Stanford instructors explore teaching excellence at the Course Design Institute

In early September 2024, as students wrapped up summer and began to arrive for pre-orientation activities, 40 Stanford instructors met to explore teaching excellence at the Course Design Institute (CDI), facilitated by the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL). This year’s CDI was the largest ever, reaching new disciplines and new types of courses, and included experienced teachers and instructors new to Stanford and teaching. The CDI brings instructors from all disciplines together to focus on enhancing the student experience. Integrating the latest research on what works in the classroom to engage learners, the three-day institute highlights Stanford’s lead in pursuing better modes of education for students.

Since the first “Course Design Boot Camp” in 2011, the annual CDI has provided faculty and lecturers with a collaborative environment in which to work on the design of a new or existing course optimized for student inclusion, learning, and engagement. This CDI was not only the largest ever, but one of the most diverse, with participation from five of the seven schools, including Medicine and Law. The CDI emphasizes practical, student-centered course design, and provides instructors with protected space to work on their own courses. The theme of diversity and new approaches extended to the topics this year: sessions with CTL experts included specific discussions of neurodiversity, and also approaches to Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education, for the first time.

Aligned with the student-centered approach to course design, on the final day of the institute, participants shared their draft syllabi with a group of 13 students for focused, one-on-one feedback. For the instructors, this was a unique opportunity to gather insights on how students read and respond to their syllabus before the beginning of classes.

Ken Shultz, William Bennett Munro Professor of Political Science, reflected on his CDI experience: “it was good to be thoughtful about how everything fits together – being more intentional about meeting student needs and the steps to get there.” Lecturer at the Stanford University Center for East Asian Studies Gerui Wang said, “The workshop itself modeled best practices in pedagogy. The SMART goals aligned learning objectives with clear outcomes. The 5E model (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate) helped refine my course activities. Student review of the syllabi is a game changer. Most of all, connecting with fellow instructors and CTL colleagues was truly inspiring!”

Participants appreciated the opportunity to collaborate across disciplines and also acknowledged the value of dedicated time and space to work with one’s self and others in the same discipline area.

“The sheer range of expertise in the room is really remarkable,” said CTL associate director for faculty and lecturer programs, Kenny Ligda, who coordinated the 2024 CDI. “I feel like just allowing for these conversations to happen is one of the best things about the institute. This year we’re especially lucky with the variety and creativity of classes being developed. People have been sharing about what originally awakened their curiosity in a field, and thinking about how best to impart that to students. It really is an inspiring thing to be a part of.”  

The School of Humanities and Sciences encourages all new assistant professors to attend CDI. Professor Lanier Anderson, J.E. Wallace Sterling Professor in Humanities, professor of philosophy, and interim vice provost for undergraduate education, said, “In H&S, we created the expectation for all new assistant professors to participate in CDI as part of a larger effort to improve teaching. It has also made a tangible difference in the culture of teaching and the connections that early career faculty have with each other.”

The CTL presenters explicitly link the best research and knowledge about teaching to the design and delivery of the CDI itself, and will continue to iterate and develop the institute and its resources. Although no course design is ever complete – or ideal – CDI creates a space where instructors can draft a syllabus or a course outline and freely explore ideas for activities and assessments, so they can continue to pursue excellence in teaching and learning and enhance their own teaching practice and personal satisfaction.

Learn more about the CTL Course Design Institute.