University of Virginia Teaching Resource Center

For over two decades now, the Teaching Resource Center has helped instructors create rich, active classroom environments which support meaningful student learning, the kinds of learning that are transformative, that change the way students think, act or feel. Our course development activities are predicated on the belief that faculty and graduate students care deeply about student learning and that they want to be the best teachers they can be. The Course Design Institute (CDI) provides instructors from UVa the opportunity to experience the iterative, dynamic, and scholarly process of learner-focused course design. We firmly believe that participation in CDI can propel them to become the teachers they dream of being, teachers who create for their students the opportunity to engage in truly transformative learning experiences.

Answers to the most Frequently Asked Questions about CDI follow. For additional information, please call us at 982-2815 or e-mail trc-uva@virginia.edu.

What is the Course Design Institute?
The Course Design Institute—an intensive, multi-day course design seminar—invites instructors to spend four-half days designing or substantially redesigning a course so that it promotes significant, long-term learning. Participants explore learner-centered design principles as a large group and then work on their individual course designs in small, discipline-focused learning teams. The learning teams, led by an experienced facilitator, provide participants opportunities for brainstorming, individualized feedback, and on-going support.

The design principles on which the Institute rests are based on Dee Fink’s bestselling book, "Creating Significant Learning Experiences." Three components make this approach powerful: a taxonomy of significant learning, and the concepts of backward course design and integrated course design. This course design strategy, which begins with the question, “What do I want my students to know 3-5 years after the course is over?” offers a framework for instructors to consider the whole learner, making her the focus of the learning environment. It provides instructors guidance for thinking about the types of knowledge and skills they want students to learn and how students might apply and integrate that knowledge. It prompts them to think about other dimensions of learning: how they may inspire students to care about that knowledge, and what students might learn about themselves, others, and their own learning. And, it asks instructors to carefully consider questions such as these: How do I assess whether I and my students meet the course goals? How do I enact those goals in the classroom? (To learn more about Fink's course design strategy and some of the ideas explored in CDI, click here.)

When is the next Institute?
The Course Design Institute is offered every other year in even years. The next Institute will take place over a 4-day period in May, 2010 (May 24, 25, 26 and 27 from approximately 9:00 am to 1:00 pm; afternoons are reserved for individual work).

Who may apply for the Institute?
Any UVa instructor interested in designing a new course or substantially redesigning an existing course may apply. Instructors who are open to learner-centered approaches to course design and those willing to fully and actively participate in small, structured learning communities are especially sought.

How do I apply?
Details about how to apply for the next CDI will be announced early spring.

How many participants are accepted?
In order to give more individualized help, the Institute is limited to approximately 30 people.

What is the cost of the Institute?
Participant fees will be determined early-mid spring.

What have past participants said about their
experience in CDI?

[The Institute] has given me tools to help me better fulfill my learning goals, keep my teaching fresh, effective & interesting.

I emerged from the Institute having a much richer sense of the possibilities and the types of bonds that can be forged between my students and the subjects they study.

I now know it is actually possible for me to design the kind of course I want!

It was so interesting to learn from other participants in other fields, and the inherent interdisciplinarity of the [Institute] is very stimulating!

What have students said about their experience in CDI-designed courses?

This class has given me a completely different perception of the world around me. It has taught me a new way to view everything I encounter.

This class really made me think in ways I never thought I would have and opened my eyes to different kinds of learning that, gasp, one might even begin to call fun.

How much time will this take?
Participants spend around 30 hours over the two-week span working on their course design. Nearly half of this time is spent in the Institute itself—three to four hours per day for four days. Participants spend the remaining time outside of class completing various components of their course design.

Do I have to attend all the meetings?
Throughout the Institute, participants work in small, interdisciplinary groups comprised of fellow faculty and graduate students. The learning communities provide thoughtful, constructive feedback, alternative perspectives, and general support and encouragement. As such, it is required for participants to attend each meeting and come with their “homework” completed.

What do I need to do to prepare for the Institute?
When either designing a new course or redesigning an existing one, the two most important questions an instructor can ask are “What do I want and hope my students will be able to do 3-5 years after taking my course?” and “Why is this important to me?” Spending time in advance of the Institute contemplating these questions will greatly facilitate the design process. Specific exercises to help participants more fully address these questions are sent one to two weeks prior to the Institute.