Course Design Example

Course design involves planning and developing a structure for the course to facilitate successful learning experience for the instructor and the students.

Simple Course Design - Blackboard Layout

The Blackboard course layout should be easy to navigate and understand. A major complaint from students is that they spend too much time searching to find the information, tools, and resources they need to succeed. We recommend using a defined navigation pathway following a unit or weekly Module design. That way, when students see a familiar layout at a high level, they can find the rest of the content for the week without guessing where things are located. 

When considering your content design at a high level, it is helpful to think about how content is chunked into manageable segments with Modules as units or weeks. Each Module will include all of the information, content, and activities the students will need to succeed. All course materials, assignments, activities, and assessments are aligned with the lesson objectives and course goals. They are included in each Module to provide focus and context for students. 

Sample Module: Week or Unit:

  • Module Introduction and Overview
  • Learning objectives/outcomes
  • Task list/to-do list
  • Course materials: readings, videos, web links
  • Assignments, activities, and assessments
Blackboard Ultra

Blackboard Learn Ultra Course Modules

Example of Module Introduction and Overview, Objectives & To-Do List

Week1 Introductions and Overview example with Learning Objectives and To-Do-List

Related Resources



Keywords:
Course Design, Content development, Module, Layout 
Doc ID:
163309
Owned by:
Aayush L. in NDSU IT Knowledge Base
Created:
2026-08-13
Updated:
2026-08-17
Sites:
NDSU IT Knowledge Base