20+ SAMPLE Higher Education Lesson Plan in PDF

Making the Higher Education Lesson Plan

Before any of the above-mentioned benefits even comes to fruition, higher education students have to go through the hurdle of passing their studies. Teachers have to come up with an ideal lesson plan that touches on specific subjects that are geared to help prepare the students for the job market based on their chosen career path. Oftentimes, lesson plans are subject to a particular set of standards, depending upon the state requirements. It may sound limiting, but it provides a clear path, a roadmap, a uniformity when creating their lesson plans. For instance, each profession has its own set of standard methods when carrying out its roles and responsibilities. Those are listed and identified in the lesson plans. Students are taught and trained in the methodologies and skills, as well as the important value of being accountable for the work done. Despite the set of standards in planning lessons, it is important to remember that each lesson plan essentially should have the following elements.

• 1. Learning Objectives

  At the beginning of your lesson plan should be the individual learning objectives. The objectives explain what the students need to know, what they will be learning, and how they will be able to apply it later on. It should be written clearly, preferably free from jargon. The objectives should also explain why there is a need to know the lessons that will be taught and the purpose of the activities that will be applied later on. Objectives are oftentimes equated as goals. Goals that are SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound). Specific, meaning the goal is clearly and specifically identified, such as “Students should be able to identify the techniques, methods, and instruments used when performing CPR” as in the case of medical students. A measurable goal is something that can be monitored and evaluated, such as adhering to a set of criteria for rating students’ performances. An achievable goal is something realistic. You never plan out activities that are physically impossible for students to perform. A relevant goal is something that’s timely, appropriate to the current methods for instruction and application. Last, a time-bound goal is something that can be tracked through time. There should be a timeline set since higher education courses are also bound to a timeline for classes throughout the year.

• 2. Learning Activities

  After you have written down your learning objectives, the next step is for the student’s learning plan activities. The activities should be tailored fit and relevant to the current professions’ methodologies. When planning, always consider the student group to whom you will be teaching, as well as their learning skills and capabilities. The activities should motivate the students to engage and interact to be able to gauge their learning progress. Common learning activities include instruction and application, wherein students are first taught, and then given a problem to solve or a task to perform; lecture, typical to a classroom-like lecture setting. A lecture can also be in the form of inviting prominent guest speakers to speak about their experience in a particular profession, or it could be in the form of a seminar-type lecture; quiz, and exams, either in oral or written form, to determine the students’ level of understanding of the lessons; student report or presentation, another way of gauging students’ knowledge and understanding of the subjects by making them do a presentation visually or orally, explain the topics learned; simulation, similar to undergoing internship or on-the-job training. Students get a feel and application of the actual work environment; debates, exchanging of thoughts and opinions. An opportunity for college students to express their views on issues that can either be directly or indirectly related to their chosen profession; and last but not least, journaling. For higher education students, journaling comes in the form of writing down their views and reactions on given topics, or it can also be recording down instructions or lectures.

• 3. Learning Resources and Materials

  Like all kinds of activities, having the right and appropriate resources and materials is important for implementing the learning activities. These resources and materials should be relevant, appropriate, and concurrent with existing methodologies. Some of the common types of resources and materials used for teaching are an updated syllabus, which is either in the form of a digital or printed document that provides the detailed list of courses and the requirements needed for its completion; module, either digital or printed, a self-study learning material with assessments to be completed in the end; textbooks, online or hardcopy; instructional videos; software or online learning platforms, also considered as electronic classrooms, such as Google Classroom, Blackboard Learn, Acorn LMS, Moodle LMS, Canvas LMS, and many more; classroom illustrations or visual presentations, such as graphics, diagrams, PowerPoint presentations, et cetera; or even social media or social networking sites to be used for student or classroom interaction.

• 4. Learning Timeline

  As we’ve mentioned, all learning objectives or goals should be time-bound. Same with the learning activities. Since learning activities are bound to the objectives, there should be a deadline for the activities and the student’s assessment. Timelines could be a week’s duration, a month’s duration, a semester’s duration, or even a year’s duration, not unless you’re in a master’s degree program or a doctorate program which has longer timelines in completing their requirements. When planning each lesson, determine how time is needed for each activity, including implementation and students’ work completion. Be flexible, but remain firm when meeting deadlines.

• 5. Learning Assessments

  To evaluate how well the students can learn from the lesson activities, there should be a learning assessment at the end of each activity. This is also to check and see how effective the activities or the instructions were. There should be rating criteria created for each activity item, scoring, and a feedback system. The learning assessment section should provide a progress report, as well as feedback for opportunities to improve the lesson activities as needed.