Modeling Effective Teaching in Graduate Education
Designing and teaching fully online graduate courses that model instructional design, engagement and assessment best practices for current and prospective educators.
Context and Opportunity
Fully online graduate education courses at Saint Peter’s University focused on pedagogical methodology and teaching reading in K12 settings. Students were current or prospective educators, often balancing full-time work, family responsibilities and complex personal and professional demands.
Traditional graduate courses in this space often emphasize theory over application, rely on disconnected assignments and provide limited opportunities for iteration, feedback or authentic practice. This creates a gap between understanding effective teaching and being able to design and implement it in real classrooms.
Design Approach
I designed courses to model the practices I was teaching, emphasizing:
- Iterative learning through feedback and revision
- Clear alignment between objectives, instruction, and assessment
- Conversational, reflective feedback processes
- Flexible structures that support adult learners
- Multiple pathways for demonstrating mastery
Key Learning Experience Design
1. Scaffolded, Capstone-Based Learning
Students built components of a final project incrementally across modules, including weekly deliverables tied to final project components. They received continuous feedback at each stage. The final submission was assembled from revised, improved work. This ensured that there were no surprises, a clear progression of learning throughout the course and stronger final outcomes.
2. Conversational, Reflective Assessment
I implemented a two-way rubric process. Students self-assessed first, scoring and justifying their work. I responded directly to their reflections with feedback, questions and guidance. This created metacognitive awareness, honest self-evaluation and ongoing dialogue around learning.
3. Revision-Driven Learning Model
Students could revise and resubmit work without penalty. This ensured that the emphasis was placed on a growth mindset, application of feedback and continuous improvement. Students who engaged in revision demonstrated deeper understanding and stronger outcomes.
4. Alignment-Driven Design
All assignments and rubrics aligned directly to learning objectives. I removed subjective or irrelevant grading criteria and modeled competency-based assessment practices. Students were explicitly taught how to design aligned assessments, eliminate “fluff” grading and focus on meaningful skill development.
5. Student Choice and Authentic Expression
Students were given flexibility in how they demonstrated mastery. For example, one student chose to present her final project as a song, integrating course concepts through music. She met all rubric criteria while demonstrating deep understanding. This reinforced the value of multiple pathways to learning, authentic expression and inclusive design.
6. Modeling in Practice
Throughout the course, I made instructional design decisions visible. I explicitly connected activities to pedagogy, demonstrating how course design choices impact learning. I encouraged students to apply these strategies in their own classrooms. Students quickly recognized and applied these practices in their teaching contexts.
7. High-Touch Engagement and Support
I provided frequent, individualized feedback through document comments, LMS messaging, rubric conversations and virtual meetings. I also hosted optional synchronous sessions where students presented work in progress and received real-time feedback and peer input. These sessions were consistently well attended due to their practical, application-focused design. Together, these approaches fostered strong relationships, high engagement, and personalized learning experiences.
Impact
Student Learning Impact
- Strong engagement and participation across courses
- Increased confidence in applying instructional design principles
- Demonstrated ability to design aligned, student-centered learning experiences
Teaching Practice Impact
- Students immediately applied course strategies in their own classrooms
- Increased use of:
- authentic assessment
- student choice
- metacognitive practices
- Shift toward more inclusive and flexible teaching approaches
Experience Impact
Positive student feedback highlighting:
- meaningful learning experiences
- supportive, growth-oriented environment
- relevance to real teaching practice
Tools & Capabilities Demonstrated
Instructional design in practice
Adult learning and facilitation
Assessment and feedback design
Student-centered and inclusive pedagogy
Online teaching and engagement strategies