By Pooja K. Agarwal, Ph.D.

Oh. My. Gosh. I love course design. In my book, resources, and talks, I’ve always focused on low-prep, low-stakes strategies you can use to boost students’ long-term learning. But I’ve never written about the big picture: how to design (or re-design) an entire course.

Inspired by recent conversations with my teacher-friends, I’d like to share three tools to help you re-design a course for the new school year:

Reflection questions to move beyond “what worked and what didn’t”
A subscribers-only Zoom party (subscribe here for more info)
A reflection Google Form to request specific feedback for your course

It can be exciting—and daunting—to design assignments, lectures, projects, presentations, grading structures, and assessments. Join me and educators from around the world as we exchange new ideas to transform your course into a rewarding learning experience for you and your students.

P.S. Did you know that I have a YouTube channel at youtube.com/@retrievalpractice? I’ve curated hundreds of videos on teaching, learning, studying, and research by cognitive scientists.

Reflection questions for course re-design

Throughout my 15 years of writing and speaking with educators, I’ve been a big advocate of brief activities to implement retrieval practice and research-based learning strategies. One thing that didn’t dawn on me until recently was how much I love course design – the big picture of learning objectives, readings and assignments, projects and presentations, grading structures, attendance and deadline policies, and more. For me, course design is like a big jigsaw puzzle and it’s so satisfying when everything just fits.

During the summer break, I spend a few weeks unwinding from the hectic school year with sleep, exercise, TV, travel, and read (click here for my summer reading challenges). At this point in the summer, my teaching cap is back on, with a lot of energy spent on how I can make my courses even better before the fall. To get me started, I always revisit one of my favorite books about course design, On Course by James Lang. In his book Small Teaching, Lang highlights small, quick, and practical strategies for retrieval practice.

Summer is a perfect time to ideate and create. Once you pick a specific course to re-design, it’s easy to reflect on what went well and what didn’t go well (what I call “course remorse”). Here are additional questions to engage in deeper reflection:

What is a lesson or activity that is particularly memorable for you? Why does it stand out?
What is an aspect of your course that frustrates you? (lecture slides, a course policy, assignment requirements, etc.)
What is something specific you love about your course? What would you adjust to love it even more?
Ponder three things: what is something you want to start doing in your course, something you want to stop doing, and something you want to keep doing?

Note that these questions are not about your students’ thoughts on your course. These questions emphasize what you find frustrating and what you enjoy about your course. Keep in mind that you can re-design parts of your course that are already going well, too.

Join our back-to-school Zoom Party

Whether you’re a K–12 educator or in higher ed, you might find course ideas on social media, from colleagues, and/or a teaching center on your campus. But how often do you get the opportunity to share what works for you and learn what works for others from a brand new community of educators like you?

Back by popular demand, I’ll be hosting a back-to-school Zoom Party, exclusively for newsletter subscribers. Not a subscriber? Sign up for my newsletter to receive the Zoom link.

Last summer, hundreds of educators from around the world joined me in chatting about research, teaching, study strategies, neuromyths, and more. The informal vibe led to lasting friendships, with many of us meeting up in person and keeping in touch (Hi Shelly!).

Join me and get some fresh ideas beyond your usual sounding board. Here’s how the Zoom Party works:

Live, informal, and un-recorded (no need to RSVP)
Stop by any time and stay for as long (or as little) as you’d like
You can share ideas, be a wallflower, or anything in between

Note: Because we’ll be focusing on course design (lectures, grading structures, course policies, etc.), this Zoom Party may be most helpful for high school, college, and graduate school educators, but all are welcome to join.

Can’t attend the Zoom Party, but interested in a Zoom customized for your school or organization? Email me at ask@retrievalpractice.org for more information.

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