Intentional Course Design
Make the learning path easier to follow. Improve one real learning sequence — not a full course rebuild — so students can tell what they're learning, what to do, and what happens next.
Understand it
Intentional course design means the pieces of a learning experience work together on purpose. Students shouldn't have to reverse-engineer what they're learning, what they should do, why an activity matters, or what comes next.
A simple design check: learning goal → learner path → student action → support/practice → evidence → next step. This isn't a required template for every module — it's a way to diagnose whether a sequence makes sense from the student's side. Intentional doesn't mean longer; often it means removing, reordering, or clarifying.
Live learning experience
Bring: one course you teach, one bounded segment (a module, unit, week, or lab sequence), and its learning objective(s).
Compare two versions of the same learning sequence, purely from the learner's seat: what am I learning, what do I do first, why does each part matter, where can I practice, how will I know if I'm on track?
Six ordinary decisions make the difference: learning goal, learning path, student action, guidance and practice, evidence, and next step.
Use the Learning Sequence Planner on your own course segment, then revise it in the actual course or a working draft.
Trade with a partner or use Student View. The reviewer doesn't redesign anything — just answers whether the path, purpose, and next step are clear.
Record what you changed, what changed for students, and one next design decision to address later.
Flexible pathway
Short preparation → live design studio → independent implementation → optional reflection or share. This shape is deliberately different from the other two topics — course-design problems benefit from seeing the sequence beforehand and testing the revision afterward.
20–30 minutes. Choose one segment and run a quick learner-path scan: what do students encounter first, where do they practice, what counts as evidence?
60 minutes: compare two sequences, identify the six design decisions, then use the Learning Sequence Planner to revise your segment. Close by naming the first change you'll implement.
Use the revised sequence in the next appropriate course offering. Capture only enough evidence to show what changed — a before/after screenshot is enough.
A short reflection on what changed for students, or share the revision through a Faculty Exchange, course tour, or Demo Day.
Toolbox
No session needed — work through this in about ten minutes.
See it
Less intentional: three readings, a 40-minute video, a discussion, a quiz, an assignment — each useful, but students are left to infer how they connect.
More intentional: the goal is named up front, a concise resource builds the needed knowledge, a low-stakes activity lets students apply it, guidance helps them correct course, and the assignment demonstrates the intended learning.
Try it — six questions
- Goal: what should students know or do?
- Path: does the order help them get there?
- Action: what are they doing with the learning?
- Support: where can they practice or get guidance?
- Evidence: what will show the learning occurred?
- Next: will they know what to do afterward?
Use it — route to the right support
- Setup, navigation, publication: Course Readiness
- What students should produce: Authentic Student Work
- Faculty interaction and presence: RSI & Meaningful Faculty Presence
Quick student-eye check: before considering a sequence finished, verify a student can tell what they're learning, where to begin, why the work belongs there, where to practice, what will demonstrate learning, and what comes next.
Learning Sequence Planner
Use this with one module, unit, week, or lesson sequence. Nothing here is saved or submitted — write directly in the boxes and print or screenshot your plan when you're done.
Across disciplines
The format changes by discipline; the underlying design questions don't.
| Area | Design move |
|---|---|
| Health Sciences / Clinical | Put decision-making and guided practice before evaluated performance. |
| Computer / IT | Sequence resources around the diagnostic decisions students need to make, not textbook order. |
| English / Humanities | Create a visible bridge between reading and the final writing task. |
| Mathematics | Make method selection part of the sequence, not just procedure execution. |
| Skilled Trades | Connect observation, judgment, coached practice, and independent performance. |
| Business | Practice the reasoning the final product requires before assigning the full case. |
| Online/Hybrid entry | Reduce inference and unnecessary choice at the point of entry. |