Writing a Course Unit

1. Overview

As we study music theory, we learn that there are some basic rules of composition in
western music. For example, almost all western music follows the pattern of the major
scale, and certain chord progressions. These rules were developed through the
experimentation, practice, and teaching of some of our most famous composers. In this
unit, you will be learning about the live and times of Johann Sebastian Bach.

Directions

As you proceed through this unit, you will explore the life, teachings, and music of
Johann Sebastian Bach. Through this unit, you will:

 Review the preceding theory lessons and piano skills.

 Read the short biography of Johann Sebastian Bach, and listen to the related
podcast.
 Complete the unit discussion.
 Submit a listening log and analysis of selected music by J.S. Bach.

2. Goals and Objectives

Goals

During this unit, students will:

 Learn about Johann Sebastian Bach’s life and influences.

 Perform a Bach Minuet
 Analyze the melodic structure and fingering of Minuet in G

Objectives

Upon completion of the unit, students will be able to:

 List and describe how Bach was influenced by his life and surroundings to create
certain pieces of music.
 Perform a Bach Minuet with accurate fingering.
 Analyze the melodic and harmonic structure of a Bach Minuet.
 Explain how The Notebook of Anna Magdalena Bach was/is used to teach proper
piano technique.

3. Topics
Johann Sebastian Bach’s entire collection of works “The Notebook for Anna Magdalena”
was written not as entertainment, but as a teaching tool. As he developed his skills as a
musician, he wanted to pass those skills on to future generations. By creating these
pieces, he was able to teach piano technique and music theory to his own children and
many generations after.

The topics area is the real “meat” of the unit. This is the area that replaces the standard
classroom lecture. Your unit should have 2-5 topics, each topic running approximately
200-500 words in length. This is where the bulk of the “teaching” takes place in the unit.
You should supplement the text of the topic with appropriate web links, images, video,
and/or audio content. Always be sure to gather citation information for the content or
multimedia used in the course (listed later in the citations area.)

Online content will generally:

 summarize and “interpret” the assigned readings

 emphasize key points and specific areas of focus for assessment
 provide examples
 provide content not in the assigned readings
 provide arguments that may agree or disagree with aspects of the readings
 contextualize the unit in terms of the overall course and learning objectives.

4. Assignments

Assignments are any work a student completes to evaluate their knowledge, meet
unit/course objectives, and receive a grade.

Readings

Any supplemental reading that a student should complete before starting their
assignments should be listed here. This includes readings from the course text(s),
articles, and online resources.

Discussions

Discussions in the unit take the place of face-to-face interaction between students and
faculty in the classroom. There are generally 1-2 discussions per unit. Requirements for
the discussion should be clearly stated, such as word length and number of replies to
other students.

Discussions questions should be somewhat open-ended to facilitate multiple points of

view. Do not ask questions that simply ask students to give a static response. Ask
questions that test student knowledge, but still leave some room for debate.
For example:

Describe the major points of No Child Left Behind and how it has impacted you as a
teacher along with the broader impact you see in your school district. What ways do you
think NCLB is failing students? What ways is it working? What improvements might you
suggest? Respond to these questions in 100-200 words and reply to at least 2 of your
classmates’ postings.

Assignments

Assignments ask students to submit a file containing information that evaluates their
knowledge. They are normally papers or projects. Make sure you specify the length of
the assignment and the file format for submission.

In a graduate-level course, there are generally one or two larger assignments that require
a research component and span multiple units. It is suggested that you collect some
deliverable each unit (part of the project, etc.), so you are measuring student progress. At
the least, you should be reminding students of the larger assignment in each unit where
they should be working toward the end product and receiving a status report of their
progress. Make sure due dates for these larger assignments are clear.

Assessments

Quizzes and tests function somewhat differently in an online environment. While some
faculty still use these assessments online, there are concerns about cheating to take into
consideration when students are completing the assessments from home. Your
assessments essentially become “open-book.” There are a variety of creative ways to use
assessments online, such as self-tests, practice quizzes, and using randomization and
larger question banks to prevent easy cheating.

5. Citations

Any content or multimedia (images, video, audio) that you use in your unit should be
properly cited according to your discipline. Remember, plagiarism is not acceptable, so
you should never copy content directly from another text or website. You can always link
to content on the web.

For example:

Figures

Fig.1: Caption: author, publisher, date.

End Notes

[1]: Citation style of choice: MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.