Course Design Clinic

Keynote Speaker: Mark Cline

Dr. Mark Cline is a Professor and Director of the Undergraduate Neuroscience Program at Virginia Tech. Over more than two decades of teaching, he has taught courses ranging from introductory neuroscience to advanced seminars and has played a central role in developing and expanding Virginia Tech’s undergraduate neuroscience curriculum. He has maintained attendance rates of approximately 95 percent in large, early-morning lecture courses by blending rigorous course content with entertainment and an energetic classroom environment.

His teaching emphasizes the synthesis of complex concepts, which students demonstrate through diagram-based examinations, as well as the development of professionalism and scientific reasoning. Dr. Cline received Virginia Tech’s Sporn Award for Excellence in Teaching Introductory Subjects. He has also published more than 170 scientific papers related to the neurobiology of appetite.

What is Course Design Clinic?

Course Design Clinic, hosted by the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL), is a hands-on workshop that guides instructors through the process of building or refreshing their course.   

During the session, you will be guided through several stages of course design to include: 

• Identifying goals and learning outcomes  
• Planning for assessment of student learning 
• Designing individual instructional activities and individual class meetings 
• Organizing the syllabus and schedule  

Through working with CETL and staff from partnering units, you will receive guidance on rigorous instructional design, assignment design, assessment strategies, active learning strategies, and the technological tools available to you when moving through all stages of course design and implementation. The goal of this clinic is to get you to think through multiple levels of granularity for your course and complete much of the planning at once while having instructional experts on hand. You will leave the clinic well on your way to having a complete course, syllabus, and task list for implementation.