Course planning can take place at three different levels: degree programme level, course level and teaching level:
At degree programme level, the heads of degree programme and director of studies deal with the purpose, learning objectives, overall themes and type of examination for the individual course. These choices form the framework for detailed planning of the individual course.
At course level, the course coordinator considers how a course is structured across a semester. At course level, it is important that there is consistency between the learning objectives of the course and the choice of form of instruction, content and type of examination, for example. Consideration is also given to alignment between the course's academic content, workload and time use for the students in relation to ECTS, as well as the students' qualifications.
At teaching level, consideration is given to the individual teaching sessions of the course. At this level, the teacher plans the specific learning activities students must carry out to achieve the learning objectives, as well as the content and resources to support students in this process.
Whether planning concerns degree programmes, courses or teaching, it is paramount that there is consistency between learning objectives, type of examination and learning activities. This is called constructive alignment.
Learning objectives state what the students must be able to do at the exam. Based on the objectives, it must be possible to assess whether the students have achieved the desired learning from the course. Learning objectives are central to planning teaching activities and form the basis for assessing student performance at the final exam.
See more under Learning objectives and taxonomies.
Assessment of the degree to which the student has achieved the desired learning.
At the exam, this takes the form of an assessment of the student's performance, but there may also be feedback during the course, where the student can improve their performance.
Students typically focus on exams, and this influences their study choices and priorities (read more about the backwash effect during exams). Teaching activities must therefore be organised such that students achieve - and experience achieving - the learning objectives, and are ready for the exam. This can help increase students' motivation and commitment to the teaching activities.
When planning your course, there are many things to consider such as structure, content, teaching activities, student workload, facilitation of teaching, etc. We have compiled various approaches to course planning that can make it easier to structure the course and organise the students' learning process. There are also a number of considerations to take into account before, during and after your course:
You can adjust the didactic choices to best support the students' learning process and ensure that they take the didactic framework into account.
Didactic choices include:
| Purpose and learning objectives | What do the students need to learn on the course? Note that these may be laid down in academic regulations/course catalogue on some degree programmes. If you are in doubt, check with your head of degree programme or director of studies. |
| Themes and content | The themes central to the course and the content of the course. It is important to be critical when selecting content in order to avoid too much material. |
| Media and learning technology | What teaching resources such as the spoken word, practical exercises and experiences, experiments, excursions, textbooks, illustrations, learning technologies or other experiences can support learning? |
| Forms of instruction | Based on the given form of instruction, how can you organise the course with various teaching activities that support the students' learning process and encourage them to work actively with the course themes and content? |
| Exam | How can you organise the exam based on the given form of examination to best assess whether the student has achieved the desired learning objectives? |
You cannot change the didactic framework, but it is important to take into account and consider the didactic framework when planning your course.
The didactic framework includes:
| Student qualifications | For example, the students' knowledge and abilities as well as their interests. |
| Social-cultural conditions | Social and cultural conditions, which often depend on the student's background and the academic tradition of the study environment. |
Organisational and financial framework | Organisational and financial framework, e.g. laws and political guidelines, provisions in the academic regulations/course catalogue including purpose, learning objectives, form of examination and ECTS credits, as well as physical conditions. |
On the basis of the didactic choices and framework, you may consider the following before, during and after your course:
| Teaching evaluation | How did the students react on the last course? |
| Talk to colleagues | Are there gaps or overlaps with other courses? Are there periods in which several courses require a lot of the students at the same time? |
| Experience from last semester | If you yourself taught the course last time, consider what worked particularly well and what could be improved. If another teacher taught the course, ask about their experience with the course and what they would change next time. |
| What do you know about the students? | If you know about the students' qualifications and background, it is easier to plan a course for them. Consider, in particular, how far they are on their degree programme, what their background is, what courses they have already had and consequently what they are capable of. Talk to the students or hold a vote and quickly test whether your expectations of them are correct. |
| What should the students be able to do after completing the course? | The students will move on to new courses that build on the current course as well as into the labour market. So consider what the students will have to go through on the course to be ready for this. |
| Is there constructive alignment? | Is there alignment between learning objectives, teaching activities and the way exams are organised? |
| Find out what the students already know | Find out who the students are, what they already know, and how best to support their learning process. |
| Adjust the course to suit the students' needs | Perhaps you will ascertain that the students find it easy or difficult to do certain parts of the course, or perhaps you will assess a need to adjust the teaching activities for other reasons. In this case, you are free to adjust along the way to take into account any challenges or changes during the process. For example, you can carry out a super-fast evaluation during the course and adjust your teaching accordingly. |
| Ask for help and involve your colleagues | Contact the CED for sparring or ask your colleagues for help if there is anything challenging in terms of teaching the course. Perhaps you can get ideas for adjusting the course along the way or at least on how to avoid the same situation on the next course. Some teachers exchange teaching experiences and others discuss teaching at the department in general. |
| Review the teaching evaluation | Review the teaching evaluation and assess what changes can be made to the next course in order to meet students' needs. |
| Carry out semester reflections | Consider what went well and what needs to be changed for next time. It may also be a good idea to ask the students for their input. Some teachers have used semester reflections with teaching staff and students, while others have held semester reporting meetings with student representatives. |
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Rienecker, L., Jørgensen, P. S., Dolin, J., Ingerslev, G. H. (2013). Universitets pædagogik. Samfundslitteratur.
Uddannelses- og forskningsministeret (2023). Undervisnings- og vejledningstimer mv.: Tilgået d. 2. juni 2023 på: https://ufm.dk/uddannelse/statistik-og-analyser/timetal/offentliggorelse-af-timetal
Keiding, T. B (2017). Den læreteoretiske didaktik. In P. F. Laursen & H. J. Kristensen (Eds.), Didaktikhåndbogen (pp. 45-68). København: Hans Reitzel.
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