How can I design a class that I would like to take?

I use to think that I needed to teach according to the models I’d seen as a student. I ran myself ragged trying recreate a half-formed ideas of what serious and rigorous classes “should” be and trying to act like I thought college teachers should act. I hated it. I hated it so much that I left teaching for ten years.

Now I don’t bother with any of that. I just want to design classes that I’d want to take. This is in part about choosing topics that I actually find interesting (as opposed to what might considered “important” from a disciplinary point of view), which turns out to match what students seem interested in. It’s also about the course design and teaching approach. If I were a student, what would I want to do during a class? What kinds of assignments would I find enriching (or at least not annoying)?

In general, I’d want to take a class that respected me as a learner (as opposed to condescending) and helped me reach my goals (as opposed to fulfilling requirements). I’d want it to be collaborative, hands-on, and relevant. And I’d want it to be fun.

When I came back to teaching and started to create my own classes, I had no idea how to do this kind of teaching. I could barely imagine it. Over the past few years, I’ve been learning and trying new things. Each semester is better than the previous. I’ve been getting good feedback from students, which is encouraging.

Here are some books that I’ve come across as I’ve been learning to design a class that I would like.

I haven’t found anyone who fully sums up what I’m trying to do, but these each contribute a few practical pieces. L. Dee Fink’s Creating Significant Learning Experiences has been incredibly helpful in learning how to think through the learning design problem. Sarah Kuhn’s vision of hands-on learning has been deeply inspiring and keeps opening up new possibilities for me.

Reading list

What kind of class would you want to take?