Courses with their aligned units are an alternative yet effective way that participants can learn and demonstrate competency. They provide an opportunity for participants to gain recognition for the skills they develop throughout their careers. They can also lead to career advancement and increased compensation. This toolkit provides you with a list of habits that successful participants practice as they learn and earn units!
READ THE ENTIRE UNIT:
Units within a course are sometimes interconnected and inform each other, so it is very important to preview the entire course, including all requirements and prompts, before getting started. As you begin working on a unit, preview the get started section to get an overview of the demonstrated outcomes and rationale for the unit.
As you review, consider using the Course Overview to review all of the artifacts you are required to collect. This process will help you identify places where there might be overlap between the types of artifacts required for submission, as well as identify those that are time sensitive on your school calendar, such as a get to know you survey, and will also help you backwards plan.
DECONSTRUCT REQUIREMENTS & CRITERIA AND DESIGN A BACKWARDS PLAN:
Units are self-paced and self-directed. Backwards plan to determine when you will collect the required evidence. Read through the unit to (1) review the required artifacts, (2) determine if you need required templates, and (3) examine the Requirements that define essential elements for each artifact. Plan the evidence you will need to collect and set milestones on your Course Overview page for completion. The Portfolio of Evidence in some units needs to be developed in a particular sequence, while others are less interdependent. Take this into consideration as you plan.
Designing backwards also applies to how you chart your path through the entire course. By reviewing the Portfolio of Evidence in each unit for the entire course, you can ensure that you are gathering evidence at appropriate times in your practice and can consider how artifacts relate across units.
Remember, assessors will be using the requirements to evaluate your evidence. Before submitting, use the Review Artifact tab to ensure you’ve addressed each requirement and you are on the right track!
Please click here to access a Unit Note Catcher template to assist as you design backwards.
PERSONALIZE YOUR LEARNING PATH:
Review the Get Started section to preview each unit. You’ll find an overview of the demonstrated outcomes and artifacts of the unit. You’ll also find a rationale for the work, essential vocabulary, as well as additional research and resources beyond that of the Learn activities.
By strategically selecting which Engage or Learn activities to complete, you’ll fill any knowledge gaps you may have and build better artifacts that meet the requirements of each artifact and its parts. You can come back to these activities at any point to continue to build and refine your knowledge. Please note, these activities are not reviewed by the Assessment Team when you submit your artifacts.
You also have the opportunity to collaborate with your peers to process the information you are
learning in Engage or Learn. Use the ‘Share’ feature to post your thinking about these activities to the discussion. Learning is a social endeavor, so by sharing your thinking and listening to the thinking of others, you can expand your knowledge and skills required for each unit.
PRACTICE AND RECEIVE FEEDBACK:
We’ve all heard the adage “practice makes perfect,” or if you want a better catch phrase, “perfect practice makes perfect.” Take the time to perfect your practice as you build your Portfolio of Evidence. Each artifact has a set of requirements that define quality and that assessors will use to assess your Portfolio of Evidence. Use the ‘Share’ feature to receive feedback from a coach or colleagues before you select the final artifacts to submit for your micro-credential. Educators who engage in a feedback cycle before submitting their units are more likely to earn without the need for resubmission!
Collaborate with your peers to share ideas, ask questions, provide feedback, and set goals. Please note that while collaboration is encouraged, you must always submit your own unique evidence demonstrating your competency.
MAKE YOUR THINKING TRANSPARENT:
In many units, you are required to mark certain requirements within your evidence: sometimes markers are simply labeling where you’ve met requirements, other times annotations through your responses to prompts are an opportunity to provide justification or a rationale for the choices you made while developing that artifact. Developing quality annotations makes your thinking transparent to BloomBoard assessors and supports them in better understanding how your artifacts meet the requirements.
Another way to make your thinking transparent is by making specific requests for feedback. Instead of sharing an artifact and asking for a general review of the overall artifact, ask colleagues or a coach to target their feedback on one aspect of your artifact or on whether your artifact meets specific requirements. You will receive better quality and more actionable feedback if you identify information that would guide you to crafting a better quality artifact.
REFLECT ON YOUR GROWTH AND EMBRACE A GROWTH MINDSET:
Coursework with its related units is a change from a traditional learning experience. You are learning by doing and, through successful completion, demonstrating your competencies as a professional. A unit is not a pass-fail test, but a reflective learning experience where you may not demonstrate and earn competency on the first try.
There are opportunities throughout the micro-credential experience to reflect on your progress toward earning.
You will be able to reflect on the quality of your artifacts with colleagues and coaches in order to select possible artifacts for final submission. You will have the opportunity to use the Review Artifact tab to self-assess the requirements of each artifact and its parts and prepare your final Portfolio of Evidence for submission.
Regardless of your submission results, you are guided to continue the reflective process in the Review Artifact tab. If you don’t earn the unit on your first try, you have the opportunity to review your assessor feedback and make a plan for strategic resubmission. Do not let perfection or fear keep you from submitting--there is no limit on the number of times you can resubmit! If you do earn, congratulations...and keep reflecting!
Please note, if you are completing university courses, you should reach out to your assigned faculty member for feedback.