Drawing from the literature on instructional design and my own experience in working with faculty, I
have put together the checklist of potentially significant factors in Exhibit 3.2. I have tried to make the
list as comprehensive as possible by including questions about the specific context, the general context,
the subject matter, and the characteristics of the learner and of the teacher
The assumption is that for any given course, some of these factors will be important and others will
not be.
But if you systematically go through the whole list, you should be able to identify all the major
factors for any particular course.
Specific Context. This set of questions is always important. Knowing whether there are twenty
students or a hundred, whether the course is a. freshman introductory course or a. graduate seminar,
whether the class meets M-W-F for fifty minutes or once a week for three hours, whether the course is
going to be conducted live in a classroom or delivered totally online such information will always be
important when making key course design decisions.
Expectations Of External Groups. Groups external to the course frequently have expectations about
what students should learn, and the teacher needs to take these expectations into account. For example,
50:25.29» wants graduates of college courses in U.S. government and U.S. history to have a basic
knowledge of this aspect of our country and perhaps a commitment to the ideals and activities of