On Campus

Course design is personal, multi-faceted, and iterative. Sometimes we may be starting from scratch or looking to refresh a course we have taught for years. Consider some of the following questions to spark your ideas:

  • What are the fundamental knowledge items, skills, attitudes and values that learners will develop in my course?
  • How do I know whether my learners have progressed toward these goals, and how well they have met these outcomes by the end of the course?
  • What experiences, materials and activities will help my learners get there and how will they authentically, holistically, and actively engage with them?
  • How will they regularly practice, receive and integrate feedback, and develop awareness via their own self-assessment? 
  • How can I make this process as transparent as possible for my students?
  • How might I include their voices, perspectives, and goals in shaping their experiences in my courses?
  • How will this empower them to find purpose in growth, belong, and own their learning journey throughout their experience at URI?

The resources below include guides to support your course design process and introductions to several effective approaches to course design.

ATL staff are also available for consultations about your course design.

A Decision Guide to Planning Your Course

From Cornell's Center for Teaching Innovation, a series of design questions to consider in planning your course.

Designing Your Course

The Bok Center of Harvard shares a selection of key elements of course design to consider.

Inclusive Pedagogy Toolkit for Course Design

'Designing the learning environment to be meaningful, relevant, and accessible for every student in your course/program is inclusive pedagogy.' Georgetown's comprehensive toolkit offers literature-based concrete suggestions for designing through five key areas: content, pedagogy, assessment, climate, and power.

Integrated Course Design Guide (IDEA Paper, PDF)

From L. Dee Fink, this paper describes the integrated course design approach that centers the learner and engagement in planning a course.

Integrated Course Design: A Self-Directed Guide (PDF)

L. Dee Fink's guide to his integrated course design approach using the significant learning concept.

Planning for Disruption

Planning a course design that anticipates the potential for disruption - weather, illness, travel, or disaster - allows us to be flexible, responsive, and calm.

Resilient Pedagogy: Course Design

Carleton's Learning and Teaching Center shares the course design process through the lens of resiliency which is based on engagement, communication & connection, and feedback.

Understanding by Design

Vanderbilt's Center for Teaching provides this robust resource explaining the Understanding by Design (backwards design) approach to courses.