3.4.5: Guidance notes for designing modules
Introduction
1. This document offers guidance to support the process of designing new modules. It is not intended to be prescriptive, but rather suggests approaches that have been identified as good practice across the sector. It also provides information about the technical aspects of completing module outlines as part of the process for proposing new modules.
Proposing new modules
2. A description of the formal process for proposing and approving new modules can be found in Section 3.4.1 of the Learning and Teaching Handbook.
3. A ‘module outline’ must be completed for each proposed new module. The module outline is a document that summarises key information about the module including the module title, credit value, aims, intended learning outcomes, and assessment methods. Completing the module outline is more than an administrative requirement for the approval process. By drawing attention to key elements or aspects, module outlines can be used as prompts during the design process to help you reflect on, and articulate, the rationale and structure of the module.
4. The process for approving proposed new modules may be prolonged if module outlines have not been completed fully or correctly. Because of this, it is important that you contact the relevant faculty administrator in the Academic Support Office as early as possible to notify them of the proposal and, where appropriate, receive advice. This should enable you to complete any required revisions in advance of the curriculum development deadline (for which see Section 3.1 of the Learning and Teaching Handbook).
5. Once a module has been approved, the module outline becomes the main source of information about that module. Module outlines are published in DUO and online (in the Faculty Handbook if it is an undergraduate module; in the Postgraduate Module Handbook if it is a postgraduate module), and so can be accessed by staff, current students, potential applicants, and the wider public. It is important, therefore, that the information is correct and that the module outline is written clearly and in a way that is likely to be understood by a range of audiences.
Designing your module
6. The dominant approach to curriculum design in the sector is the ‘outcomes-based approach’. According to this approach, you design your module by thinking about what you want to achieve by the end of the module: what is the purpose of the module? What are students supposed to know or be able to do as a result of the module? Module outlines have been structured to support an outcomes-based approach.
Writing intended learning outcomes
7. Intended learning outcomes are clear statements that specify what a student is expected to know, understand, or be able to demonstrate upon successful completion of the module. Learning outcomes are, therefore, student-focused. They are written at threshold level to express what students are expected to achieve in order to pass the module.
8. Learning outcomes should be the driving force for module design and delivery. All other aspects – including aims, content, delivery methods, and assessment methods – should be aligned with the learning outcomes.
9. At Durham, learning outcomes are divided into three categories:
Subject-specific knowledge: the subject knowledge that students should acquire by the end of the module (e.g. ‘theory, observation and interpretation in the selected areas of archaeological science research’);
Subject-specific skills: skills specific to the particular subject or discipline (e.g. ‘reading and interpreting ancient texts in their original language’);
Key skills: transferable skills that are not specific to the subject or discipline (e.g. ‘the structured presentation of information in written form’).
10. You should aim to develop between 3-8 learning outcomes for each module, although this may vary depending on the discipline and the nature of the module.
11. To formulate intended learning outcomes, ask yourself: what should students know or be able to do as a result of the module?
12. The key to writing successful learning outcomes is to select the most appropriate verb and use it correctly. Learning outcomes should be short and succinct. You should aim to use only one verb in each learning outcome. You may wish to use the following formula as a guide:
By the end of the module students should have:
Verb + object of verb + phrase to provide additional context
(e.g. orally presented + complex information + in a clear, concise, and engaging manner)
(e.g. explained + the philosophical questions + arising in metaphysics)
13. Because students are required to achieve the learning outcomes in order to pass the module, it is essential that learning outcomes are measurable. For this reason, you should avoid using words that are difficult to assess (for example, ‘an understanding of...’, ‘an appreciation of...’, or ‘a commitment to...’). However, in some disciplines professional values may need to be demonstrated; in such cases, it is important that appropriate methods of assessment are used to measure students’ achievement of the learning outcomes.
14. As a student progresses through their programme of study, they are expected to develop more advanced knowledge. Learning outcomes should, therefore, be appropriate to the level of the module to reflect progression. The University’s Level Descriptors (these area available in the University Calendar: undergraduate level descriptors; postgraduate level descriptors) provide more information about the outcomes that students are expected to achieve by the end of each level of study.
Writing aims
15. Module ‘aims’ are a succinct explanation of the module’s purpose. Module aims should be teacher-focused. They should be written from the perspective of the lecturer to describe what it is that the lecturer intends to do or achieve. Typically, each module should have between 1 and 3 aims.
16. Module aims should be closely aligned with the intended learning outcomes; aims should be informed by the learning outcomes, and learning outcomes should reflect the aims.
17. Module aims tend to be general statements but they may be more specific in certain disciplines (for example, science or language disciplines). They may be used to illustrate the direction of the module, or indicate the content.
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<span >Examples of module aims:
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18. When writing module aims, you may choose to indicate the role of the module within the academic programme as a whole; for example: ‘to develop skills in x introduced at Level 1’. Yet, while this may have advantages within clearly defined pathways, it is important to remember that often modules are available to students from different programmes or levels of study.
Defining content
19. Once you have produced clear learning outcomes and aims, you can start to define the content of the module. Ask yourself: what do students need to know in order to achieve the learning outcomes?
20. When presenting this information in the module outline, you should aim to provide a concise and informative summary or list of the broad topics that will be covered. Try to avoid providing too much detail or a rigid lecture-by-lecture schedule, as this may be restrictive, but ensure you provide enough information to give a clear sense of the modules content. More detailed supplementary information such as lists of lectures should be included in student handbooks or DUO sites.
Selecting learning and teaching methods
21. Your selection of learning and teaching methods should be related to the intended learning outcomes for the module. If the learning outcomes are primarily knowledge-based, you might choose more traditional methods of teaching, such as lectures and in-class exercises, as the primary teaching methods. If the learning outcomes focus on subject-specific skills, you might select methods that enable students to develop those skills, such as practical demonstrations, in-class tests, and seminars. If the learning outcomes include key skills, you might choose problem-solving exercises, group projects, or student-led discussions.
22. The University has developed a list of potential learning and teaching methods that you might like to consult to determine which methods would be most suitable for the module you are developing.
23. Because different people have different learning styles, and/or because of the range of learning outcomes you want students to demonstrate, you might choose a number of methods for teaching and supporting learning. When selecting which learning and teaching methods to use, you might like to consider the following questions:
a. What methods of teaching and supporting learning are available (e.g. lectures, seminars, tutorials, student presentations, fieldwork, practical demonstrations, in-class exercises, online learning)?
b. Which methods will be most effective for enabling students to develop the knowledge and skills defined in the learning outcomes?
c. Which methods are most appropriate for this level of study?
d. How will independent study or peer-learning be supported?
24. Considering these questions will help you to design an effective module. They will also help you to complete the module outline itself; when writing your module outline you will be asked to set out both what the teaching and learning methods will be, and how they will support students to develop the knowledge and skills in the learning outcomes.
25. When designing your module, you should consider not only the teaching methods (i.e. the methods used to facilitate learning during formal teaching contact hours) but also the broader learning methods (i.e. the methods used to promote and support student learning outside formal contact hours). For each module, students will be expected to dedicate a significant amount of time to studying independently so that they develop their knowledge and skills specified in the learning outcomes. You might like to consider: what are students expected to do during their independent study time? How will the module leader(s) support or direct students’ independent learning? It can be very helpful to students if the module outline clarifies these expectations.
Examples of clarifying the nature of / support for independent study:
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<span >Examples of clarifying the nature of / support for independent study:
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26. At Durham, there are two types of assessment: formative and summative. Formative assessment is primarily developmental in purpose, with a focus on providing feedback to support students’ improvement. Summative assessment has a formative purpose too, but it is also used to measure students’ learning against the intended learning outcomes.
27. It is essential, therefore, that the assessment process is aligned with the learning outcomes. Summative assessment methods need to provide an effective measurement of whether students have achieved all the intended learning outcomes. All the learning outcomes for a module must be summatively assessed.
28. The University has developed a list of potential assessment methods that you might like to consult to determine which methods would be most suitable for the module you are developing.
29. When selecting assessment methods, you might want to consider the following questions:
a. What are the most appropriate assessment methods for the learning outcomes of this module?
b. How many assessment tasks will be needed?
c. How should each assessment task be weighted?
d. Is the overall amount of assessment:
i. aligned with the learning outcomes and the module aims;
ii. appropriate to the level and credit value of the module;
iii. comparable with similar modules in the discipline?
30. All the intended learning outcomes must be summatively assessed. Once you have drafted your module outline, if you discover that this is not the case then you will need to revise the module outline to amend either the modes of assessment or the learning outcomes to ensure that all learning outcomes are summatively assessed.
Assessment methods: elements and components
31. You may find that you will need to use a number of different assessment tasks and a range of different assessment methods to measure whether students have achieved the learning outcomes. This is especially the case for modules that have a large number or wide range of learning outcomes.
32. If you choose more than one assessment task, you will need to distinguish the different components (individual assessment tasks), and, if applicable, the different elements within each component. The weighting of all the components should add up to 100%. Likewise, the weighting of all elements within each component should add up to 100%. For example:
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Component 1: Presentation |
Component weighting: 10% |
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Element |
Length / duration |
Element weighting |
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Presentation |
30 minutes |
100% |
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Component 2: Independent Project |
Component weighting: 90% |
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Element |
Length / duration |
Element weighting |
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Project proposal |
500 words |
10% |
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Independent project |
6000 words |
90% |
Technical details
Tied or open?
33. All modules are classed as either ‘tied’ or ‘open’. If a module is open, then it can be studied by any student who meets the module pre- and co-requisites and whose programme regulations permit them to take the module (this can include under the rubric ‘modules to the value of X credits from another department). If a module is tied, it is only available to students on one or more specific programmes and you will need to specify in the module outlines which programmes these are.
Prerequisites
34. In some cases, students need to have acquired particular skills and/or knowledge before they can undertake a given module. In such circumstances, it may be necessary to include a ‘pre-requisite’. Pre-requisites help to ensure that students have the required prior knowledge and skills to enable them to achieve the learning outcomes of a particular module.
35. Where pre-requisites are used, students are not normally able to study that module unless previously they have successfully completed the specified pre-requisite(s). For example, CLAS1601 (‘Remembering Athens’) is a prerequisite for CLAS2681 (‘History of the Hellenistic Age’); typically students are not able to study CLAS2681 unless they have already successfully completed CLAS1601.
36. While pre-requisites can be essential for academic progression (particularly for many science or language subjects), when they are used unnecessarily they can disadvantage students. This can be true especially for students of Joint Honours, Combined Honours, or Natural Sciences programmes. Consequently, if you propose to include a pre-requisite for your new module, you will need to consider whether the pre-requisite is necessary, and how it might affect different groups of students.
37. If you do decide to include a pre-requisite, when submitting the module outline you will also need to submit a brief statement to the Secretary of the relevant Faculty Education Committee to explain the pedagogic rationale for the pre-requisite. The rationale should clarify which of the pre-requisite module's learning outcomes are essential to the new module.
Co-requisites
38. ‘Co-requisites’ specify two or more modules that must be studied concurrently in order for the student to achieve the learning outcomes of one, both, or all the co-requisite modules.
39. For example, if a student wishes to study PHYS1122 (‘Foundations of Physics 1’), they must also study MATH1561 (‘Single Mathematics A’) and MATH1571 (‘Single Mathematics B’) or MATH1071 (‘Linear Algebra 1’) and MATH1061 (‘Calculus and Probability’). For robust academic reasons, students cannot study PHYS1122 without studying two of the specified Mathematics modules concurrently.
40. While co-requisites may be necessary in circumstances such as the example above, as with pre-requisites there is the potential to disadvantage students. In many cases, the need to study particular modules concurrently may be specified at programme-level (within programme regulations) rather than at module-level (within module outlines).
Excluded combinations
41. In some circumstances, it may be necessary to specify ‘excluded combinations’ of modules; that is, modules that cannot be studied concurrently. For example, students undertaking the beginner’s module RUSS1042 (‘Russian Language 1B’) may not concurrently study the advanced module RUSS1161 (‘Russian Language 1A’). Consequently, the two modules are listed as excluded combinations.
Contact hours
42. When completing the module outline, you will be asked to specify the number of hours that will be dedicated to each method of teaching and learning. Typically, each single credit is equivalent to 10 hours of study time. Consequently, a 20 credit module should include 200 hours of study time; a 40 credit module should include 400 hours of study time.
43. The total amount of study time should be sub-divided according to the different methods of teaching and learning. For example, the teaching methods and contact hours for a 20 credit module might be presented as follows:
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Teaching methods and contact hours |
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Activity |
Number |
Frequency |
Duration |
Total hours |
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Lectures |
20 |
Weekly |
1 hour |
20 |
■ |
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Seminars |
3 |
Termly |
1 hour |
3 |
■ |
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Tutorials |
3 |
Termly |
1 hour |
3 |
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Individual project supervisions |
2 |
1 in M.Term, 1 in Ep.Term |
2 hours |
4 |
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Self-directed study supported by an online study pack |
- |
- |
- |
20 |
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Independent preparation and Reading |
- |
- |
- |
150 |
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Total |
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200 |
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44. As the example above demonstrates, the total amount of formal academic contact is 30 hours. For other modules, this figure may vary depending on: the credit value of the module; the nature of the module (e.g. a dissertation module will have fewer contact hours); the nature of the discipline (e.g. a language module may have comparatively high contact hours).
45. If you are unsure about the amount of formal academic contact time that you should provide, you may wish to consult the faculty guidelines or seek advice from the relevant faculty administrator in the Academic Support Office.
46. When completing the module outline, you will also be asked to identify which of the elements are compulsory; i.e. those activities which, if missed, could lead to disciplinary procedures. In the final approved version of the module outline, compulsory elements will be indicated by a square symbol (■). In the example above, the lectures and seminars are compulsory but the tutorials, supervisions, and independent reading are optional.