Establishing Course Context
A key step in our integrated design approach at Niagara College is establishing course context — the conditions affecting course design and delivery. To begin with, it is important to understand how the teaching and learning goals and objectives of the course you are currently teaching or planning to teach relates to the other courses in the program it is part of.
To help you understand how each course fits into the program consider the following questions:
- What other courses are connected to your course?
- Are there prerequisites for your course?
- Is your course a prerequisite for later courses?
Course outlines and previous Teaching and Learning Plans, past exam questions, textbooks, resources, and conversations with other instructors or peers can also provide insights into the course goals and key concepts.
You also need to know how a variety of situational factors will influence the decisions you make about your course. Some situational factors you may need to consider include class size, course level, mode of delivery (online or in person), students’ academic profiles, technology access, and your own experience with teaching the content. As you plan for your course, consider these questions to explore and identify the situational factors of your course:
- What format is your course being taught in? Is it face-to-face, hybrid, or online?
- How large is your course? How many students will you be working with?
- What is the physical layout of your classroom or lab?
- What resources and technologies do you have available to you?
- What are your own personal teaching preferences?
For each contextual factor, consider how it might impact how your course is structured and what kind of challenges and opportunities you will have to work with. Identifying these situational/contextual factors will help you to develop the foundation of the course and make the course context more integrated, inclusive, and equitable.
Interested in reading more about Fink’s framework for Integrated Course Design? Download this 7-page Idea paper that explores Fink’s five categories and series of questions for assessing situational factors that influence or impact teaching, learners, and learning.
Get the Tool!
Would you like to get the short guide of questions to help you determine the situational considerations for learners in your course? Download the modified series of Fink’s questions, Situational Analysis guide.
Process of designing a course by considering the situational factors (e.g., delivery environment, student characteristics) that influence the decisions about the components of a course.
A document that summarizes essential course information, identifies responsibilities and expectations of students, professors, and the College, and represents a contractual agreement.
A document that outlines the basic elements of a course including what topics will be covered, a weekly schedule, and a list of activities, tests, assignments, and their associated weightings and due dates.