Teaching Excellence Learning Modules

Things to Know About Course Design 

1. Consider your goals and identify desired results.  Take into account both content goals (what knowledge you want students to attain) and skill goals (what abilities you want students to obtain).
    

2. Be sure to consider the audience.  Why are these students taking this course?  Is it undergraduate or graduate level?  Is it required or an elective?  Is this a major course or a core class?  It is very important to teach what the students need to know and not try to present an overwhelming amount of information in each class.  This could result both in anxiety and withdrawal on the part of the student.
    

3. Determine an acceptable form of assessment.  Make sure students receive a grade at the end of each course section or module so that they are able to track both their performance in the class as well as what you expect from them in terms of tests and assignments.  Also, be sure that tests and assignments meet the learning goals that have been established and discussed.
    

4. L. Dee Fink[1] discusses five principles of good course design…

   1. The course challenges students to a higher level of learning

   2. The course uses active forms of learning in order to get students more involved.

   3. The instructor gives frequent and immediate feedback to students on the quality of their learning. 

   4. The course uses a structured sequence of different learning activities

   5. The course has a fair system for assessing and grading students
       

5. Online courses often require a more structured course design.  In online courses, the design must involve and engage the student to counter the perceived lack of personal contact that may be felt.  Some suggestions for online course design include short online components.  Discussions are also very important in online classes.  This is a way for students to remain involved in the class as well as have the opportunity to ask questions if information in the “lecture” or text is unclear.  Online instructors must keep in mind the different learning capabilities of their students and try to meet all those capabilities through an effective and organized course design.

Resources for enhancing course design:

Instructional Strategies for Online Courses
www.ion.uillinois.edu/resources/tutorials/pedagogy/instructionalstrategies.asp

Designing and Teaching a Course
http://ctl.stanford.edu/Newsletter/designing_and_teaching.pdf