A course is much more than a collection of topics slotted into a calendar. If our goal is student learning, the various parts that make up the course must work together to that end. Thus, in designing a course it is useful to “think backwards”: decide first what you would like the outcomes of your course to be, and then consider how you will go about getting there.

For some of the ideas on course design included here, I am indebted to L. Dee Fink of the University of Oklahoma Instructional Development Program. His book on course design is listed in the references.

The course design process grows out of three basic questions:

• Learning objectives – What do I want students to take away from this course?
• Assessment – How would I assess them to find out if they know/can do those things?
• Course activities – What learning activities should they engage in to help them do well on those assessments?

Other important considerations:

• What prior knowledge will students bring to this course?
• What external factors influence how I can organize or teach the course?
• What feedback can I give students along the way to improve their understanding and performance?

An organizing principle: Make sure learning objectives, assessments, and learning activities are aligned.

Here are a few suggestions to guide your thinking on the three basic elements listed above:

Learning objectives

 Content knowledge (What do I want students to know?)
 Skills (What do I want students to be able to do with what they know?)
 Values (What do I want students to care about?)

Keep in mind...

• It’s easy to get caught in the “coverage trap”: the amount of content knowledge that “must” be packed into a course becomes increasingly overwhelming, resulting in many topics being touched on but none really being learned. Instead, focus on what students truly need to know, and aim for in-depth learning.
• Students do not usually arrive at the university with many of the learning skills we value, such as critical thinking, analysis, or problem-solving. But such skills are probably important in your discipline, and warrant being included as objectives of the course. (With appropriate learning activities geared to developing them.)
• Values are admittedly problematic to assess, but there are nevertheless reasons to articulate values among your course objectives. For instance, communicating the values associated with the discipline—why it is exciting, what role it plays in our culture, how it is useful to humanity—may lead to greater student motivation, retention in the major, or development of intellectual curiosity.
• To help in setting objectives, try thinking both short-term and long-term. What will students need from your course at the next level of their education? What would you like students to carry with them from your course 5 years down the road?

Assessments, for example:

 Exams
 Quizzes
 Writing assignments
 Presentations
 Projects

Keep in mind...

• Using a variety of different assessments gives a fuller pictures of students’ accomplishments, and accommodates students with different learning styles.
• Frequent feedback during the quarter helps students understand what is expected of them.
• Not all assessments need to be graded.
• Rubrics are useful for communicating standards, and can be used by students in self-assessment.

Course activities, for example:

 Lecture
 Discussion
 Reading
 Research
 Problem-solving
 Writing
 Small group work
 Laboratory activities

Keep in mind...

• The teaching strategies and assignments you choose should support your learning objectives, and should also prepare students for assessments. For instance, if your objectives include students being able to apply theories, the learning activities should include opportunities to practice that skill.
• Varying course activities allows students to engage with the material in a variety of ways, deepening their understanding and improving long-term retention.
• Integrate in-class and out-of-class learning activities so that they build on one another.
• Consider the rhythms of the quarter: e.g., How can you give opportunities for early success, combat mid-quarter blahs, and provide appropriate culminating or synthesizing activities for the end of the term?

Resources

Books
L.Dee Fink, Creating Significant Learning Experiences (2003, Jossey-Bass).
LB 2331 / F495 / 2003

Wilbert J. McKeachie, Teaching Tips (1999, Houghton Mifflin).
LB 1773 / M35 / 1999
Chapter 2: Countdown for Course Preparation
Chapter 3: Planning Your Students’ Learning Activities

Thomas A. Angelo and K. Patricia Cross, Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Teachers (1993, Jossey-Bass).
LB2822.75 / A54 / 1993
Chapter 2: The Teaching Goals Inventory
Chapter 7: Techniques for Assessing Course-Related Knowledge and Skills

Angela P. McGlynn, Successful Beginnings for College Teaching: Engaging your Students from the First Day (2001, Atwood Publishing).
Available at CTE.

Web resources
University of Washington Center for Instructional Design and Research Course design tips http://depts.washington.edu/cidrweb/TLBulletins/2(1)CourseDesign.html

University of Oklahoma-sponsored Significant Learning web site, growing out of Dee Fink’s book (see above), contains guidance on course design, and examples of courses that promote “significant learning.” http://www.ou.edu/idp/significant/index.htm

Selections from Tools for Teaching by Barbara Gross Davis, UC Berkeley:
Course design
http://teaching.berkeley.edu/bgd/prepare.html