This page introduces two practical design lenses that guide the rest of this resource:
Learner-centred teaching: How can we design learning experiences that respond to who our students are and how they learn?
Backward design: How can we begin with the intended learning, then align assessment and learning activities to support that learning?
You do not need to master the theory before designing your course. Use these lenses to make practical decisions as you move through the course design process.
Learner-centred teaching
Learner-centred teaching shifts attention from what instructors do to what and how students learn. It recognizes students as active participants who bring varied experiences, prior knowledge, motivations, and needs to the classroom.
As Maryellen Weimer explains in Five Characteristics of Learner-Centred Teaching (this link will ask you for your institution (e.g., University of British Columbia). Enter your CWL and password), when students are actively engaged in the learning process, they can develop deeper understanding and become more independent, confident learners.
This does not mean lowering expectations or reducing academic challenge. Learner-centred teaching creates the conditions that help students engage, grow, and meet course expectations from wherever they begin.
Backward Design
Backward Design, watch this 6-minute video on Youtube
Backward design complements this approach by starting with the end in mind:
- What should students be able to do by the end of the course?
- What evidence will show that they have achieved this learning?
- What learning experiences will help them get there?
Reflection:
Choose one course you teach or plan to teach.
One shift I would like to make in my course design is _______________.
Applying learner-centred teaching and backward design
Together, learner-centred teaching and backward design invite several shifts:
| Instead of asking only… | Also ask… |
| What content should I cover? | What should students be able to do with this content? |
| What will I teach? | What will students practise, discuss, create, or apply? |
| How will I grade students? | What evidence do students need to produce to demonstrate their learning? |
| What activities do I like using? | What activities prepare students for the intended learning? |
| What worked for me as a learner? | What might support the learners in this course? |
Some examples:
Instructor-centred Starting Point: I will explain how research design works.
Possible revisions with the two design lenses:
- Students will compare three research designs and choose the most appropriate one for a short scenario.
- This prepares them for an upcoming assignment where they justify a research approach.
Instructor-centred Starting Point: I will lecture on how temperature and pH affect enzymes.
Possible revisions with the two design lenses:
- Students will interpret sample data showing enzyme activity under different conditions and explain which factor has the strongest effect.
- This prepares them for a lab report where they analyze experimental results and connect them to biological principles.
Instructor-centred Starting Point: I will summarize the key events and causes of a historical event.
Possible revisions with the two design lenses:
- Students will examine two short primary-source excerpts and identify how each author’s perspective shapes the event.
- This prepares them for an essay where they analyze historical evidence and make an argument about interpretation.
Reflection:
One change I could make to better support student learning is ________________________.
Examining assumptions and barriers
A learner-centred approach asks us to notice the assumptions built into our course design. Some assumptions are useful and reasonable. Others may create barriers for students or make learning harder than it needs to be.
Choose one important part of your course, consider:
What am I assuming?
- What am I assuming students already know?
- What am I assuming students can access?
- What am I assuming students have time to do?
- What am I assuming students understand about academic expectations?
- What am I assuming motivates students?
Who might be supported or excluded?
- Which students are likely to thrive under this design?
- Which students may face additional barriers?
- Are the barriers essential to the learning, or are they created by the design?
- What forms of participation, knowledge, communication, or experience are being valued?
What could I adjust?
- What could be made clearer?
- What could be scaffolded?
- What could be made more flexible?
- What feedback or practice could be added?
- What barrier could be reduced while preserving the intended learning?
Noticing assumptions and barriers in course design takes time. Many of these assumptions are familiar, well-intended, and shaped by our own learning experiences, disciplinary norms, institutional structures, and previous teaching routines. They are not always easy to see at first.
You do not need to identify or address every barrier at once. Begin with one part of your course and one possible adjustment. As you continue through this resource, the pages on understanding your students, analyzing your context, assessment, active learning, and alignment can help you return to these questions with more detail and support.
Learner-centred course design is an iterative process. Each small revision can help make the course more transparent, accessible, and meaningful for students.
Want to join a course design cohort?
The Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology (CTLT) hosts two course design programs.
Course Design Intensive (CDI)
The CDI is for faculty members, including instructors and sessional lecturers, teaching credit courses at UBC, where you will work in a supportive atmosphere, both individually and collaboratively, to design or redesign a UBC credit course. The CDI is usually offered around mid-August and composed of two in-person sessions and two online sessions.
Journey into Course Design (JiCD)
JiCD is for faculty members, staff, and graduate students, who are designing courses, modules, and/or learning activities. This 2-part in-person workshop is usually offered in May/June and November/December.
Please check CTLT’s event page for the latest offerings of either CDI or JiCD.
