Designing a Course

Course design need not be a regimented process - it's an intensely creative act. You'll need to
consider a lot of variables and make many choices. Below are some suggestions and
worksheets for how to design a well-planned course.

Background Work: Clarify the Rationale and Context for

the Course

Sometimes you will design new courses; at other times you will be asked to teach a
course that already exists in a program's curriculum.
o If you're taking over an existing course, talk with others who have taught the
course before and examine previous syllabi.
o Speak with the directors and other faculty members in your students'
programs.
o Research syllabi for similar courses. (Even if a course hasn't been taught at
The New School, it may still be a common course in a particular discipline.)
Consider the role that your course plays within the program's curriculum as a whole
and its relationship to other courses.
o Is this an introductory (1000 or 2000-level) course or a more advanced course?
o What will the students have learned before reaching your class? What texts
will they have read? What skills will they have practiced?
o What are other instructors depending on you to cover in your class?
For an elective course, you may need to appeal to students from multiple programs
and build "hooks" for students with varied interests and ways of learning.

Backwards Course Design

Many faculty are tempted to design a course by listing the readings or topics we want to
cover. A "learner-focused" approach starts with determining the short-and long-term learning
goals and "designing backwards". This approach is called "backward design" because,
although it is logical, it begins at the opposite end of the traditional planning process. This
template (PDF) may help you to design your course backwards.

First Step: Identify Learning Outcomes for the Students

The first step in "backwards design" is to create learning outcomes for the course (PDF).
What do you want your students to know and be able to do at the end of the course, and,
recognizing that learning does not stop when the semester ends, what do you want your
course to prepare the students to do one year or five years into the future? Answering these
kinds of questions will guide help you make wise decisions about the course. The program
may provide you with a list of learning outcomes for the course if the course is a required
program offering taught by several different faculty members.

Second Step: Determine Assessments

The next step in "backward design" is to think about how students will demonstrate that
they've achieved the learning outcomes. How will you know whether students have
accomplished the desired learning? Assignments both help students learn and can be used to
assess student learning. Keep this in mind as you plan course assignments: is the purpose of
the assignment to aid students in achieving the course learning goals, to demonstrate what
they have learned, or both? Align your assignments and assessments with the course learning
goals rather than peripheral aspects of the course. There will be other considerations in
finalizing assessments as well:

Consider how different formats (and technologies) of assessment can allow you to
assess different learning goals.
Gauge the workload of each unit and the class as a whole. Remember that most
students are taking several other courses. In addition to formal, graded assignments,
student learning can be assessed through less formal means, such as response papers,
class discussions, and more.
Space assignments and assessments throughout the semester so that students have
adequate time to complete them.
o Ensure that students begin to receive feedback on their work (graded or
ungraded) by at least the middle of the term.
o Cut back on readings and recurring assignments when major assignments are
due.
o Consider implementing incremental assignments that build upon each other
toward the creation of a comprehensive final project.
Determine your grading system and weight the assignments appropriately.
This template (PDF) may help you plan your assignments.

Third Step: Plan Student Learning Experiences

Once you've decided what students should accomplish and produce during the course,
consider how they will achieve this learning. What reading assignments, lectures, quizzes, inclass activities, and more will aid them in learning?
In selecting texts (and reading, listening, screening assignments), prune and prioritize:

Select texts or a textbook that works well with your course learning goals and your
own views of the material (students can find it confusing when the instructor
expresses significant disagreement with the primary textbook).
o Consider the level of difficulty for students, the cost of the materials, the
clarity of the material, even minor factors like size of a book or its layout.
o Many experienced teachers recommend supplementing textbooks with current
articles or replacing them with shorter texts that provide differing points of
view.
Contextualize your chosen texts: explain their value to students, particularly in terms
of how they assist students in achieving the learning outcomes.
Define what's essential, what's recommended, and what's supplemental.
o You can add endnotes to your syllabus or create a "supplemental materials"
section for your course website rather than overload your students with too
much reading. Students can use these materials in their independent research,
or you can integrate them into your prepared lessons.

Order textbooks and other materials for your class early to ensure that students know
what they will need to purchase by the time they register for the class and will have
the texts and other materials by the start of the semester.
o The Textbook Provision of the federal Higher Education Opportunity Act
(HEOA) mandates that students are able to learn what the cost for purchasing
books and course packets will be for each class they take. For that reason, the
university uses Barnes & Noble as a repository of this book information. Ask
the administrator of the program for which you are teaching for contact
information to submit your book order to Barnes & Noble.
o Contact New School librarians for assistance with reserves. You can schedule
a library instruction session tailored to your course, arrange library tours, and
name proxy borrowers. See the online guide to library faculty services.

Final Step: Putting it All Together

Once you've determined what you want students to learn, how they will demonstrate that
they've learned it, and what learning activities and assignments will help them with their
learning, you can then put the syllabus together. Determine your conceptual framework,
organize your content into conceptual units, and sequence it appropriately.

If you use a textbook, some of these "framework" decisions may have been made for
you.
Consider how the building blocks fit together, the interrelationships between
particular topics, activities, and assignments.
o Possible organizational strategies: Theoretical, Applied, Micro, Macro,
Chronological, etc.
Determine how and why each major idea or subject fits into the broader conceptual
framework of the course. Provide "signposts" throughout the semester so students can
see where they are in relation to the whole, so they understand the logic of the course
design.
o You can build these signposts into the syllabus via narrative introductions to
or transitions between thematic units, or you can discuss the course structure
with the class.
Build in time for review and reflection.
The most difficult part of planning a course is usually deciding what to leave out.
New teachers in particular are likely to pack a course too full of topics, readings, and
assignments, and overwhelmed students may learn less than they would in a more
streamlined course.

Other Things to Consider or Do Before Classes Begin

Evaluate different technologies that could be used to support student learning. Assess
your own and your students' skill levels and availability of the technology before
making a decision.
Presentation media for: delivering content: Power Point, Prezi, etc.
Comprehensive course management software
Blackboard, a password-protected Ning site, etc.
Resource provision, e.g., posting readings and/or supplemental materials
Interactive media, e.g., discussion boards, required blog posts

An useful article by Barbara Gross Davis has specific advice for those planning
auditorium-style lecture courses: Preparing to Teach the Large Lecture Course.
Before classes begin, you'll also want to handle a number of administrative matters:
o Schedule A/V equipment if required; schedule guest speakers, etc.
o If possible, visit your assigned classroom prior to the first meeting. Is it
appropriate size-wise and for your educational purposes? Does the technology
work? Will you need to bring chalk or dry-erase markers? (Your department
office may be able to assist you with these basics.)
o Print out your class list from Self Service, found under the "faculty tab" of
MyNewSchool. Self Service provides easy access to much information
important to many aspects of teaching, including class rosters, grading policies
and procedures, and faculty compensation policies.
o Familiarize yourself with your division's policies regarding overtallies and any
other relevant university or divisional policies.

http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/course-design/

Overview of Course Design and Planning Process

Once you have determined what it is your learners need, or are interested in, it is time to
consider designing and planning the course. Following are some suggested steps in this
process.
Decide on a topic
Determine Overarching Goal
Identify desired results - Learning Outcomes
Determine acceptable evidence - Assessment
Design learning experiences and organise material - Content
Develop evaluation mechanisms - Evaluation
Information and marketing - Course Description

Deciding on a Topic

Consult with your students

What topics are of interest to your students?
What is driving your students' interests?
What worked/didn't work in the past and why?
How might existing courses be developed or modified?
Which exercises/problems/assessment assignments were most appropriate?
Planning Backwards

Begin with the end in mind - Steven Covey

When planning a course, the best place to start is at the end. Determine what students might
reasonably be expected to achieve from a course and then plan how material can be organised
and delivered to reach this end.
Overarching Goals

Overarching goals describe the most important understandings that students should develop
during an entire course. Ask yourself:
When my students leave my class at the end of this course, what are the essential
understandings that I want them to take away?
Where possible, students should have a role in determining the goals of a programme.
However, in instances where goals are determined by an outside body, e.g. stage agency or
funding body, it is important to ensure consultation and collaboration between all the
stakeholders.
Learning Outcomes

Once the overarching goal is determined, the next step is to break this into identifiable and
manageable units of achievement, i.e. learning outcomes.
Learning Outcomes: Statements of what a learner is expected to know, understand and/or be

able to demonstrate after completion of a process of learning.

Students may ask, What will I learn from this course? What will I be able to do when the
course is over? Sometimes the course description alone does not provide sufficient detail.
Generalised learning outcomes do not supply much additional information to prospective
students. More focused outcomes can identify key tasks in the learning process, or observe
stages in cognitive development.
Levels of Abstraction

In the 1950's Benjamin Bloom created a taxonomy for categorising levels of thinking. The
taxonomy provides a useful structure in which to categorise learning outcomes and,
subsequently, assessment questions. Introductory courses, and some interest courses, may
expect to have outcomes at the initial levels of abstraction, whereas accredited and certified
courses would be expected to have more complex outcomes at higher levels of abstraction.
The system has been used widely across a variety of educational spheres since its inception.
In the 1990's, Anderson and Krathwohl (2001) revised the taxonomy with a view to making it
more relevant to the twenty-first century. The following table is listed in the order of the
revised taxonomy with the original categories printed in black.
COMPETENCE

SKILLS DEMONSTRATED

Remembering
(Knowledge)

List, define, tell, describe, identify,

Observation and
show, label, collect, examine, tabulate,
recall of information
Knowledge of dates, quote, name, who, when, where, etc.
events, places

Can the student RECALL

information?

QUESTION CUES

 Knowledge of major
ideas
Mastery of subject
matter
Understanding
(Comprehension)
Can the student EXPLAIN ideas
or concepts?

Applying
(Application)
Can the student USE the new
knowledge in another familiar
situation?

Analysing
(Analysis)
Can the student
DIFFERENTIATE between
constituent parts?

Evaluating
(Evaluation)
Can the student JUSTIFY a
decision or course of action?

Creating
(Synthesis)
Can the student GENERATE
new products, ideas or ways of
viewing things?

Summarise, describe, interpret,

Understanding
contrast, predict, associate, distinguish,
information
estimate, differentiate, discuss, extend
Grasp meaning
Translate knowledge
into new context
Interpret facts,
compare, contrast
Order, group, infer
causes
Predict
consequences
Use methods,
concepts, theories in
new situations
Solve problems
using required skills or
knowledge

Apply, demonstrate, calculate,

complete, illustrate, show, solve,
examine, modify, relate, change,
classify, experiment, discover

Organisation of
parts
Seeing patterns
Recognition of
hidden meanings
Identification of
components

Analyse, separate, order, explain,

connect, classify, arrange, divide,
compare, select, explain, infer

Compare and
discriminate between
ideas
Assess value of
theories, presentations
Make choices based
on reasoned argument
Verify value of
evidence
Recognise
subjectivity

Assess, decide, rank, grade, test,

measure, recommend, convince, select,
judge, explain, discriminate, support,
conclude, compare, summarise

Use old ideas to

create new ones
Generalise from
given facts
Relate knowledge
from several areas

Combine, integrate, modify, rearrange,

substitute, plan, create, design, invent,
what if?, compose, formulate, prepare,
generalise, rewrite

 Predict, draw
conclusions
Adapted from:
http://www.coun.uvic.ca/learn/program/hndouts/bloom.html
http://coe.sdsu.edu/eet/Articles/bloomrev/index.htm
http://rite.ed.qut.edu.au/oz-teachernet/index.php

Writing up Outcomes

Outcomes can be written up in the following format:

At the end of this course students should be able to:
Define...
Summarise...
Demonstrate...
Analyse...
Critique...
Integrate...
Discussion of Outcomes

At the beginning of a course, learning outcomes should be discussed with students. This
ensures that you are both working towards the same goals and gives students an idea of what
they can reasonably expect to achieve over the course of a module. This also provides an
opportunity to amend learning outcomes in line with the wishes of particular student groups.
In this way students feel more involved with the programme and feel their input influences
the shape of the course. Learning outcomes should be fluid as not all learning can be
prescribed or predicted. Learning opportunities can arise during courses, which were never
envisaged at the planning stage, and it is important to accommodate such diversions.
Evidence of Understanding

Questions that might now be asked include:

How do I determine if objectives/outcomes have been met?
How will I be able to distinguish between those who really understand and those who
don't?
What would constitute sufficient and revealing evidence of understanding?
Against what criteria do I measure achievement?
If not formally assessing the course, how can I be sure that there is evidence of learning?
Ongoing and systematic consultation with students goes some way to ensuring outcomes are
being met. Student feedback should be sought to ascertain whether content is being
understood and to ensure the material is being covered at an appropriate pace for the group.
Individual/group exercises and problem based learning exercises can also be used throughout
the course to ensure that students are progressing through the material.

Formal evidence of understanding can be verified through a variety of assessment methods.

Assessment

Assessment should be decided upon at the outset as an integral part of design and not merely
attached on at the end. For those people setting assessment exercises, assessment should be
linked to the projected learning outcomes. Assessment criteria should be understandable so
that students can see that the assignment is related to the overall aims of the course.
Questions you might address include:
Are the learning outcomes assessable?
What form of assignment would best assess the learning outcomes?
Does the assessment capture the most important elements of my course?
Assessment is reviewed in greater detail in the During the Course section.
Planning Content

Once outcomes have been established, and assessment methods (either formal or informal)
decided upon, the following questions need to be considered:
How can my material be organised best and presented so as to reach my proposed learning
outcomes?
What do I need to consider about the type of learners with whom I work?
How do adult learning styles impact on the way I present material?
What teaching methodologies are most suitable for adult learners?
How do I involve the learners as much as possible?
How can I draw on the learner's own experience and knowledge?
When planning and organising your course content, it is important to take into consideration
the individual nature of adult learners who come to your course. Learners will have varied
abilities and require varied levels of support. Prior experiences of learning may differ
radically with some students being enthusiastic lifelong learners and others making a
tentative move back into education. Motivations for attending may also range from those
needing a particular course for work/personal reasons to those who just wish to take a course
to get out and meet people. In between will be all degrees of commitment, interest and
enthusiasm. All of these learners may have to be accommodated in the one group.
Matters for consideration

Course overview - can you give students a succinct overview of what material is to be
covered over the duration of the course?
Blocks of learning - what amount of material can be covered in a class?
Sequencing of materials - how can the materials be sequenced in an order that is logical

/rational?
Depth of material - what level is the course pitched at? How much detail do you need?
Methodologies - what is the most appropriate methodology for a particular topic? Is there a
mix of methodologies planned?
Group exercises - when and how often should group work be used?
Worksheets/ notes -what support materials need to be developed? Would the use of
problems or case studies help with the overall understanding of the content?
Resources - what books, tapes, etc. might be valuable for class use or as a resource for
students outside class?
Field-trips - are there any activities that could be related to the course (visits to museums or
organisations) which would set the learning in a practical context?
Evaluation

Evaluation is the collection of feedback on a course to determine how the course content and
presentation has been received. Evaluation is essential in ensuring quality control. Feedback
received in this way provides information on the:
Standards of the course
Materials distributed
Delivery methodologies used
Nature of the group dynamics and tutor/learner rapport
Ability of students to transfer/apply knowledge gained
Tutor self-evaluation and learner evaluation are both necessary to provide effective quality
control. Self-evaluation requires you to reflect on your practice throughout a course, to
critique your presentation style, to analyse your group and time management skills, and to
consider how you might alter your practice in future.
Learner evaluation allows the learner an opportunity to evaluate both the facilitator and
course content. The evaluation can provide information on whether the course met
participants' needs and supply recommendations as to how a course might be modified in
future. Time for course evaluation and review should be allocated at the design and planning
stage.
Evaluation is covered in greater detail in the After the Course section.
Course Descriptions

Using overarching goal(s) and learning outcomes as a basis, the next step is to write up a
course description. Course descriptions may be used by the learning provider for information
and/or marketing purposes. Dynamic creative descriptions engage prospective students and
encourage further inquiries. It is important to make as much information as possible available

to students. The language used in course brochures should be clear and concise and free of
jargon or terminology which might confuse or intimidate the learner.
Suggestions for Reflection
Determine outcomes for the course you are planning, ensuring that you have at least one

outcome at each level of abstraction

Consider how these learning outcomes might be demonstrated in an assessment exercise
What factors do you consider when planning your programme content?