Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to examine the course design and pedagogical decision-making processes of English teachers at liberal arts colleges. Principles of course design iterated by Fink (2013) through the Integrated Course Design (ICD) model provided a framework for the study. The participants in this study were full-time English department faculty members teaching English 102; participants were of varying ages, educational backgrounds, and years of teaching experience. The participant group included an even number of male and female instructors. Study participants reflected the elements of Fink's ICD model to at least a moderate degree. Data for the study was collected through face-to-face interviews with each instructor, classroom observations, and review of course-related documents. Thematic analysis using qualitative methods facilitated the organization of data into manageable strands. Thematic coding identified connections between the collected data and the research questions. Use of one-on-one teaching strategies emerged from data analysis; this is reported in Chapter IV. The study examined instructors’ moves as they planned and taught their 102 courses. Through these means, alignment was found between best practices presented in literature and what occurred in actual teaching and learning situations, or, put another way, between theory and practice. In particular, evidence of these components of course design described by Fink (2013) was found in the participants' course design and pedagogical decision-making processes: Backward Design, Educative Assessment, Goals for Significant Learning, Use of Reflection, Consideration of Situational Factors, and the six taxa of Significant Learning.
