Course and Syllabus Design

Teaching Jumpstart

Start with the Teaching Jumpstart to plan your teaching and courses at CSULB. The Teaching Jumpstart provides all the information you will need to know regarding the syllabus template, course policies, teaching policies, and efficient & effective teaching.

Please check with your specific departments about a Standard Course Outline for your classes.

CSULB is home to the Accessible Instructional Materials Center (AIM). The AIM Staff assists faculty in making all types of course material accessible to all students. Visit the AIM Center for assistance with your instructional material. Additionally, Academic Technology

Particular educational activities are unusually effective at deepening college student investment in learning and persistence. These educational activities are commonly referred to as High Impact Practices (in Higher Education), or HIPs. The High Impact Practices page has more information on how to incorporate them into your classroom!

Instructional Designers at Academic Technology Services (ATS) are available to assist in the planning, design, and development of online, hybrid, and HyFlex courses. ATS supports the use of educational technology throughout the educational process including BeachBoard, the campus learning management system.  

To schedule a consultation with an Instructional Designer or for more information, visit Instructional Design Services.

MERLOT (Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching). This is a digital national content project (a program sponsored by the CSU that partners with educational institutions and industry) which fosters the evolution of standards and tools and easy access to resources for professionals. MERLOT Membership is FREE.

MERLOT resources are arranged by communities. You can choose an Academic Discipline, Academic Support, or Partner Communities to get started! An example would be the MERLOT Psychology Portal:

Each community has resources you can use to:

Here is a collection of articles that can help you prepare for your courses and develop meaningful content.

The well-structured content (PDF) guide demonstrates how to effectively use technology in your courses.

Boettecher, J. (2003). Designing for learning: The pursuit of well-structured content.