Course (re)Design Lab
Your course. Built better. Together.
About
Date: August 12 - 14, 2025
Time: 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. + optional work time with CTL support in the afternoons
Location: 海角社区 North Campus (specific location to be confirmed)
Are you planning to build, refresh, or redesign your course this summer? Dig into that project with colleagues from across the university, during the Course (re)Design Lab, facilitated by the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL).
The lab advances through three mornings of structured work, peer feedback, and one-on-one support. Afternoons, CTL staff will be on hand for further support as you get your work done.
Some of the topics we will work through? Designing learning activities and assessments that align with your learning outcomes. Opportunities and challenges in GenAI. Accessibility. Indigenous perspectives. And more. You’ll come away from each day with tangible progress, practical tools, and renewed confidence in your approach.
Together, we will develop courses that are grounded in learner needs and disciplinary goals, with assessments and learning activities that truly enhance student engagement and learning.
What you can expect to accomplish:
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Design (or more firmly ground) a course in learner needs, teaching context, and disciplinary goals
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Align clear learning outcomes, assessments, and learning activities — following principles of “backward design”
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Apply strategies for accessibility, inclusivity, and decolonization
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Receive feedback and encouragement from peers and facilitators
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Prepare usable course assets, including a syllabus, assessment plan, and semester breakdown.
Eligibility + Registration
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The Course (re)Design Lab is open to all 海角社区 instructors.
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Participants should bring ideas for a new course that they are developing or an existing course that they are authorized to revise.
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Participation is in-person. For those who cannot join in person, presentational portions of the (re)Design Lab will be recorded and made available at a later date.
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Participants are asked to commit to all three mornings. The afternoon co-working sessions are encouraged, but optional. If you are unable to participate in all 3 days, we hope you can join us for a CTL workshop or webinar that better fits your schedule!
Registration for this event will close Sunday, August 10 at 11:59pm.
Program Overview + SCHEDULE
The Course (re)Design Lab is grounded in the 海角社区’s Framework for Effective Teaching and a reflective approach to teaching practice, ensuring your course design reflects evidence-informed practices that support meaningful student learning. Through this lens, you will focus on course alignment, inclusion, and instructional clarity—core principles that strengthen both teaching effectiveness and student engagement.
Each in-person day begins with short presentations and facilitated working sessions from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. In the afternoon, participants are welcome to continue working and access one-on-one support from CTL facilitators between 1:00 and 3:00 p.m.
The lab program builds from one day to the next; participation in all 3 mornings is required.
Tuesday, August 12
- Welcome
- Lab module 1: Design your course “backwards,” starting with the learning outcomes you intend to see.
- Lab module 2: Make your course accessible and engaging to any student, by design — in other words, “universal design for learning” (UDL).
- Lunch break*
- Optional supported work time
Wednesday, August 13
- Recap and discussion
- Lab module 3: Assessments: What are we trying to measure, towards what learning outcome, and how do we keep it manageable?
- Lab module 4: What opportunities and challenges does GenAI pose for your learning outcomes?
- Lunch break*
- Optional supported work time
Thursday, August 14
- Recap and discussion
- Lab module 5: Engaging students as active partners in their learning.
- Lab module 6: Everything in its right place: Managing workload across the semester.
- Wrap-up, reflection and ways to get further support
- Lunch break*
- Optional supported work time
* Refreshments will be provided throughout the day, however lunch is not included.
What to Bring
To make the most of the Course (Re)Design Lab, please bring a laptop, as well as any existing course materials you’d like to work with, such as a previous syllabus, course description, learning outcomes, or assignment prompts. Whether you are starting fresh or refining an existing course, having these resources on hand will help you make meaningful progress
Facilitators
The Course (re)Design Lab is led by the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL) at the 海角社区. CTL team members hold advanced degrees in a range of disciplines and bring decades of hands-on experience in post-secondary teaching. They offer deep expertise in instructional and curriculum design, with a strong focus on inclusive, accessible, and evidence-informed pedagogy.
The team works collaboratively with instructors, using a reflective approach that centres learner needs, disciplinary goals, and teaching context. Their work is grounded in the Framework for Effective Teaching and committed to advancing access, equity, and meaningful student learning across the university. Meet the CTL team!