations required one project member reviewing all coding sheets (i.e., the template) asking questions where clarification was needed or questions raised. The development of the content analysis tool was perhaps the most challenging of the three (the others being the survey and the item analysis tool) as we had to craft it in a way that was meaningful within the framework of each of the project members (who were rating the tool) given our diverse academic contexts, while at the same time being measureable and productive of useful data. After several drafts and piloting of the instrument, a final version was developed that assessed format (i.e. was there a separate section for objectives or not), persepctive (i.e., instructor vs. student), and alignment (i.e., between expressed objectives and proposed assessments (see below). In total, **38** syllabi were reviewed: **16** from **Lakehead** and **22** from **Laurier**. A copy of the tool is provided below.


 * Content Analysis Tool**