Name: Course Design Institute: May 11-22, 2026
Start: 2026-05-12T13:00:00-05:00
End: 2026-05-12T14:00:00-05:00
Location: Via Canvas Course and Synchronous Zoom Sessions

This is a recurring event. See all events.

Event Description

This intensive course design institute (CDI), spread out over 2 weeks, will guide participants in planning and preparing to teach a course that is supported by the latest research in teaching and learning. During the CDI, facilitators will model and discuss a range of tools and strategies that can enhance your instruction, ensure alignment between course goals and assessments, and establish an inclusive and engaging learning environment for your students.

Participants who fully engage in the program will leave with a significant portion of their course planning finished, including clearly delineated learning goals, an assessment/assignment plan, a draft of the syllabus and course policies, and a detailed plan for the first day of class.

The CDI will be conducted through a combination of daily self-paced learning modules in Canvas and 4 synchronous Zoom meetings (1 hour each). Overall time commitment for participating includes 4 hours of live engagement, plus an average of 1-2 hours each day for asynchronous work in Canvas (reading, watching videos, working on drafting aspects of your course).

The content for this two-week CDI is the same as our previous one-week versions, but we have spread it out over two weeks based on participant feedback to allow for deeper engagement with the material.

Live sessions will take place from 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM via Zoom on the following dates:

Tuesday, May 12th
Thursday, May 14th
Tuesday, May 19th
Thursday, May 21st

To participate, faculty must commit to attending three of the four live sessions.

Program Learning Objectives

Participants will:

Learn about and employ backwards design to develop a course plan;
Design, develop, and build materials for their course including learning goals, assessment plan, syllabus, and more;
Discover strategies for helping students thrive, including ways to promote meaningful interaction and support equitable learning; and
Experience Canvas from the perspective of a student in a course.

Note that this course design institute is primarily open to faculty at WashU. If you are a graduate student who will be an instructor of record in an upcoming semester and would like to participate, please contact the CTL for next steps. A limited number of spots will be available for graduate students who are getting ready to teach independently.

Questions? Contact us at ctl@wustl.edu.

Registration

Please contact the CTL with any questions: ctl@wustl.edu

Course Design Institute May 2026

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