Designing Course Content

This page includes:

Planning a course for the first time
Finding information about the course's history
Creating learning objectives
Information needed for designing course content

How do I plan the content for a course that I have never taught before?

An instructor must first decide upon the most fundamental aspects of course development: breadth and depth.

Breadth and Depth

The concepts of breadth and depth as they apply to course content can be compared to the root structures of trees. Breadth applies to how broad the content is (i.e. how many concepts the content touches upon). A very wide breadth of information is similar to the root structure of a redwood tree (below left). Depth, on the other hand, refers to the degree to which any one concept is explored. A great depth of information means that the individual concept has been explored very thoroughly and can be compared to the deep-reaching root structure of oak trees (below right).

picture showing a redwood tree with a shallow and broad root system

picture showing an oak tree with a deep root system

Breadth vs. Depth

Another way to think about this problem is to consider your course as having a specified amount of content that fills a certain area on the depth / breadth graph below. It is inadvisable to teach a course which is both very wide and deep, essentially filling the entire graph, and thus expecting students to master all of the content in your field. Here are some examples of different types of courses. Click repeatedly on the graph to see them.

Using the picture below, click on the links to see the relationship between breadth and depth of content in different types of courses. The letters A,B,C, and D indicate the major topic headings in your course.

How can I find more information on the course's history?

Use the following checklist to gather information about the course's history.

Ask department secretary / administrative staff to gather information on previous dates of offerings, instructors, and student enrollment data
Ask the campus bookstore for the history of text adoptions in this course
Ask the chairperson for syllabi or websites on this course
Ask colleagues from other campuses where this type of course is taught
Check university data on the majors of students that have registered for this course
Perform a web search on this course for on-line versions or other catalog descriptions

What are my learning objectives?

In planning to teach any course for the first time, it is essential to have a specific list of learning objectives which will help drive the entire content and approach of the course. Although considered a crucial part of course planning, many instructors do not write down their course objectives and miss an opportunity to optimize their teaching. To help develop the specific course objectives, go to the module on Learning Objectives.

What information do I need in order to plan the course content?

An initial step is to determine the pre- and post-course offerings that surround your course. The 'pre' offerings consist of either the pre-requisite courses that are listed in the university catalog or other courses that most students generally take prior to taking your class. The 'post' offerings are courses that students take after completing your course and which depend on specific content or skills to be learned in your course.

Use the following form to create a plan the pre and post content for your course. Fill in the boxes with the appropriate information and then click the 'Create your plan' button.

Your Course Title

Pre-Course:

Pre-courses		Content / Skills Needed for Your Course
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Post-Course:

Post-Courses		Content / Skills Acquired in Your Course
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