The Institute places you in the role of learner, teacher, and designer creating a stimulating environment for educators interested in crafting quality curriculum.

Participants will:

• learn to structure and write quality process-oriented materials for use in their own courses.

• practice integrating a learning methodology and learning theory into the design of their content-specific curriculum.

• set criteria for assessing the quality of curricula and aligning it with QEP.

• link assessment strategies to specific activity types for improving student success.

• identify and assess key learning skills students must develop to meet general education guidelines.

• learn to write quality critical thinking questions.

• explore how learning journals and portfolios can be integrated in the design of curriculum.

• have the opportunity to receive real-time feedback while working through the design process.

• draft QEP around curriculum design projects.

• discover key design features which increase student success.

The quality of educational institutions and the outcomes they produce can be directly linked to the effective implementation of certain key process areas: learning, teaching, curriculum design, and assessment.

Curriculum design is an especially important process because the type of curriculum used along with its quality significantly influences the manner in which students learn and the way faculty teach and students succeed.

Traditional curricula is written to support traditional methods of instruction. Using this type of curricula makes it more difficult for faculty who teach utilizing student-centered, active learning approaches to achieve the “process outcomes” they desire.

By integrating learning theory into the course design process, curricula can be created which support Process Education approaches, thereby creating learning environments which challenge students to develop essential learning skills as well as master content.

The Course Design Institute offers practical strategies, techniques, and tips for creating activities and materials, and designing courses and programs which support process-oriented approaches to teaching and learning and improve student learning and success.