Course Design Fundamentals
Table of Contents
About the Program
Course Design Fundamentals (CDF) is a voluntary, online, self-paced program made up of six modules for Carleton instructors who want to strengthen their course design strategies, regardless of teaching experience, modality or class size.
As you work through the program, you can choose to complete individual modules based on your interests. You’ll also have opportunities to engage with module facilitators, receive individualized feedback on your activity submissions, contribute to discussion forums and view the posts shared by your colleagues. If you’d like additional support, you can also connect with program facilitators for one-on-one consultations to help you apply these ideas directly to your own course design.
If you complete five modules (four core and one elective) and a short reflection, you will receive formal recognition, a TLS letter of completion.
Learning Outcomes
The CDF program is designed to support instructors in their teaching practice so that they can:
- Plan and design foundational elements of a course
- Explain and apply the process of aligning fundamental course elements
- Distinguish between types of assessment based on their purpose and role in learning
- Explore and apply motivational principles to support student engagement in learning environments
- Select and implement effective strategies for fostering active learning in different course modalities
Program Requirements
To complete the program, you need to finish all four core modules and at least one elective module. Each module includes its own completion instructions and activities.
There are four core modules and two elective modules, recommended in the following sequence:
Core modules
- M1: Introduction to Course Design
- M2: Learning Outcomes
- M3: Assessment Fundamentals
- M4: Improving Course Design through Alignment
Elective modules
- E1: Motivational Design for Learning
- E2: Incorporating Activities into Lectures
Once you complete the four core modules and one elective module, a reflection paper assignment will become available. To complete the program, you must submit the assignment and receive feedback from one of the facilitators.
Register for CDF
To register for the program, take the following steps:
- Login to Brightspace using your MC1 login credentials
- Click on the “Discover” button
- Use the Search feature to find “Course Design Fundamentals”
- On the new page, click on the “Enrol in Course” button
Instructor Testimonials
“The journey through these (CDF) workshops has been transformative, reshaping my educational approach in profound ways. The insights I’ve gained have not only helped me become a better educator but have also changed how I think about teaching effectively. As I step into each classroom, I am prepared with strategies that empower students to become active participants in their learning journey.”
“I can’t stress enough how enormously helpful each of the workshops were. I gained so many great ideas and concrete suggestions on how to make my classes better for my students, and even easier for myself as an instructor!”
“I have learned so much in this program, so I would like to focus on putting everything into practice before diving into additional training in pedagogical theories and methods. Thank you to the [TLS] staff for organizing such effective online workshops!”
“Overall, I think the workshops were absolutely invaluable for: a) reinforcing some of the basic but essential aspects of course design and implementation, b) identifying for me some of the key research and high-impact practices in pedagogy, c) affording me the opportunity to try out several of the ideas and strategies in collaboration with the facilitators and colleagues with whom we form an inspiring learning community here at Carleton.”