I know the Spring has not ended, but many of you have started thinking about designing (or redesigning) courses for the Summer and Fall. As you start thinking about design and redesign, it may be helpful to watch this interview from a lecturer in the CS department at Purdue University, as he discusses how and why he redesigned his course:
As he discussed, the content of your course is based on the overall curricular goals for each program that have been determined by your department. This includes your course, and any required prerequisite courses (this may include some from secondary school for undergraduate courses), that establish a set of knowledge entering your course.
Moreover, your course may meet some of the core curriculum goals for the Luddy School, as well as the campus, again establishing expectations from the rest of the curriculum. As your course is likely part of a curriculum, this step will identify what your students must learn to be successful in the next course(s). So, as you embark on the design process:
- Consider the courses students will already have taken before entering yours.
- Does your course have stated prerequisites? If yes, what are they? If you are uncertain, you can find course attributes at https://bulletins.iu.edu/iub/sice/2020-2021/overview/index.shtml (click on graduate or undergraduate to see the selection of courses.
- What knowledge/skills can you assume they already have? which may they need to revisit?
- Look at the post-requisite course(s) that require your course as their prerequisite.
- What knowledge/skills do later courses assume that students will learn here? Unfortunately, it may be more difficult to identify a post-requisite course. Start by talking your department head.
Suggestion: If you have not discussed your outcomes with the instructors teaching the pre- or post-requisites recently, you may find it helpful to ensure that you agree about the expectations of your class.
Please let me know if I can be of help with your course design needs.
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