7 Aligning the Components of a DIA Course

In addition to careful consideration of situational factors that might impact a class, TEP encourages all faculty across the university to consider using the tool of aligned course design – sometimes called “backward design” – when designing and preparing to teach a course. This means the course has clear learning objectives that align with the course assessments, and these in turn align with specific activities and content that allow students to practice the various ways they will be assessed. A typical alignment sequence, then, might progress as follows:

• • introduction of content or skill (e.g., a lecture, demonstration, reading, film, etc.);
  • time inside or outside of class for students to engage with the content or practice the skill (e.g., discussion, experiment, annotation, application exercise, etc.);
  • an assessment of students’ learning (e.g., exam, quiz, paper, presentation, etc.), which allows an instructor to determine the extent to which students demonstrate achievement of a particular learning objective.

Not all assessment has to be evaluative for a grade – it can also be formative such as oral summary of a discussion, experiment debrief, in-class writing, office support hour meeting, etc.  Many instructors will also include one or more reflective components along the way, which can also serve as formative assessment.  Thinking about each of the criteria of the DIA requirement in a “backward design” way can also be helpful when submitting descriptions for course approval, as discussed above. TEP is available to assist with backward design and also regularly offers an “Aligned Course Design” workshop that provides an overview of the process.

There are a variety of good reasons for aligning the various components of a course in an explicit fashion. Indeed, instructors can be more transparent with students about the aims of the course and the purposes for the various activities and requirements, which helps students understand why they are being asked to do things and why they matter. Having clear alignment also means instructors can progressively increase the rigor of the course in a structured, supportive way, effectively providing students with a map and viable trajectory for success in the class. This can help students prioritize their focus, time and energy, as well as maintain motivation and find balance as they navigate into more challenging, often unfamiliar content or analytical territory and the various emotions that arise as their anxiety increases. That is, pedagogy that structures and supports student learning can help turn the inevitable moments of cognitive confusion or emotional discomfort into anticipated threshold moments for significant learning, rather than surprising roadblocks that stop inquiry and reflection or deflect them into less productive or even harmful pathways, some of which were described above.

To reiterate, the key insight here is to invite students into a clearly structured and supported process for engaging with culturally different experiences, the rigors of DIA scholarship, and the hard cognitive and emotional work of developing effective cultural and equity literacy skills. Careful planning and clear organization – hallmarks of using the backward design process to align course components – can make a significant difference in helping instructors address the challenges of DIA teaching with more aplomb, thereby helping students learn DIA content, methods, and skills with more motivation and success.

Recall the DIA learning goals from Chapter 4 as you brainstorm ideas for how to align student engagement with each goal: