Quality Course Design

This tutorial you will:

1. Decide on the number of topics or themes and segments for your course.
2. Determine a logical sequence to introduce topics or themes to students.
3. Decide on the allocation of weeks to each segment.

1. Divide the semester into 4 to 7 segments around a series of important topics, concepts, issues, or themes that constitute the subject of the course (Fink, 2003) or around a series of intriguing questions or problems that would challenge students to think critically, reason from evidence, make improvements in their thinking, and ask probing and insightful questions (Bain, 2004).
2. Determine a logical sequence (chronological, from simple to complex, etc.) for introducing the topics or concepts to students to allow them to integrate each new topic or concept with the preceding ones.
3. Decide how many weeks or class sessions to allocate to each topic, theme, or concept.

Please use Worksheet 6:  Creating A Course Structure to create a structure for your course.

1. Bain, K. (2004).  What the Best College Teachers Do.  Cambridge, MA:  Harvard University Press.
2. Fink, L. D. (2003). Creating significant learning experiences: An integrated approach to designing college courses. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.