Curriculum: Course Design/Assignment Design

Course planning and design are crucial for a successful course. The links in this section provide instruction on all aspects of course design, including several tutorials that walk an instructor through the complete process of course design. The last two links focus on designing student assignments. This information is useful for planning a new course or redesigning an existing one.

Course Design Tip-Sheet (Harvard University, Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning).
Multiple questions designed to take you through the process of planning a course and syllabus.
Link: http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k1985&pageid=icb.page29721

"Designing and Teaching a Course," Speaking of Teaching, Stanford University Newsletter on Teaching, Winter 1998. PDF/Adobe Acrobat.
A discussion of conceptualizing, organizing, and teaching a course. Includes such topics as considering the audience, setting objectives, determining course format, and evaluating learning.
Link: http://ctl.stanford.edu/Newsletter/designing_and_teaching.pdf

Course Preparation (Ohio State University) PDF/Adobe Acrobat.
A thorough presentation of all elements of course design from initial planning stages through classroom practices for the first days of class.
Link: http://ftad.osu.edu/Publications/TeachingHandbook/chap-4.pdf

"Integrated Course Design," L. Dee Fink, Director, Instructional Development Program,University of Oklahoma. (IDEA Paper #42, March 2005). PDF/Adobe Acrobat.
This article presents a rationale and thorough description of L. Dee Fink's model of integrated course design.
Link: http://www.idea.ksu.edu/papers/Idea_Paper_42.pdf

"A Self-Directed Guide to Designing Courses for Significant Learning," L. Dee Fink, Director, Instructional Development Program, University of Oklahoma.
Guidelines for designing a course that integrates learning goals, feedback and assessment procedures, and teaching/learning activities.
Link: http://trc.virginia.edu/Workshops/2004/Fink_Designing_Courses_2004.pdf

“Designing Effective and Innovative Courses,” Barbara J. Tewksbury (Hamilton College) and R. Heather Macdonald (College of William and Mary).
This is an online course design tutorial for individual faculty members interested in designing or redesigning a course. The focus is on geoscience, but the process used is generic enough to design courses in all disciplines.
Link: http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/coursedesign/tutorial/index.html

Hitchhiker’s Guide to Course Development
A site dedicated to helping instructors design courses that integrate technology at various levels: classroom-based with web-presence, web-enhanced, web-centric, and online. Offers step-by-step tutorials at each level with specific planning guides, teaching strategies, and assessment tools.
Link: http://midsolutions.org/cms/

"Planning, Designing, and Evaluating Student Assignments" (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Center for Teaching and Learning).
Guidelines for designing and assessing student assignments related to course goals; includes examples.
Link: http://ctl.unc.edu/fyc18.html

"Structuring Assignments for Success," Deborah DeZure, Michigan State University (In Whys and Ways of Teaching, Eastern Michigan University, Faculty Center for Instructional Excellence, Vol. 9, No. 1, Feb. 1999).
This article discusses key issues in structuring successful assignments, such as using assignment packets, identifying necessary skills and assuring that students have them, and establishing criteria for evaluation. Includes sample evaluation forms and a worksheet for structuring assignments.
Link: http://www.provost.msu.edu/facdev/instructionalresources/pdfs/StructuringAssignments.pdf

See also the resources listed under Syllabus Design on this website.