The primary components of Integrated Course Design are shown in Model 1. The first component in the model is to gather information about the Situational Factors (e.g., how many students are in the course, what kind of prior knowledge are the students bringing to the course about this subject, etc.) [This component is shown as the rectangular box, “Situational Factors” in Model 1.] This information is then used to make the three major decisions about the course (shown as ovals in Model 1).

Model 1 Key Components of Integrated Course Design.PNG

After you have gathered the information about the situational factors, your first decision is about the Learning Goals, i.e., what you want students to get out of the course. What is important for them to learn and retain, 2-3 years after the course is over? What kind of thinking or application abilities do you want them to develop? How do you want them to keep on learning after the course is over?

Using the principle of “Backward Design,” we will next turn to decisions about Feedback and Assessment. The basic question here is: What will students do to demonstrate they have achieved the Learning Goals we set for the course This will usually involve some paper/pencil tests but we will probably need to include other activities as well. The advantage of working on the Feedback and Assessment at this early stage of course development is that when we become clear about what constitutes successful student performance, it is much easier to develop effective teaching/learning activities.

Then we need to formulate the appropriate and necessary Teaching/Learning Activities. If we have significant learning goals and effective assessment procedures, we will most likely need to incorporate some kind of active learning into the course.

And finally we need to check our course design for Integration to make sure all the components are in alignment and support each other. Are the learning activities consistent with all the learning goals? Are the feedback and assessment activities consistent with the learning goals and the learning activities?

Fink, L. Dee, A Self-Directed Guide to Designing Courses for Significant Learning, page 4