| Most research published on improving teaching practice and student learning outcomes in higher education focuses on how faculty approach the public act of teaching, not on how faculty privately design the instruction that they will implement in the classroom (Angelo & Cross, 1993; Davis, 1993; McKeachie, 1994). Faculty receive little training in how to design instruction and teach when they are doctoral students. In addition, the literature indicates that when college faculty design courses, they do not follow systematic processes (Diamond, 1998; Hiscock, 1997; Richlin, 2006; Weimer, 2001). However, changing factors in higher education, especially increased emphasis on accountability and assessment, are revitalizing an interest in course design processes. Barr and Tagg (1995) use the phrase "shift from an instruction to a learning paradigm" to refer to changes they observe "taking hold" in higher education (p. 13). They state, "the Instruction Paradigm is to offer courses. In the Learning Paradigm, on the other hand, a college's purpose is not to transfer knowledge but to create environments and experiences that bring students to discover and construct knowledge for themselves" (p. 15).;Conversely, Hiscock (1997) states, "There is no point in trying to advise faculty on how to improve their courses until it is known how they presently develop courses" (p. 216). Therefore, this exploratory study identifies and describes the variety of ways that faculty, at a single higher education institution, currently experience the process of designing courses. A qualitative methodology called phenomenography, that is designed to investigate variation in experiences, was selected for this study. The identification of five qualitatively different ways of conducting course design and three themes of expanding awareness fill gaps in the higher education course design literature and provide the foundation for future phenomenographic studies on course design. In addition, the findings provide educational developers with a better understanding and awareness of the course design process, which will prepare them to help faculty reflect on and enhance their approaches to course design and teaching. |
