Take a moment to think about a course you’d like to improve—what changes would you make, and what's been holding you back? At a course design consult, this question is where we will start. We’ll ask you to articulate what kind of change you’re looking for. Are you wanting students to be more actively engaged during your class sessions? Are you unsure how your assessments are helping drive student learning? This conversation along with your timeline, will help us determine if a minor tweak to your course design would help you reach your goals, or if a full redesign would be most beneficial.
A course redesign process will help you make choices about what content to teach for new courses, or guide choices around updating existing content. During a course design consultation, we will discuss course scaffolding, check for content/assessment alignment to your course goals, and suggest research-based teaching practices that support student learning and transfer of knowledge. Whatever the scope, our goal is to provide ongoing consultation during the course design or redesign process. The chart below can give you a sense of how long the course design process will take.
| Improvement | Approximate Time Needed |
|---|---|
| Minor updates to policy or Canvas | 1 week |
| Change to an assignment design or unit structure | 1 week (excluding lectures/research) |
| Major overhaul | 1 month (or more!) |
Full Course Design
For those interested in a major overhaul to their course structure or those looking for support building a brand new course, our team can help you break up the course design process into manageable, scaffolded steps. Our team uses the backward design process to create a tailored design plan for you. The steps involved are as follows:
Stage 1: Identify Desired Result
The first step in the course design process is to establish course goals. Your consultant will help you clarify what you want your students to achieve by the end of the course. This conversation often reveals key areas where students struggle and can guide the design of supportive learning activities.
Stage 2: Determine Acceptable Evidence
With goals in mind, you’ll discuss assessment types that best measure students’ progress toward those goals. The idea is to move beyond simple recall tests and focus on assessments that mirror real-world applications of the content.
Stage 3: Plan and Sequence Learning Experiences
Finally, you’ll plan your course schedule and choose learning activities to align with course goals and assessments. Your consultant will help you plan your course schedule so that time is available for interactive and Active Learning activities.
A Focus on Active Learning
Research consistently shows that active learning strategies—where students engage directly with the material—lead to stronger learning outcomes compared to traditional, lecture-only methods. For this reason, your consultant will work with you to incorporate active learning strategies that fit your instructional needs. We will introduce you to a range of active learning strategies, from responding to polls and participating in discussions, to applying concepts in case studies. Course structures that promote active learning are a flipped classroom model, team-based learning, and project-based learning. If you are interested in trying any of these course models, our team can help with implementation.
If you aren’t ready for a full course redesign, you can still make small adjustments to your teaching to engage students in active learning pedagogy. For example, below is a sample refresh of a 70 minute lecture to include opportunities for active learning.
Sample Active Lecture Course Format
- Introduction (5 mins)
- Lecture (15 mins)
- Think/Pair/Share (10 mins)
- Lecture (15 mins)
- Case Study activity (20 mins)
- Reflection (5 mins)
Small Redesign Projects
There are other simple tweaks you can make to create meaningful improvements in student engagement and learning. If you’re short on time, our team can guide you through smaller changes you can make to address course level challenges you are seeing. If there’s an assignment that feels disconnected from your course goals or that students are not fully engaged with, our team can meet with you to problem solve. Some examples of small redesign projects our team has worked on include:
- Assignment redesign
- Updates to supplemental materials
- Creation of sample assignments and sample activity instructions
- Multimedia projects/assignments design
- Canvas organization
- Instructional videos
- Accessibility training to help you determine if your digital materials are accessible
- Review of activities for alignment with active learning pedagogy
- Recommendations of educational technology to promote active learning
- GenAI course policy creation
While these tweaks might seem minor, over time, they add up to a more accessible, engaging, and organized course.
Whether you are considering a full design/redesign, or you need support with smaller course level changes, our team is here to help. Schedule a consultation with the LSA Learning and Teaching Consultants if you would like to get started with a course design or redesign.
