How the 2024 Course Design Institute can help you achieve your goals
Since 2016, the Center for Teaching’s Course Design Institute has helped University of Iowa faculty members with the design or redesign of their courses. Participants work side-by-side with their peers to find fresh ideas, inspiration, and new perspectives on instruction.
“I sought out the Course Design Institute as a systematic process to redesign courses," says Jodi Linley, Associate Professor of Higher Education and Student Affairs at the College of Education, and a 2017 Course Design Institute alum. "The Course Design Institute provided the structure and community I needed.”
The Course Design Institute is a five-day workshop that provides instructors with the dedicated time needed to construct or revise a course. It also facilitates connections with colleagues from across the university.
Course Design Institute participants will engage in:
Learning new strategies to redesign or restructure current and future courses,
Using evidence-based frameworks to better align learning goals to assessment,
Gaining fresh and valuable insights into diverse teaching practices through inter-disciplinary sharing and feedback, and
Creating intentional, authentic learning activities and transparent course structures to increase student engagement.
The Course Design Institute offers instructors a chance to revisit and refine their course design strategies, focusing on practical and effective methods. The insights and strategies learned during the institute remain relevant well after the workshop ends, becoming a foundation for continued growth and development as an instructor.
“The most exciting part was working in a group atmosphere with facilitators from the Center for Teaching guiding the process with structured, helpful activities," says Ebonee Johnson, Assistant Professor of Community and Behavioral Health at the College of Public Health, and a 2023 Course Design Institute alum. "Each activity helped to scaffold the course development process and it was great to get real-time feedback from peers."
Instructors interested in participating must have DEO approval before they apply. Application review will begin on Friday, April 5, 2024. The institute is scheduled from Monday, May 20, through Friday, May 24, at the Lindquist Center, running daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Attendees will be provided with a light breakfast and lunch each day.
What CDI Participants Have to Say
“The Course Design Institute was refreshing and rejuvenating to my teaching practice, and we had engaging conversations across disciplines every day. I learned new ways of teaching.”
Rosemary Moore, 2023 Course Design Institute alum
Associate Professor of Instruction of Classics and History
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
“I had to design a course from scratch and found the focused and designated week at the Course Design Institute helpful. Because of it, I was able to create a much better alignment between my course objectives and learning assessment.”
Erin Nelson, 2023 Course Design Institute alum
Associate Professor of Practice, Management, and Entrepreneurship
Tippie College of Business
“Engaging a course redesign through the institute taught me a process that I have applied in all of my course prep since 2017.”
Jodi Linley, 2017 Course Design Institute alum
Associate Professor of Higher Education and Student Affairs
College of Education
“I treat each course, after I complete it, as an opportunity to redesign based on the strategies learned [at the Course Design Institute].”
Ebonee Johnson, 2023 Course Design Institute alum
Assistant Professor of Community and Behavioral Health
College of Public Health