Focusing on student learning to guide the use of staff time

Abstract

The paper develops and illustrates a model for designing courses. The model gives explicit attention to educational considerations, principally to the importance of active, goal‐directed student learning. It also explores economic considerations, principally how to make the best possible use of the time of the teacher in planning and running the course. The model concentrates on student learning activities and student learning hours, and on how staff time can best support these activities and hours. The resultant model is applied to the analysis and design of programmes, courses and modules.

Keywords:

• course design
• active learning
• costing

Acknowledgements

Colleagues at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, especially Tim O'Dempsey, helped us to develop, apply and test this model. Diana Eastcott, Alan Jenkins and Steve Outram gave valuable feedback on earlier drafts of this paper. We are grateful to them all.