UO Course Builder
This guide highlights important steps to take to get your new course off the ground because we know that launching a new course can be daunting, even if you are taking it over from a colleague or have taught a similar course in the past. If you are teaching an online course, please also check out our Developing your Online Course Toolkit for more guidance in the particulars of online courses.
The Course Builder is structured to help you align each piece of your course with your learning objectives for students. Following the link to each step offers actions to take, questions to reflect on, and resources to help as you plan. We also share UO-specific details on how each step links to our definition of teaching excellence and UO students' perspectives on how faculty can design courses to be inclusive, supportive, and accessible.
The first step in course design is determining your learning objectives—the knowledge and skills you want your students to achieve by the end of your course. Outside the classroom, your students will interact with your course through Canvas and your course materials.
Take these steps to establish the big picture of your course:
Once you have learning objectives that you want your students to achieve, you'll want to make a plan to measure the degree to which students have achieved them. This is student assessment or, more plainly, grading. Once you set an assessment plan, you can develop and refine individual assignments throughout the term, always keeping your learning objectives in mind.
Take these steps to plan your assessments:
Now that you know how you will assess your learning objectives, you want to design lessons and activities that help your students achieve your learning objectives. Just telling them how to achieve your learning objectives isn't enough; you want to help them practice.
Take these steps to prepare your lessons:
You are almost ready to teach! You have your learning objectives set, know how you are going to assess them, and have prepared material and methods to help your students achieve them. Before your first day, let's make sure you, your teaching team, and your students are all on the same page.
Take these steps to launch your course successfully:
Get More Support for Your Teaching
Our Event Calendar has dates for teaching workshops, reading groups, and other teaching-centered activities at UO.
Both UO Online and TEP are here to help you!