Faculty members at institutions across higher education are reframing course design as a relational practice centered on care rather than treating it as a transactional workflow. Contributors Annette Miles, Helen Krauthamer, and Uzma Amir argue that the current approach to course design reduces the practice to administrative tasks: moving content online, completing accessibility checklists, or mapping learning outcomes to rubrics.
This shift challenges how professors approach their fundamental responsibility to students. Instead of viewing design primarily through a technical lens, faculty are reconsidering how their choices affect student learning and wellbeing. The practice acknowledges that every decision about structure, pacing, feedback mechanisms, and accessibility reflects values about who learners are and what they deserve.
The care-centered approach addresses a widespread problem in higher education. Many institutions have accelerated the digitization of courses without sufficient attention to pedagogy or student experience. Templates and standardized processes can strip away opportunities for meaningful interaction. Accessibility becomes a compliance issue rather than a commitment to inclusion. Rubrics quantify learning without considering how students actually develop competence.
Miles, Krauthamer, and Amir propose that intentional design choices reverse this trajectory. Thoughtful course structure communicates to students that their instructors have invested time in understanding how they learn best. Clear communication about expectations and deadlines reduces anxiety. Varied assessment methods honor different ways of demonstrating knowledge. Regular feedback loops show that instructors care about student growth.
This work reflects broader conversations in higher education about the human dimensions of teaching. As institutions grapple with burnout among faculty and declining student engagement, approaches that emphasize relational practice offer an alternative to purely efficiency-focused models.
The Faculty Focus article, drawn from actual faculty reflection and experience, provides educators with a framework for examining their own design choices. For students and parents, it suggests asking whether courses feel designed with their needs in mind. For