Course Redesign Resources
Course (Re)design Resources
One of the goals of the EarlyEdU for Inclusion project is to support faculty in re-imagining their course syllabi to reflect a focus on inclusion in course materials, assignments, and discussions. The resources on this page are designed to facilitate reflection about current syllabi components, and support faculty in using a backward course design to plan for assignments, learning experiences, readings and resources, that will help students learn about and apply practices that support the development of each and every child and family they work with.
Backward Course Design Overview
Backward course design is an approach to planning course materials and experiences that centers on first identifying what you want students to be able to know and do by the end of your course and then identifying the resources and experiences they will need in order to meet those learning goals. Learn more about backward course design and tips for using it in your own course design at the Vanderbilt Center for Teaching website.
Planning Template for Course (Re)Design
This template is designed to help faculty plan for syllabus re-design by focusing first on making any needed changes to course objectives to reflect a more inclusive focus, and then consider what additions or edits to the existing assignments, readings/resources, and learning activities might need to be made to ensure alignment with learning outcomes and student experiences during the course.
Guiding Questions for Assignment and Activity Planning
Our team has created a set of guiding questions that can be used to reflect on existing course assignments and activities to support planning in the redesign process. The questions are designed to encourage reflection on course objectives and intentions for student learning, and make a plan for how each will be represented across the assignments, readings, and activities you assign. We also include questions to help reflect on where course resources and materials come from, and if and how they reflect diverse voices, opinions, and experiences.
SCRIPT NC Assignment Alignment and "Makeover" Tools
Our partners at SCRIPT NC have a wealth of tools and resources related to course re-design. The assignment alignment tool can help faculty reflect on assignments and consider if any changes might be needed to ensure that course objectives, learning standards, etc. are addressed in a comprehensive way across course assignments. You can check out other SCRIPT-NC resources at this link.