TABLE OF CONTENTS


Introduction

You can make a copy of the Course Design Guide for each course you would like to review.  This guide was influenced by the Quality Matters Rubric for effective online teaching.  Narrowed down by a Davidson-Davie committee to better reflect our institution, this guide can be useful for any modality you teach.    

How to Use this Document

This guide is for you.  It is a reflection to gauge where your course stands, and where it could continue to go depending on your course modality and goals.  


The guide is broken down into eight sections, and each section includes relevant elements found in most courses.

  • Course Overview and Introduction
  • Learning Objectives
  • Assessment and Measurement
  • Instructional Materials
  • Learning Activities and Learner Interaction
  • Course Technology
  • Learner Support
  • Accessibility and Usability


You decide what level of practice that element holds in your course.  

  • In progress: The element is missing or present to a degree that does not adequately support student success
  • Established Practice: The element is present and designed to support student success 
  • Exemplary Practice: The element is present and goes even further to enhance the student experience. Exemplary practice promotes Universal Design for Learning (UDL) through the use of: 
    • Variety of activities, assessments, and media
    • Student choice
    • Student engagement
    • Scaffolding content and assessments
    • Chunking content
    • Digital accessibility 
    • Demonstrating relevance of course content


Intentional Redesign

Once you have completed the guide, you can see what you're doing well in your course and where you may wish to focus your improvements.  

  • Bigger redesigns may focus on a complete section or multiple elements from different sections.  
  • Smaller redesigns focus on moving up a level of practice for a specific element.  


Either way, you are able to use this document to continue to reflect, refresh, and elevate your course.  Take advantage of our other Course Design Resources and other tutorials to help with your redesign and don't hesitate to reach out to canvas@davidsondavie.edu for additional support.