Course Design

The systematic process of planning, developing, and organising a language course. The most influential framework is Graves (2000), which treats course design as iterative and interconnected rather than strictly linear.

Graves' Framework (2000)

Key components (not sequential steps):

1. Defining the context: institutional constraints, learner profile, resources
2. Needs Analysis: assessing learner needs
3. Articulating beliefs: teacher's views on language and learning
4. Formulating goals and objectives
5. Conceptualising content: selecting and organising what to teach (Syllabus Types)
6. Developing materials: creating or adapting resources (Materials Adaptation)
7. Designing an assessment plan: how learning will be measured
8. Organising the course: sequencing, timetabling, lesson structure

These components interact: changes in one area (e.g., new needs data) ripple through others.

Other Influential Models

• Nation & Macalister (2010): inner circle (goals, content, format), outer circle (principles, environment, needs), plus evaluation
• Richards (2001): distinguishes forward design (syllabus → methodology → assessment) from central design (methodology-first) and Backward Design (outcomes-first)

Practical Implications

• Real course design is messy and recursive; avoid treating it as a checklist
• Alignment between needs, outcomes, content, and assessment is the central challenge
• Course evaluation feeds back into redesign; the cycle never truly ends
• Test-preparation programmes commonly follow a modified backward design: target band descriptors → task types → lesson content