Course Design

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Effective teachers design their courses around appropriate learning outcomes, create course activities that support students in reaching the course learning outcomes, and develop a variety of assessments that measure student achievement of those outcomes12. Teachers’ design choices support disciplinary ways of thinking, accessibility, and inclusivity345. When relevant, teachers’ design choices support interdisciplinary ways of thinking and connections to a broader community6.

Recommended Elements of Effective Practice*
Provides specific, clear, and assessable learning outcomes for all courses and guide the course design process.
Aligns at least some course learning outcomes with program-level (e.g. the major, interdisciplinary program, general education) learning outcomes.
Consistently aligns course activities and assessments with course learning outcomes and explicitly communicates that alignment to students.
Designs course activities that teach students to think about and use the subject like a practitioner in the field, consistent with course context and student readiness.
Connects course design and learning outcomes to other disciplines, the broader community, and global contexts, as relevant.
Designs course to support all students—across identities, backgrounds, and abilities—by offering diverse methods, modalities, and opportunities for learning and assessment.
Makes wide and purposeful use of curricular materials that are accessible to students.
Uses curricular materials that reflect the current state of the field and includes diverse experiences, perspectives, or populations.
Ensures that students are achieving course learning outcomes.

Potential evidence for self-reflection and formative assessment 

  • Syllabus
  • Backward design table [template]
  • Examples of course materials and/or course activities
  • Examples of assessments
  • Student work samples
  • Summary statistics of students learning outcomes

Potential evidence for summative or formal evaluation

  • See formative assessment – these documents would ideally be annotated to indicate how they support an element to aid with formal evaluation
  • FAR responses that delineate course design
  • Teaching statement that explains course design

References

1Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. Understanding by Design. (ACSD, 2005).

2Orr, R. B., Csikari, M. M., Freeman, S. & Rodriguez, M. C. Writing and using learning objectives. CBE—Life Sci. Educ. 21, fe3 (2022).

3Courey, S. J., Tappe, P., Siker, J. & LePage, P. Improved lesson planning with universal design for learning (UDL). Teach. Educ. Spec. Educ. 36, 7–27 (2013).

4Fink, L. D. Creating Significant Learning Experiences: An Integrated Approach to Designing College Courses. (Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, 2013).

5Almeqdad, Q. I., Alodat, A. M., Alquraan, M. F., Mohaidat, M. A. & Al-Makhzoomy, A. K. The effectiveness of universal design for learning: A systematic review of the literature and meta-analysis. Cogent Educ. 10, 2218191 (2023).

6Villarroel, V., Bloxham, S., Bruna, D., Bruna, C. & Herrera-Seda, C. Authentic assessment: Creating a blueprint for course design. Assess. Eval. High. Educ. 43, 840–854 (2018).