Significant Learning by Design-I focuses on a model of course design developed by L. Dee Fink called “Integrated Course Design,” a design process shown to lead to greater student engagement and improved student learning.* The conceptual framework for this online course is based on the first part of Fink’s book, Creating Significant Learning Experiences (Jossey-Bass, Updated Edition, 2013), including how to begin the design process and integrate design elements at the course level.
- Two weeks in length
- Facilitated with personalized feedback at every step
- Asynchronous format
- Approximately 20-25 hours to complete
- Small cohort size
- Cost: $495/participant
- Although SDL-II is available, SLD-I may be taken as a single, standalone workshop
This course is invaluable for anyone who wants to learn how to design courses that go beyond surface-level learning and focus on long-lasting, significant student learning. We tap into your hopes and dreams for your students, and provide practical methods for achieving these goals. This design process can be applied to face-to-face, blended/hybrid and completely online courses.
Format
In this two-week course you will not only read and view lessons from the author, but apply the principles and materials to a course of your own. This is a facilitated course, with multiple opportunities for interaction and individual feedback on your work from an experienced coach and your colleagues. The course is offered in an online asynchronous format, there are no required live, real-time web meetings. However, it is NOT self-paced. Active participation is required and specific due dates must be met. Participants can expect to spend a total of about 20-25 hours completing course activities.
Outcomes
In just two weeks, you will create a set of course design documents in which you:
- Identify situational factors and a pedagogical challenge that impact the design of your course
- Articulate your overall vision and goals for the significant learning you want students to achieve
- Identify course-level learning outcomes, activities and assessments that enable students to achieve your course goals
- Reflect on your own learning and developed a personal plan for continued learning
- Receive feedback from a coach and colleagues
Benefits
Instructors who have used the principles of Integrated Course Design provided in this workshop in the design of their own courses report greater student engagement, more long-term significant learning, and increased instructor satisfaction in teaching.
Dr. L. Dee Fink was previously teaching faculty and the founding director of the Instructional Development Program at the University of Oklahoma, Dee currently leads numerous workshops at conferences and on campuses and serves as a consultant to faculty and institutions in higher education in the US, Canada, Mexico, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. To learn more about Dee and his work, visit: https://www.deefinkandassociates.com
*For a comprehensive overview of the benefits of Integrated Course Design across multiple disciplines, see New Directions in Teaching and Learning, Vol 2009, Issue 119. Designing courses for significant learning: Voices of experience. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
