Planning Your Course: A Decision Guide
Use these questions and points for reflection as a starting point for developing your course.
Analyze Learners
- Who are the typical students enrolling in this course (number of students, prior knowledge and experience, motivation, access to technology, internet connectivity, etc.)?
- What role does this course play in the overall educational experience of the students who take it (general education, elective, required, prerequisite for other classes, etc.)?
- Where are the students located (geographic locations, time zones, etc.)?
Identify General Outcomes for the Course
- What do you want students to be able to know or do upon completing the course?
Determine How to Assess Student Learning
- How would you know if the students achieved these outcomes?
- For each outcome specified above, what information can you gather that shows how well the outcome was achieved for each student individually and for the class as a whole (multiple-choice exams, essay exams, project assignments, writing assignments, etc.)?
Determine Learning Activities for the Course
- For each outcome, what learning activities will generate the kind of learning you envision (watching, listening, reading, writing, doing, discussing, reflecting, or some combination of activities)?
- An example structure might be: Reading assigned readings; watching lecture videos or participating in live sessions; posting discussion posts; and writing a paper, completing a project, or taking a quiz
- Develop a week-by-week schedule for the whole session
Identify Resources and Materials
- What resources do you already have to support each of the learning outcomes (such as readings, videos, tutorials, websites, etc.)?
- What resources do you need to find or create to support each of the learning outcomes (such as readings, videos, tutorials, websites, etc.)?