Course design: textbook chapters 1 and 2 summary

Posner, G. & Rudnitksy, A. (2005). Course Design: A Guide to Curriculum Development for Teachers. New York; Allyn & Bacon.

The first chapter of Course Design begins, appropriately enough, with a detailed and comprehensive overview of the necessary information and, most importantly, the necessary questions to ask when setting out to design a lesson plan and full curriculum. The authors begin with the general methods of approaching course design, and work through some of the practical and real-world details of the project itself before tackling the conceptual frameworks and theories that can be brought to bear on course design. This progression helps to situate the reader and to make the conceptual framework more accessible in that its relevance to the task at hand -- i.e. The designing of an educational course -- than the simple and un-introduced description of the conceptual frameworks would have been.

In the latter portion of the first chapter, the authors move on to other considerations that form a vital part of course design in the real world. The relationship between course design and curriculum development is at once straightforward and highly complex, and the authors do an adequate job of situating both in their relationship to each other. This section remains somewhat obscure, however, and could perhaps have used a little more explanation in exactly how course designs must be constructed with a mind towards supporting curricula. Because of its direct practicality and concrete relevance, the section regarding the alignment of courses and curricula with established standards was definitely more useful, and properly prepared the reader for the task of designing a course.

Despite some of its shortcomings in its abstractions, the first chapter of this textbook dos a more than serviceable job of introducing the reader to the task of course design and the many different considerations that must be taken when engaging in this endeavor. The strongest points of the chapter are those that are the most concrete; theory is of course essential, but especially for those new to the task of developing educational goals it can seem abstruse and difficult to relate to. The more practical and directly observable real-world details that the authors delve into, once established, would help to make the theory more accessible, as would a more detailed explanation of some of the more abstract areas of course design (such as its relationship with and influence by curriculum design).

Chapter 2

These concrete details are far more abundant in the second chapter of the textbook, which begins to deal directly and explicitly with the details of creating a course design. The simple mundane details that the authors point out such as the different visual cues to be used in effectively organizing and presenting a course design would not have been something I would have thought of; the authors truly approach the task of course design in a way that makes it accessible to someone who is almost completely naive in the area. From the initial idea and the tentative outline to the establishment of intended learning outcomes to the continued adjustment and refinement of the course design, even during the teaching process to some degree, the authors provide a truly comprehensive guide to course design in this chapter.

The different methods of laying out the course design that the authors discuss (which are not mutually exclusive, as is pointed out) are also very helpful for understanding exactly what is needed in an effective course design, and of course how to present this information in an effective manner. Conceptual maps, narratives, and flow charts each receive separate attention in this chapter, and all can be incredibly helpful in determining how to most effectively design a course and promote the achievement of the intended learning outcomes. After their discussion of these various elements of the design itself, the authors also take time to reflect on one of the most essential aspects of course design -- determining the appropriate level of information and instruction for the students. This is one of the most basic yet entirely fundamental parts of any good course design; if the materials and objectives are not student-appropriate, the most brilliant design in the world would still fail.