Principle 1. Clear Course Design
Provide clear expectations and explicit course learning goals to foster student success.
Design courses with appropriate learning goals and measurable outcomes that are aligned with departmental and programmatic expectations to serve both students and discipline.
Learning goals and expectations are best when clearly stated and easy to understand. Clear learning goals create a roadmap for instructors to design course content that is relevant to the course objectives and has clear methods of assessment. Tying individual course goals and expectations to departmental and programmatic expectations further supports students’ learning and achievement throughout the curricula. At the same time, explicit expectations reduce the possibility of bias, ensuring that all students understand the rules for success, and encouraging student engagement in course materials.
Teaching Resources for Clear Course Design
Clear Course Design: Strategies Shortlist
- Provide clear criteria for how work will be assessed. Make the dimensions of high-quality work clear through a rubric or other statement of the important features of the assignment.
- Provide specific, actionable, and timely feedback and help students understand the purpose of that feedback. Instructor feedback can consist of:
- brief written or audio/video-recorded comments to highlight strengths and weaknesses
- annotated copy of the rubric;
- in-text comments on a written assignment.
- Objective feedback (scores), particularly when assessments are returned so students can view and understand mistakes.
- Extensive written feedback is most helpful when students will revise an assignment to continue to meet learning goals. Feedback does not necessarily need to come from the instructor; students may also receive feedback from each other or reflect on their own work in light of a rubric or course learning goals.
- Design authentic assessments that connect to real-world situations, problems, or contexts and make sure that students know the broad purpose of an assignment beyond the course itself.
- Provide models of high-quality student work, especially with annotations that make its high-quality features visible, to help students understand how to meet expectations.
- Design course assignments to be purposeful in moving students towards meeting class goals. Student work does not always need to receive a formal grade or extensive feedback from the instructor, but assignment design and feedback given should be context-specific to help students progress in course goals.
- Build in early, low-stakes assessments to identify students who need extra support, and offer a range of options for assisting those students. Such supports may include additional in-person, phone, or video meetings; providing informal feedback on assignments before they are due and/or providing opportunities for revision; and connecting students with each other to form small learning communities. Reach out to students who need extra attention.