Curriculum design

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Good curriculum design will help you develop meaningful teaching and learning tasks for your course. Use the 'constructive alignment' model below to give you a sense of how you should go about your course design:

1. Determine learning outcomes for the class. Remember to use active verbs such as ‘analyse,’ ‘interpret,’ ‘explain,’ ‘create,’ ‘apply,’ etc. See the links below for detailed information on writing meaningful and relevant learning outcomes.
2. Design a learning environment where the teaching and learning tasks are directed towards helping students achieve the learning outcomes. This may involve the use of Web 2.0 tools, or it may demand the use of a traditional writing assignment.
3. Use assessment tasks that will measure the learning outcomes. Develop criterion-based assessment rubrics for each task you assess.

Constructive alignment workshop notes (pdf, 92 KB)

Examples and worksheets

'Before and afters.' How CASS lecturers have aligned outcomes, teaching and learning activities, and assessment.

GEND1001, Helen Keane (Gender Studies)

NEWM 2001, Cathie Summerhayes (Film Studies)

ITAL 3016, Piera Carroli (Language Studies)

Useful links

Aims in Education, John Dewey, Chapter 8 of Democracy and Education

Communicating clear learning outcomes, Curtin University of Technology (pdf, 108 KB)

Guide to learning outcomes, UCE Birmingham

A Basic Guide to Writing Student Learning Outcome Statements, Centre for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning, University of Western Australia

Writing learning outcomes, American Association of Law Libraries

A quick guide to writing learning objectives