In addition to choosing texts and identifying the key concepts addressed in a course, developing a course typically entails:
- Understanding how people learn
- Considering principles and models of course design
- Clarifying learning goals and outcomes
Online courses: students in online courses benefit from learning activities that make use of the collaborative learning and community building functions available in an online environment. Instructional Design and Development provides training and professional, collaborative assistance to faculty as they plan for an online course.
Strategies and resources for specific course types:
- Developing Liberal Studies courses
- Refer to guidelines for faculty provided on the Liberal Studies Program website.
- The Center for Writing provides support for designing effective writing assignments to meet the Liberal Studies Program's Writing Expectations.Contact Marion Wilson, Assistant Director for Faculty Support in the Center for Writing-based Learning for an appointment.
- Developing online or hybrid courses
- Refer to the online design resource page for an introduction.
- Contact an Instructional Design and Development (IDD) consultant for additional assistance.
- Developing service learning courses
Diamond, R. (1998). Designing & assessing courses & curricula: A practical guide. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. (Available at Office for Teaching, Learning and Assessment).
Fink, L.D. (2003). Creating significant learning experiences : An integrated approach to designing college courses. San Francisco, Calif. : Jossey-Bass. (The book is available at Richardson Library and Office for Teaching, Learning and Assessment; you can also learn more at the Creating Significant Learning Experiences website)
---. (2007). The Power of Course Design to Increase Student Engagement and Learning. Peer Review, 9 (1), 13-17. (note: DePaul campus connect username and password required)
Instructional Design and Development
- Consultation and resources on developing online, hybrid, or web-enhanced courses.
- Design and development of learning activities enriched by technology
- Resources on developing multimedia curriculum resources
Office for Teaching, Learning and Assessment
- Resources and research on learning
Steans Center for Community-Based Service Learning
- Consultation and resources on developing service learning courses



