Course design is an intentional and iterative process of planning learning experiences that support students in achieving intended learning outcomes. Whether developing a new course or redesigning an existing one, effective course design involves considering the teaching and learning context and making purposeful connections among learning outcomes, assessments, and learning activities.
This relationship, often described as constructive alignment, helps ensure that students have opportunities to develop the knowledge and skills they are expected to demonstrate. Course design also involves considering accessibility, inclusion, and learner variability throughout the process, alongside disciplinary expectations, institutional requirements, and available resources.
This resource introduces key considerations for designing and redesigning courses across in-person, hybrid, and online learning environments. For more comprehensive guidance and opportunities to apply these principles, explore CTSI’s Course Design Foundations (CDF) self-paced program or request a teaching consultation.
Considering Situational Factors
Course design begins with an understanding of the context in which teaching and learning will take place. Often referred to as situational factors, these considerations can influence learning outcomes, assessment approaches, learning activities, and other design decisions. They may also change over time, making it useful to revisit them throughout the course design process.
Consider the following factors and guiding questions:
- Students and learner variability. What prior knowledge, experiences, and skills might students bring to the course? What differences in students’ backgrounds, interests, circumstances, and learning needs should inform your planning? How might you anticipate and reduce potential barriers to participation and learning?
- Course characteristics. What is the course level, expected enrolment, and place within the program of study? Is it required or elective? Are there prerequisites or particular disciplinary expectations that shape what students should learn?
- Teaching and learning environment. Will the course be offered in person, online, or in a hybrid format? What learning spaces, schedules, technologies, or other conditions might influence how students engage with course materials and activities?
- Institutional and program requirements. What departmental, divisional, or University policies and requirements apply? Are there curriculum expectations, accreditation requirements, or established assessment practices that need to be considered?
- Instructor and teaching team. What disciplinary expertise, teaching experience, time, and resources are available? Will teaching assistants or other teaching team members support the course? How might responsibilities and available support influence course design decisions?
- Nature of the subject. What ways of thinking, investigating, creating, or communicating are central to the discipline? How might the nature of the subject influence the learning experiences and forms of assessment that are most appropriate?
Considering these factors can help instructors make informed design decisions that are responsive to their students, disciplinary context, and teaching environment. Before proposing or making substantive changes to a course, consult your department or division to confirm applicable requirements and approval processes. For additional information about curriculum development, consult the Office of the Vice-Provost, Teaching & Learning, as appropriate.
Developing Learning Outcomes
Learning outcomes describe what students should know, understand, or be able to do by the end of a course. They provide a foundation for making decisions about assessment, learning activities, and course content, helping instructors maintain a clear focus on what students are expected to learn.
When developing or revising learning outcomes, consider the knowledge, skills, and ways of thinking that are most important for students to develop. Outcomes should be clear, achievable, and appropriate to the course level, disciplinary context, and students’ prior learning. They should also describe learning that students can demonstrate through assessment.
Consider the following questions:
- What is essential for students to learn? Identify the central concepts, knowledge, skills, and disciplinary practices students should develop, rather than focusing solely on the content to be covered.
- What should students be able to demonstrate? Consider how students might apply, analyze, evaluate, create, or otherwise use what they have learned.
- How do the outcomes relate to the broader curriculum? Consider how the course builds on prior learning and prepares students for subsequent courses, disciplinary study, or professional practice.
- Are the outcomes appropriate and achievable? Review whether they reflect the course level, available time, learning environment, and opportunities students will have to develop and demonstrate their learning.
Learning outcomes may be revisited as course design decisions evolve. For example, reviewing possible assessments or learning activities may reveal that an outcome needs clarification or adjustment to better reflect the intended learning.
For more detailed guidance and examples, consult CTSI’s Developing Learning Outcomes and Active Verbs for Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy resources.
Aligning Assessments and Learning Activities
Once learning outcomes have been identified, consider how students will demonstrate their learning and what experiences will help them achieve those outcomes. Aligning learning outcomes, assessments, and learning activities helps create a coherent course in which students have opportunities to develop and demonstrate the intended knowledge and skills.
Assessments provide evidence of student learning, while learning activities offer opportunities to explore concepts, practice skills, receive feedback, and develop understanding. These components should support one another, with consideration for the course context, accessibility, inclusion, and available resources.
Designing Assessments
Assessment design begins with considering what evidence would demonstrate that students have achieved the intended learning outcomes. Different outcomes may call for different forms of assessment, depending on the knowledge, skills, or abilities students are expected to demonstrate.
Consider the following questions:
- What evidence will demonstrate student learning? Identify assessment approaches that allow students to demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and ways of thinking described in the learning outcomes.
- Are assessment methods appropriate for the intended learning? Review whether assignments, projects, presentations, tests, examinations, or other approaches provide meaningful evidence of achievement. Explore authentic assessments that invite students to apply knowledge and skills to disciplinary, professional, or real-world problems and contexts.
- How will students understand expectations and receive feedback? Communicate the purpose, tasks, and criteria for assessments clearly. Consider approaches such as Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TILT), which emphasizes making these elements explicit, alongside opportunities for formative assessment and feedback that help students monitor their progress.
- Are assessments accessible, inclusive, and manageable? Consider potential barriers, relevant academic requirements, and the time and resources available for students and the teaching team.
Assessment decisions should also reflect applicable University and divisional policies and requirements.
Designing Learning Activities
Learning activities provide opportunities for students to engage with course concepts, develop skills, practice applying knowledge, and receive feedback before demonstrating their learning through assessment.
Consider the following questions:
- How will students develop the intended knowledge and skills? Select activities that provide opportunities to practice the kinds of thinking, inquiry, problem-solving, or other disciplinary work described in the learning outcomes.
- How will students engage actively with their learning? Consider approaches such as discussion, case studies, collaborative activities, problem-solving, reflection, or inquiry-based learning, as appropriate to the course context.
- How will activities prepare students for assessment? Scaffold learning through opportunities to practice relevant skills, receive feedback, and progressively build toward more complex or independent work.
- How will students participate and access learning opportunities? Consider learner variability, the accessibility of materials and activities, and different ways students may engage with course content and one another.
Learning activities may take place during or outside scheduled class time and can be adapted for in-person, hybrid, or online learning environments. For additional strategies and examples, consult CTSI’s Active Learning at the University of Toronto resource.
Reviewing Alignment
As you develop or revise your course, consider how the three components work together:
- Learning outcomes: What should students know, understand, or be able to do?
- Assessments: How will students demonstrate that they have achieved these outcomes?
- Learning activities: What opportunities will help students develop and practice the intended learning?
For example, if a learning outcome asks students to critically evaluate evidence, learning activities might involve comparing sources, examining competing interpretations, and discussing the strengths and limitations of different arguments. An aligned assessment could then ask students to evaluate evidence and justify a conclusion.
Reviewing these connections can help identify gaps, unnecessary demands, or opportunities to strengthen the course. Alignment is an iterative process, and adjustments to one component may prompt reconsideration of the others.
Organizing Course Content and Materials
Selecting and organizing course content involves deciding which concepts, topics, readings, and other materials will best support students in achieving the intended learning outcomes. Consider what is essential for students to learn, how ideas connect, and how content can be sequenced to support the development of knowledge and skills throughout the course.
Consider the following strategies:
- Prioritize essential content. Identify the central concepts, disciplinary knowledge, and skills students need to develop. Consider the balance between breadth and depth, recognizing that covering more material does not necessarily lead to deeper understanding. Distinguishing essential content from supplementary material can also help instructors make informed adjustments when teaching circumstances change.
- Organize content purposefully. Consider whether course material is best organized chronologically, thematically, from broad concepts to specific applications, around problems or questions, or through particular disciplinary sources and methods. Select an approach that supports the learning outcomes and helps students make connections among topics.
- Sequence learning progressively. Consider how students will build on prior knowledge and develop increasingly complex understanding and skills. Identify opportunities to revisit important concepts, make connections across topics, and prepare students for subsequent learning activities and assessments.
- Select relevant readings and learning materials. Choose textbooks, scholarly articles, primary sources, multimedia, and other materials that support the course learning outcomes. Consider the amount of reading or preparation expected each week, the accessibility and availability of materials, and any associated costs to students.
- Incorporate disciplinary inquiry and research. Consider opportunities for students to engage with disciplinary questions, methods, evidence, and research practices. Where appropriate, draw on your own research or current developments in the field to help students connect course concepts with ongoing scholarly inquiry.
- Plan for access to course materials. Consult the University of Toronto Libraries about course readings, reserves, research resources, and copyright considerations. Allow sufficient time to arrange access to required materials and ensure students know where and how to obtain them.
Designing for Accessibility and Inclusion
Accessibility and inclusion are integral to effective course design. By anticipating potential barriers and considering learner variability from the outset, instructors can create learning environments that support meaningful participation and provide opportunities for students to achieve the intended learning outcomes.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and inclusive teaching approaches can inform these decisions by encouraging instructors to consider how students access information, engage in learning activities, and demonstrate their learning. These approaches complement, but do not replace, the University’s academic accommodation processes.
Consider the following strategies:
- Anticipate barriers to learning and participation. Review course materials, activities, assessments, and expectations to identify potential barriers related to accessibility, technology, communication, or participation. Consider how these barriers might be reduced through proactive design.
- Provide accessible course materials and learning environments. Use accessible formats and practices when preparing documents, presentations, multimedia, and online content. Consider the accessibility of physical and digital learning environments and the technologies students will be expected to use.
- Offer flexibility in learning activities and participation. Where appropriate, provide different ways for students to engage with course concepts, contribute to activities, and interact with others. Consider how these options can support participation while maintaining the intended learning outcomes.
- Design assessments with accessibility and inclusion in mind. Review whether assessment formats, instructions, timing, and technologies introduce barriers unrelated to the learning being assessed. Where appropriate, offer flexibility in how students demonstrate their learning while maintaining the intended learning outcomes and evaluation criteria. Provide clear expectations and follow applicable academic accommodation requirements.
- Foster an inclusive learning environment. Consider how course content, examples, communication practices, and opportunities for interaction can recognize diverse perspectives and experiences. Establish clear expectations for respectful engagement and create opportunities for students to contribute in ways appropriate to the course context.
- Communicate available supports and processes. Explain where students can find information about academic accommodations, accessibility services, and other relevant University supports. Consult your divisional or campus support offices when questions arise about accessibility or accommodation processes.
For more detailed guidance and practical strategies, consult the following CTSI resources:
Planning Course Delivery and Support
Planning how a course will be delivered involves translating design decisions into practical arrangements that support teaching and learning. Consider how the course format, teaching environment, available technologies, teaching team, and communication practices will support students in achieving the intended learning outcomes.
Consider the following strategies:
- Confirm course requirements and logistics. Review relevant departmental and divisional requirements, including course level, enrolment, prerequisites, scheduling, contact hours, and the need for tutorials, laboratories, or specialized learning spaces. Consult the appropriate academic or administrative offices when planning a new course or making substantive changes to an existing one.
- Consider the course delivery mode. Whether teaching in person, online, or in a hybrid format, consider how the delivery mode and learning environment will support the intended activities, interactions, and assessments. Account for relevant institutional requirements and the opportunities and constraints of the teaching context. For guidance specific to online course design and teaching, consult CTSI’s Designing and Teaching Online Courses resource.
- Coordinate with your teaching team. If working with teaching assistants (TAs) or other teaching team members, clarify roles, responsibilities, expectations, and communication practices. Consider how teaching team members will support learning activities, tutorials, laboratories, assessment, feedback, and student questions. For additional guidance, consult CTSI’s Developing and Managing a TA Team resource.
- Select educational technologies purposefully. Consider how Quercus and other educational technologies can help students access materials, participate in activities, communicate, and demonstrate their learning. Explore the University of Toronto’s Academic Toolbox, a curated collection of educational technologies available to support teaching and learning. Select tools based on pedagogical needs, accessibility, and available institutional support rather than introducing technology for its own sake.
- Develop a clear and accessible course syllabus. Communicate course learning outcomes, organization, assessments, expectations, policies, and available supports. Consider how the syllabus can help students understand the course and navigate their learning. Consult CTSI’s Developing a Course Syllabus and Sample Statements for Your Course Syllabi resources, or explore the Syllabus Design Foundations (SDF) self-paced program.
- Plan course communication and student support. Establish clear communication channels, expectations for responses, and ways for students to ask questions or seek assistance. Identify relevant academic, accessibility, library, and technical support services, and communicate how students can access them.
For guidance on preparing for and responding to disruptions that may affect teaching and learning, consult CTSI’s Academic Continuity Planning resource.
Reviewing and Refining Your Course
Course design is an ongoing, iterative process that benefits from reflection, feedback, and revisiting earlier decisions. Whether reviewing a newly developed course or an existing one, consider how well the course supports student learning, which design decisions are working well, and where adjustments may be helpful.
Reviewing the alignment among learning outcomes, assessments, and learning activities, alongside the situational factors that shape the course, can help instructors make informed decisions about what to retain, adapt, or explore further.
Consider the following strategies:
- Review alignment across course components. Examine whether learning outcomes, assessments, and learning activities continue to support one another. Consider whether students have sufficient opportunities to develop, practice, and demonstrate the intended knowledge and skills.
- Gather feedback from students. Invite students to share their experiences with course organization, learning activities, assessments, materials, and opportunities for participation. Consider using informal check-ins, mid-course feedback, or other formative approaches to identify what is supporting learning and where clarification or adjustments may be helpful.
- Reflect on evidence of student learning. Review student work, assessment results, participation patterns, and other available evidence to identify areas of strength or difficulty. Consider what this information may suggest about course activities, assessment approaches, or instructional supports. Interpret findings in context, recognizing that differences in student preparation, course enrolment, teaching environments, and other factors may influence outcomes. Avoid attributing changes in student performance to a single teaching strategy or course design decision without considering these influences.
- Seek feedback from colleagues and teaching team members. Discuss course experiences with TAs, co-instructors, peers, or educational developers. Consider opportunities for peer observation, consultation, or collaborative reflection to gain additional perspectives on teaching and learning.
- Identify priorities for revision. Use feedback and evidence to determine what to retain, adapt, or explore further. Consider possible adjustments to content, activities, assessments, communication, accessibility, or support, recognizing that changes can be introduced incrementally.
- Document changes and their impact. Keep a record of the adjustments made, the reasons for making them, and any evidence of their effects on teaching and learning. This documentation can support future course revisions, reflective teaching practice, and the development of a teaching dossier.
For additional guidance, explore CTSI’s Reflecting on Your Teaching at U of T resources, including Gathering Formative Feedback with Mid-Course Evaluations, and Building Your Teaching Dossier.