Where can I find support for course design and redesign?

Dear Aggie,

I have to design or redesign a course and don’t know where to start or what changes to make. It always seems to take so long. Where do I even begin?

~Overwhelmed 

Dear Overwhelmed,

I love your question. How indeed does one begin designing or redesigning a course? You are right, there are so many things to consider, so many variables, and yes, so much content. What should I cut? What should I keep? And how can I make my students love my subject as much as I do?  It’s truly daunting, but there is hope on the horizon in the form of a course design workshop called Ready, Set, Launch! open to NMSU faculty and graduate students that will give you direction and focus.  

The NMSU Teaching Academy and Digital Faculty Fellows have structured our course design workshop Ready, Set, Launch! in manageable bites. We’ll start with two morning workshops in December just after the semester ends and come together again for two more times just before the semester begins in January. Over the winter break we’ll have optional drop-in work sessions to support you in your course development and answer any questions you might have as you progress. During these sessions, your Digital Faculty Fellows, Stacy, Chad, and Patricia will work alongside you updating their courses as well.

In the December sessions, we’ll briefly look at how people learn so that you can make informed decisions about course design. We’ll see why it’s necessary to plan for frequent and different types of assessments, or why we need to emphasize the relevance of our content. We’ll then move on to discuss what level of Bloom’s taxonomy you want to emphasize in your course and how to write measurable objectives. We’ll also discuss how to assess these objectives, and how to ensure your assessments are transparent and aligned with both course objectives and course activities. You will not end up with objectives that are not assessed or with assessments that do not measure any outcomes.

After the break, we’ll look at rubrics for your course and at best means to offer students feedback. On our last day, you’ll show your course to your fellow participants. Whether your course is online or face-to-face, Ready, Set, Launch! will have you start the spring semester with a course that shines.

Come join us for the chance to make meaningful, targeted changes in your course and learn with and from other NMSU faculty. To reserve your space, register here.

~Aggie