Course Design for Transparency Institute

The Center for Teaching and Learning at IU Indianapolis is excited to announce the 2025 Course Design for Transparency Institute! 

Are you looking for evidence-based strategies to help more of your students succeed in courses and stay at IU Indianapolis? This institute is centered on the Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TiLT) model, a research-based instructional strategy that has shown evidence of  

• Higher rates of course completion and retention 
• Increased learning and engagement  
• Greater confidence and motivation  
• Improved sense of belonging

Participants will learn and apply techniques to increase transparency in assignments, activities, and your course in general. There will also be sessions on the intersections of the TiLT model and universal design for learning, developing a culture of care, and how increased transparency affects GenZ learners. We will discuss identifying unspoken assumptions of student prior knowledge and experience, leveraging accessibility to improve student motivation and retention, and using generative AI to help write clear and precise rubrics. 

This is an intensive institute. As a participant, you will work on 3 aspects of your course on your own time after the institute finishes for the day. You’ll share that work with facilitators at the beginning of the next session and receive personalized feedback to help you further refine your approach. At the end of the institute, you will briefly present your work to your peers, highlighting both individual assignment changes and larger course changes you intend to make. 

Specifically, you will be asked to  

1. Write an overview of your course for your home page that transparently explains the course purpose and your approach to teaching it. (1-2 paragraphs)  
2. Revise parts of your syllabus language to be more transparent about course structure, criteria for success, and one policy that has been an obstacle to student learning (e.g., grading, late work, AI use, attendance, etc.). (2-3 pages max)  
3. Revise one high-stakes assignment to follow the TiLT format including clear alignment with 1 or more of your course learning outcomes.  

The Course Design for Transparency Institute is open to all instructors who are looking to update and enhance their courses for student success. Instructors of record of all ranks (tenured, tenure-track, lecturers, clinical, and adjunct) teaching any course type (in-person, hybrid, or online) are welcome to apply. 

Space is limited to 15 participants, so an application process is required. Priority will be given to individual instructors and small groups of instructors who are teaching 100- and 200-level undergraduate courses with one or more of the following criteria: 

• courses with high total annual enrollments (>100 students across an academic year),  

• courses where multiple sections offered in a term,  

• courses that are supported by a single course coordinator or use a unified curriculum, and/or 

• courses where the DFW rate is 25% or more. 

We ask that you apply with a specific course in mind, preferably one that you have previously taught. The application will ask for information about you and the course you have chosen. You will also be asked to upload a MS Word version of your syllabus for the course.