Well-designed courses and curricula are cornerstones of learning and student success. The Center for Teaching provides support to instructors, departments, programs, and colleges in developing learning-centered courses and curricula.
Course Design
Course Design
Course design refers to the process of developing course materials, assessments, and learning experiences that align with your goals for student learning and produce enduring understanding (Wiggins & McTighe, 1998). An intentionally designed course provides the foundation for making informed teaching choices and for guiding students through the learning process.
Curriculum Design
Similarly, intentional curriculum design creates a coherent and impactful learning experience for students through intentional design and alignment of two or more courses in a pathway. Curriculum design projects might address possible student pathways through a course of study, alignment of content, and learning outcomes across a group of courses, or incorporation of new content or practices such as emergent technology or experiential learning into a program of study.
Course Design Resources
Interested in learning more about course design? Visit our teaching topics page!
If you or your department or program would like a consultation on curriculum design, please contact us at teaching@uiowa.edu.
Course and Curriculum Design Programs
Course Design Institute
An in-person, multi-day workshop held in May each year for instructors who wish to learn how to design, redesign, or revise a course.
Early Career Instructors
If you're an incoming instructor and want to talk to someone about course design, contact us at teaching@uiowa.edu.