Documentation:Begin your Journey in Course Design

From UBC Wiki

In this engaging two-day workshop, you will explore four stages of course design: reflecting on situational factors, writing learning outcomes, considering assessment options, and exploring instructional strategies to support learners. This workshop is for instructors and TAs who are designing courses or modules, and staff in co-curricular roles who design workshops and non-credit courses. No matter the scale, learn how to design effective learning environments for your audience.

By the end of the two-part workshop, you will:

  • Understand the stages of learner-centred course design
  • Value the role of learning outcomes
  • Expand your evaluation and/or assessment toolkit
  • Explore pedagogy and active learning techniques

For this workshop, you should focus on one course (or a module, workshop, or other educational project)--whatever it is you are intending to design. (If you don't currently have a course or project please simulate one for the workshop, as you will be given time throughout the workshop to apply the concepts directly to your course or project.)

Prep Work Activities

Be sure to complete the following 4 activities in advance of the workshop. We estimate this set of activites to take you between one and two hours.

  1. WATCH: Please watch this brief video on Backwards Design (up to 3:50 mins): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbKx_tG99ho
  2. READ: Please read this very brief article on Learner-Centred Teaching (You have access to this article via UBC Library so will need to log-in with your CWL):
  3. DOWNLOAD: Download the course/project planning template: project planning template. Be sure to bring the planning template (print and bring it, as desired) with you to Day 1 of the workshop.
  4. REFLECT & WRITE: Take some time to reflect on your course or project. Jot down your responses on the planning template.
    • First, what are you designing? Is it a course, workshop, module, etc.. Write down some of the details about the course or project.
    • Next, consider the situational factors of the course/project:
      • Detail any of the known factors or constraints of your course or project? (For example: class size, teaching assistant support, technical support, administrative support, role of technology and/or technological support, time, experience, space, modality, etc.)
      • Who are you designing this [course/workshop/module] for? What do you know about your audience or your learners? What are their needs and goals?
      • What else do you know about the course/workshop/module that is important to consider?
    • Finally, consider your learning goals for the course or project:
      • What are your goals as an instructor or facilitator?
      • By the end of the course, module or workshop, what do you hope your learners are able to know, to do, or to value?
      • Imagine that you run into one of your learners five years from now. They say the one thing they learned from you that has really stuck with them is X.  What do you hope the X is?

Add this information to your course/project planning template, and be sure to have the planning template with you on Day 1 of the workshop.

We will use this Wiki page throughout the workshop to house our materials, handouts and slides from the workshop. Feel free to get familiar with this page!

Day 1: Monday, April 15, 2024

On Day 1 of the workshop, we'll introduce the learner-centred approach to course design. You'll share the situational factors related to your project and craft your learning goals into learning outcomes. You'll also begin thinking about your assessment plans and be introduced to the concept of alignment. Here are the resources we will use on Day 1:

Homework before Day 2:

  • Continue crafting your learning outcomes. Use the taxonomies to help you be specific about the learning (domain and level of learning).
  • Consider your assessment plans: How will you know whether learners have met the learning outcomes? What evidence is required, and how will you gather this evidence? Expand what you already know about assessment by reviewing some of the resources on Assessment, looking to expand your toolkit (see resources below).
  • Consider the alignment between your assessment ideas and your learning outcomes. Review this resourse, Align Assessments, from Carnegie-Mellon's Eberly Centre resource for checking alignment between learning outcomes and assessments.
  • Revise your plans as necessary.

Day 2: Wednesday, April 17, 2024

On Day 2 of the workshop, you'll revisit your assessment plans and consider what kinds of instructional strategies will support students in reaching the learning outcomes. You will work on aligning your course/project plans.

Here are the resources we will use on Day 2:

Day 2 Resources

Resources

Learner-Centred Practice

Learning Outcomes

Alignment

  • Align Assessments: Carnegie-Mellon's (Eberly Centre) resource for checking alignment between learning outcomes, assessments and activities.

Online Course Design

Assessment

Instructional Strategies

Syllabus Design

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