Design
Learning-centered course design
TLS offers course design support to help you (re)design a course. Available in three different formats: a self-paced option in myCourses, a fast-track webinar series, and a two-day in-person workshop. Find out more.
Self-enroll in Just-in-Time Course Design—a series of online modules you can complete at your own pace.
This approach to course design has student learning at the center and recognizes that course context has a bearing on course design decisions. With context in mind, instructors are encouraged to think about what content students will engage with, what the learning outcomes should be, what assessments will capture students’ achievement of the learning outcomes, and what teaching strategies will be used to engage students in working toward the achievement of the learning outcomes. Learning outcomes, assessment strategies, and teaching strategies must be aligned.
Alignment means that the achievement of the outcomes is directly supported by what is taught, practiced, and assessed.
Design your course by first articulating the desired learning outcomes; then, plan the assessments that will allow you and students to see the extent to which the learning outcomes have been achieved; finally, plan teaching strategies that will allow students practice and feedback opportunities in preparation for the assessments.
Example of alignment
Learning outcome | Assessment strategy | Teaching strategy |
|---|---|---|
By the end of this course, you will be able to collaboratively write a report. | Write a collaborative report. | Working in pairs or groups of three, students practice writing short reports. |
Examples of misalignment
Learning outcome | Assessment strategy | Teaching strategy |
|---|---|---|
By the end of this course, you will be able to collaboratively write a report. | Do a multiple choice exam. | Working in pairs or groups of three, students practice writing short reports. |
Learning Outcome | Assessment strategy | Teaching Strategy |
|---|---|---|
By the end of this course, you will be able to collaboratively write a report. | Write a collaborative report. | Individually, students practice writing short reports. |
When designing your course, it can be helpful to keep in mind recommended ratios of credit hours to student work. See what McGill says here.
This Workload Estimator 2.0 might help you with gauging the amount of time students need to do learning tasks (Wake Forest University).
To find out more, explore the topics below: