The Course Design Matrix
The Course Design Matrix should be used during the early stages of course design to shape and focus course design event activity. Revisiting the Matrix throughout the course design process will be a useful activity for helping the course team and CELT colleagues monitor progress made with course design. Exemplary practice will be identified during the design process.d
Using the Course Design Matrix
We encourage course teams to complete this collaboratively, taking a whole course approach to the review and design. It asks a series of questions about your vision for the course, the learning experience, content, delivery, assessment, quality and governance and the kinds of developmental activities you would like to engage with or would find helpful in further enhancing your course and the academic experience of your students. Each of the question areas is evaluated to a self-evaluation rubric.
| Incomplete | Promising | Secure (Baseline) | Exemplary |
| Selection would indicate that the course currently has limited evidence of good practice being in place and there is a need to develop this aspect of provision significantly. | Selection would indicate the course has some evidence of good practice in this aspect of provision but there is still work to do before this can be considered 'secure'. | Selection would indicate the course has consistent evidence of good practice in this aspect of provision. | Selection would indicate that all aspects of provision are 'secure' with some exceptional examples of practice. |
Developmental activities
We offer a range of developmental activities to support you in your work to develop and enhance your course.
| Course and Module straplines | This activity helps you to define the purpose and mission for your course. |
| Course storyboarding | This activity helps you to develop the vision and narrative for your course. This includes being able to articulate the learning journey you are taking your students on, what will be different for them once they have completed their studies, and why the content included matters. It builds a picture of the course at each level of study, and can help as an initial tool in understanding how aspects such as employability, enterprise and entrepreneurship flow across and through the course, connecting outcomes and skills. |
| Module storyboarding | This activity brings the course storyboard to life at a module level. In this session you will work collectively, as a team, to connect theory and practice, assessment and delivery methods. through this activity you will be able to ensure a range of assessment modes and that delivery choices best-support learning to be completed. |
| Designing the Blend |
Blended learning is at the heart of our Block and Blend pedagogy, and locates Brightspace at the heart of the learning experience. Intentional blended learning design ensures that learning activities, resources and technologies are used to link learning across learning environments, sessions and even modules. This activity will help your team to understand how blended learning should be adopted for your modules and course to create a consistent experience. |
| Building the Blend | This is a hands-on session in which you will work with the Learning Design team to build modules within Brightspace. The finished module can act as a template for other modules, and be used for the submission for approval. |
| Peer support | Through this you will learn about the different areas of expertise across the University who can support you in your teaching, course design or in engaging your students in their learning. |
| Course team CPD | These sessions are designed to meet the specific needs of your team based on any specific theme in the course design blueprint. |
| Milestones | This activity is all about maintaining momentum. At the end of the Milestones activity, you will have an action plan to support further enquiry into design features and to build on the work accomplished through the Course Design and Development Events. |