GW’s Course Design Institute (CDI) is an intensive program that helps you design, redesign, or improve your course with the guidance of expert GW facilitators. CDI begins with the question, “What do you want your students to remember 3–5 years after the course is over?” From there, our experienced facilitation team will guide you through a scholarly course design process that results in a learner-centered syllabus. As you produce that syllabus, you will find ways to make your course more fun to teach and more motivating for students to take.
We focus on prioritizing your course goals, designing and scaffolding assessments, and engaging students within your course. Whether you teach in-person or online (or both), CDI will equip you with the best practices and tools for effective course design. You will learn together and collaborate in a community with peers from across GW’s disciplines and schools. All GW instructors are eligible to apply. Learn more about the logistics, benefits, and application process below.
Benefits of CDI
You will walk away with:
- A final (or near final) syllabus
- A course plan with aligned learning outcomes, assessments, and learning activities
- Experiences with active learning and understanding of learning-centered design
- Access to a resource-packed website
- A community of faculty and staff for ongoing feedback and support during the academic year
$500 stipends are available for many participants upon successful completion of all program elements.
Dates and Times
New for 2026: choose your preferred CDI experience! CDI: Semester will meet virtually 7 times between January and March. Our traditional CDI: May, a 5-day intensive virtual program, will be available as well. You can also learn more about CDI+, our “add-on” cohorts that explore transformative pedagogical practices in depth.
Learn more about CDI
Frequently Asked Questions
I have a course with very rigid syllabus requirements. Is CDI right for me?
Yes! While the syllabus is the document we work on during CDI, it is also a gateway to talk about many, many other aspects of teaching—assignment design, active learning during class sessions, assessment, and feedback, etc. Even if your syllabus is inflexible, CDI will help you learn strategies to motivate students and communicate to them about the purpose of their learning.
I’m a brand-new faculty member developing a course. Is CDI right for me?
Absolutely! We love welcoming people who are new to GW and/or new to teaching, and we encourage you to consider joining our Teaching Network for Early Career Faculty in the fall as well. Teaching Network participants are automatically accepted to CDI following their participation.
I am working on a brand-new syllabus. Is CDI right for me?
Designing a new course is a different kind of challenge than redesigning a course you are very familiar with. People who are working on a brand-new syllabus during CDI likely won’t feel like they’ve completed their work by the time CDI ends, but they tell us that the experience was very valuable, nonetheless. Your facilitator and peers will meet you where you are at, and you can ask for feedback where you need it most. CDI is for you, the instructor, and we do not report on progress or participation to departments or programs.
I am working on a co- or team-taught course. Can we all apply?
CDI is happy to support teaching teams and groups working on curricular design or interdisciplinary programs. We request that each member apply individually and name the people you are working with on the application. You will have many opportunities to work together with your team during CDI.
Will CDI talk about timely issues like generative A.I. tools or teaching current events?
CDI is designed to provide timeless frameworks for thinking and planning: goals and objectives, assessment, student motivation, and active learning. We will touch on Generative AI in a larger context of teaching design framework that will help you think about if, where, and how you might consider involving AI assignments and practice.
Can I use CDI to create and teach an online course?
Testimonials from Faculty Alumni
For a full list of CDI alumni, see CDI Alumni.
"[My biggest takeaway from CDI was] to begin by dreaming big. It also reminded me why I enjoy teaching."
“CDI was an incredible experience, [and] as I reflect back, I am feeling energized through the new ways that I have been able to conceptualize my courses.”
"I teach courses with a lot of constraints, and I worried they wouldn't be a good fit for CDI because there are a lot of things I can't change. But CDI provided ideas and resources for how I could motivate my students and communicate the content of the course more effectively."
“Exchanging ideas with colleagues and listening to different perspectives and realities changes your perspective and gives plenty of ideas.”
"This whole class was so informative and inspiring! I think the whole learner-focused syllabus concept was huge. I also greatly valued all the ideas for new types of assessments and active learning activities that I could incorporate."
"I loved the intense time pressure of having a week to really focus on my course syllabus. I feel miles ahead of where I usually am!!"
Reach out for more information and questions
If you have additional questions about CDI, please don’t hesitate to email the Center for Teaching Excellence.
