DESIGN

Effective course design is only effective as long as students and curriculum stay the same, which is to say our courses, both teaching strategies and curriculum, need regularly updated.

Design Authentic Learning Activities and Assignments: Develop activities and assignments that help students connect class content with real-world experiences.

Scaffold Assignments: Class activities and assignments that build on work students have already received feedback on allow and motivate students to see connections in and usefulness of their work.

Follow a Backwards Course Design Model: This is a process to systematically (re)build your courses in ways that prioritize student learning outcomes over content coverage, allowing students to better recognize the value in the work we ask them to complete.

Consider Incorporating High Impact Practices: From collaborative projects, to service-learning, to writing intensive courses, and several others, these are design strategies well documented to have positive impacts on student learning and can be used for individual course activities to full course (re)designs.

Journal: After class, take notes about how class went. Reflect on course improvement opportunities to build for subsequent classes and semesters.

Most college classes are harder than most high school classes, with varying formats and different kinds of expectations. Students need to understand those differences to be able to adapt to the needs of your course.

Optimize your Syllabus: Thoughtfully use the syllabus to communicate class policies, expected/required work, how students should engage with the class, etc. Many faculty find CELT’s Syllabus Templates helpful.

Use Brightspace: In particular, it is important to make grades and student progress accessible to students in Brightspace. Students expect to know where their course grade stands throughout the semester. Tell students how to set notifications in Brightspace to ensure they receive your e-mails and announcements in a timely manner.

Assign Low-Stakes Assignments/Assessments Early On: This helps students build understanding of how to do well on your assignments and build proficiency before completing higher-stakes assignments. Be sure to provide them with timely and informative feedback on these assignments to help them learn the level/expectations of the course.

Regularly Provide Feedback: Feedback should be given within a timeframe that will help students on the next task. For first year students in particular, provide suggestions for what to do rather than what not to do, where possible.

Provide Assignment Descriptions and Rubrics: Students are able to best meet assignment expectations when they know what the expectations are and what purpose they serve.