Learning-Centered Course Design

The goal of every course you teach is student learning, so this session focuses on designing courses that intentionally place students and their learning at the center. Likewise, the module is built on research-based principles of learning that hold the following to be true:  

8 Principles from How Learning Works (Jossey-Bass, 2023)

- Students differ from each other on multiple dimensions—for example, in their identities, stages of development, and personal histories—and these differences influence how they experience the world and, in turn, their learning and performance.  
- Students prior knowledge can help or hinder learning 
- How students organize knowledge influences how they learn and apply what they know 
- Students’ motivation determines, directs, and sustains what they do to learn 
- To develop mastery, students must acquire component skills, practice integrating them, and know when to apply what they have learned 
- Goal-directed practice coupled with targeted feedback enhances the quality of students’ learning 
- The classroom environment we create can profoundly affect students’ learning, positively or negatively 
- To become self-directed learners, students must learn to monitor and adjust their approaches to learning 

This page will address key frameworks for course design that provide structures for helping instructors to think intentionally about creating their courses with these principles in mind. While they are not one size fits all, we think you’ll find that their components will help you clarify, for yourself and for your students, what your course is all about and how its features combine to create a successful teaching and learning experience.