Duke TIP Independent Learning
Course & Unit Development

Independent Learning Course Proposals: an Overview

These pages provide information for an applicant ready to submit a course proposal. In order to submit a course proposal, you should have already

• submitted a cover letter with a brief course proposal idea, a CV or resume, and two references;
• and have interviewed with the Independent Learning department.

Duke TIP seeks educators for part-time, short-term positions in curriculum development to create rigorous and engaging independent study online courses for 4th-10th grade gifted students in

• Language Arts
• Math
• Social Studies
• Science
• Languages
• Interdisciplinary combinations of these and other subjects

A new course or unit would become one of the offerings currently available through Duke TIP's Independent Learning program. Students take these courses or units as independent studies and find their own mentors (teachers, tutors, or parents) in their local area.

A course or unit developer must be able to write in an engaging manner to elementary, middle, and/or high school students while offering rigorous and exciting lessons that challenge gifted students.

As a curriculum developer, you are not creating discrete, stand-alone lessons for teachers, but rather a cohesive independent study unit or course that a gifted student can complete on his or her own for at least 50-75% of the time. The mentor evaluates student work according to the unit or course guidelines, answer keys, and rubrics you would provide, and the mentor answers questions and gives guidance based on your suggestions. ***

The course or unit should follow the specifications of the Duke TIP model outlined at this Web site. All content should be original and previously unpublished.

Need a visual of a typical lesson? View the Lesson Template.

Please see the following pages for more details about the course/unit template and development schedules. The Course or Unit Proposal Form will be available in the sidebar on most pages.

No software programming experience necessary. Courses use SoftChalk LessonBuilder software.

To learn more about lesson content and the Duke TIP philosophical and pedagogical model, head to the next page.

Independent Learning Course/Unit Model for Duke TIP Independent Learning

The Philosophical and Pedagogical Model

Follow this philosophical and pedagogical model as you develop your course or unit proposal.

The Duke TIP model uses the image of an umbrella with all its component parts as a metaphor for rigorous, meaningful, and engaging courses for the gifted.

1. the umbrella of concepts (also known as topics), understandings (also known as themes and generalizations), and essential questions (the controversies and challenges of the discipline, posed as questions for students to pursue) focuses the study of content around relevant, authentic dilemmas and problems
2. the core handle of accelerated and enriched content and advanced skills exposes students to advanced terms and definitions, concepts and principles, statistics and facts, formulas and rules, and procedures and methods, challenging students to create authentic products and demonstrations
3. the spines of essential skills give students real-world practice in meaningful activities, using

• disciplinary skills that allow students to play various roles performed by academics and professionals and to use the language of the discipline (terms and vocabularies) and to recognize the patterns and rules of this field of study
• process skills (thinking and research skills) that allow students to develop creative thinking, critical thinking, problem solving, and logic/reasoning skills
• interdisciplinary connections that allow students to understand content in a greater context of real-world issues, problems, and concepts
• interest-based products that allow students to explore topics and talents via long-term study

Need a visual of a typical lesson? View the Lesson Template.

To learn about lesson content and the Duke TIP curricular model, head to the next page.

Independent Learning Curricular Model: Content

Lesson Content

Course content should contain the following:

1. content and skill objectives for 4th-8th grade students using national standards (Common Core Standards) as well as professional organization and state standards (NCTM, NCTE, NCSS, NSTA and state standards such as the North Carolina Standard Course of Study). These objectives should not only address objectives for the grade level but two to four grade levels above, as Independent Learning courses and units serve students who are bright, advanced, and profoundly gifted. If you are interested in also using the curricular frameworks of such states as Texas, Florida, or Georgia (states that have influence over textbooks and curriculum in TIP's 16-state region), you are welcome to do so. We ask that you begin with national standards, use some of North Carolina's standards, and blend in any other state's standards as needed.
2. organizing concepts
3. organizing essential understandings (themes and generalizations) derived from these concepts and essential questions
4. organized essential questions (follow for #'s 3 and 4 the Wiggins and McTighe Understanding By Design model)
5. interdisciplinary connections
6. differentiated assignments and asssessments, such as tiering and multiple intelligence activities appealing to a variety of student interests and learning styles
7. discipline-specific reading comprehension, writing, and other research skills integrated with activities
8. primary sources (print and electronic)
9. process skills: research skills and thinking skills of critical thinking, questioning, creative thinking, problem solving, and logic/reasoning activities requiring upper levels of Bloom's Taxonomy (analysis, synthesis/creation, and evaluation).
10. in-depth development of questioning skills. For a handout on types of questions, see an English-Language Arts model, The Questioner's Lens, that can be adapted to any subject area.
11. informal and formal ongoing assessment (pretest, midtest, post-test, using a variety of products and performances)
12. product and performance options determined by student choice and interests
13. affective components (ways for students to explore personal feelings, attitudes, and perceptions)

Need a visual of a typical lesson? View the Lesson Template.

To learn about lesson format and the Duke TIP curricular model, head to the next page.

Independent Learning Curricular Model: Format

Lesson Format

Course format should follow these organizational principles:

1. a self-paced, stand-alone, independent study format -- to be delivered online -- with lessons that allow students to work up to five to seven hours per week for a unit (ten weeks) or a five to seven hours per week semester (twenty weeks) of study. The course is written for the student who works independently under the guidance of a supervising teacher or mentor who uses mentor guidelines, Student will select his/her own mentor who assesses all student products.
2. differentiation of content, process, and product by readiness, interest, and learning style
3. pretesting for content and skills before each unit so that students and mentors can "self-diagnose" and identify the chapters they need to address
4. content delivery --> followed by skill practice --> followed by a product or performance guided by a rubric
5. content delivery using SoftChalk: textpoppers for term definitions; sidebars for skill activity handouts, interdisciplinary connections, and rubrics; knowledge, comprehension, and application activities for skill building (flashcards, matching, sorting, and so forth). Please visit www.softchalk.com to learn more through demos and a free trial.

• Digging Deeper: analysis questions of dissection, cause and effect, comparison/contrast, and prediction
• Disciplinary Hat, e.g., "Geographer's Hat" or "Forensic Specialist Hat": application questions that require analysis, synthesis, and evaluation
• Making Connections: analysis questions of comparison and contrast to make interdisciplinary connections to other core subjects of language arts, math, science, and social studies
• What's My Opinion?: evaluation questions on merits, ethics, and "shoulds" of the discipline
• Step Inside: analysis and synthesis questions that encourage students to empathize, get perspective, and see other points of view
• Getting Creative: arts-related questions that encourage students to investigate musical, literary, visual, or kinesthetic art mini-projects

 Need a visual of a typical lesson? View the Lesson Template.

To learn about the profile of a Duke TIP curriculum developer, head to the next page.

Profile of a Duke TIP Curriculum Developer

Review the Curriculum Development position. In general, Duke TIP seeks course developers with the following qualifications:

• knowledge and understanding of gifted students' needs
• experience teaching gifted students (experience with 4th-12th grade levels and as close as possible to the age range of the course developed)
• strong writing skills that can speak directly to students and engage them within an independent learning model
• knowledge of differentiated instruction and other pedagogical concepts applicable to gifted students
• extensive subject knowledge and passion for the course or unit subject(s)
• willingness to "think outside the box" (explore interdisciplinary connections to the primary subject matter)
• resourcefulness and interest in learning new concepts and technology in order to meet the needs of gifted students
• collaborative attitude (willingness to take constructive criticism, work with editors, illustrators, and Duke TIP staff)
• creative spirit
• bonus: curriculum development experience
• bonus: familiarity with Duke TIP, its Independent Learning offerings, and/or its students

 Interested in editing rather than curriculum development? Review the Curriculum Editor Position.

 Need a visual of a typical lesson? View the Lesson Template.

To learn about the Duke TIP course and unit development process, head to the next page.

Duke TIP Course and Unit Development Process, Compensation, and Copyright

Application and Course Development Process

1. Complete the application process: submit a cover letter with a brief course proposal idea, CV or resume, and two references to the Independent Learning department.
2. If you are accepted for an interview, your proposal idea will be discussed in more depth.
3. With authorization from Duke TIP, submit a Course or Unit Proposal.
4. The Duke TIP Curriculum Committee will review your proposal. If accepted, there may be recommendation of revisions.
5. If your proposal is accepted, you will review a contract. The position is a part-time, short-term position without benefits, and a course developer may be employed elsewhere during the course or unit development process.
6. SoftChalk LessonBuilder training and training in the Independent Learning template.
7. Complete syllabus and outline due, including recommended course readers, texts, and other supplementary readings
8. Image and illustrations recommendations due
9. Installments due (2-5 submissions of lessons to include slideshows and mentor guidelines, depending on length and breadth of curriculum as well as the developer's schedule) with ongoing review of each installment and requests for revisions by Duke TIP editors (a content editor and a copy editor) as well as by the Coordinator of Independent Learning
10. Field test review or review by Duke TIP students (click here to learn more about the TIP Testers program)
11. Further revisions, overall course pretest, overall course/unit standards, and final revision of mentor guidelines due
12. Illustrations and graphics approved (Duke TIP works with developer to plan illustrations and graphics and will compensate illustrators or purchase certain images for the project on a case-by-case basis of the budget. The developer must seek permissions for copyrighted images. Duke TIP has a limited budget for images but is open to ideas and suggestions).

Compensation occurs in several stages with the completion of various steps of the process, unless the individual is employed as an independent contractor, in which case there will be one payment once all duties are fulfilled.

Development can take six to twelve months, depending on the length of the course/unit, curriculum specifications, revisions necessary, and developer's schedule.

Duke TIP is accommodating of the schedules of practicing teachers.

Compensation Rates

• begin at $4,000 for development. Rates vary according to the course or unit length and rates also may vary according to developer's experience and subject knowledge and curriculum specifications.
• Compensation is split equally among co-developers.
• Online access to the final version of the course are also provided for the developer's classroom or personal use

Copyright, Final Version, and Royalties

• The course submitted should be original, unpublished, and the product of only the developer(s).
• Duke TIP retains copyright of the course and does not offer royalties. The course developer's name will be included and prominently displayed in all versions of the products, electronic or print.
• Duke TIP's retention of copyright does not bar the developer from using individual lessons in his/her own classroom.
• Duke TIP reserves the right to make editorial changes to the final version and to all future versions and updates that are in the best interest of gifted students and the Independent Learning program.
• A former Duke TIP developer may present his or her materials at conferences and workshops with permission and/or collaboration of Duke TIP.

To learn about ideas for potential courses, head to the next page.

Potential Course and Unit Titles

Need help thinking of a topic and a course title? Consider the following titles used on a survey of parents of gifted students.These are suggestions but not requirements; Duke TIP Independent Learning is open to considering creative ideas that serve the gifted population's needs and interests.

For information about gifted students, see the following page.

Understanding Gifted Students

Who are the Gifted?

The population labeled "gifted" who purchase Duke TIP's Learn on Your Own workbooks and CD-ROMs -- who are they? If the student qualified for the Duke TIP 4th & 5th Grade Talent Search or the Duke TIP 7th Grade Talent Search, s/he scored at the 95th percentile or above on a grade level standardized achievement, aptitude, or mental ability test or approved state criterion-referenced test.

We know that the gifted are far more than their qualifying scores. The gifted may be those who are voracious consumers of any reading material or single-subject readers. They may struggle with attention deficit, emotional issues, learning differences, family problems, or self-doubt. They may win contests with ease or fear to enter them, have friends or walk alone. They may be obsessive perfectionists or immobile slackers, armed with study skills or the "skills" of distracting others. They may be home schooled or attend public or independent schools; they may receive accelerated and/or differentiated instruction, or none at all. In short, they comprise an incredibly diverse group, even if they represent only the top ten percent of the student population. Their skill sets are thus just as incredibly varied.  Duke TIP recognizes that gifted individuals rarely fit the norm; each is special and unique.

Students who take Duke TIP Independent Learning courses and units are more likely to be successful if they possess a great deal of self-motivation, self-discipline, and love of learning – traits that are necessary to learn independently. These courses are well-suited to gifted students identified by a school for advanced classes, cluster arrangement, pull-out study, or compacting/independent study.

Characteristics of Gifted Students

Joyce VanTassel-Baska (1998), a leader in gifted research, outlines the following characteristics of gifted students:

VanTassel-Baska, Joyce.  Excellence in Educating Gifted and Talented Learners.  Denver:  Love Publishing Company, 1998.

For more information about gifted students, see the following page.

More Characteristics of Gifted Students

Barbara Parker (1983) outlines some additional characteristics of gifted students that Instructors should consider as they plan their courses for Duke TIP.  Gifted students display some, if not all, of the following characteristics:

• Mental flexibility, including a tolerance for ambiguity
• Openness to information
• Capacity to systematize knowledge, so that it is logical, structured, and  sequential
• Capacity for abstract thought
• Fluency, the ability to produce new combinations and patterns of ideas
• Sense of humor
• Positive thinking
• Intellectual courage, which translates as high persistence and motivation
• Resistance to enculturation, that is, not forfeiting one's own values in favor of those of society; ability to decide between what can and what cannot be believed and between what is and what is not important

Barbara Parker -- Rabat American School (from studies conducted by Karl Albrecht, 1980; 1983)

The gifted student may become alienated in a regular school setting.  He/she may react as a "problem child" or may suffer in silence in a boring classroom where he/she is asked only to scratch the surface. Many students seek the resources of Duke TIP because their schools do not have the available resources to offer appropriate curriculum and/or coursework for gifted children.  Therefore, academic challenges may not be readily available unless the student and/or parents advocate for independent study opportunities or for permission to attend classes at a nearby college or university. Some of these students may adopt the attitude that as long as they know the material presented, they can make a good grade and move on to another chapter. However, many curious gifted students desire a more enriched curriculum and often become discouraged when they find that it is unavailable.

Duke TIP's mission is to help these students develop their full potential.