What is course design?

• Course design concerns the processes and

methods around creating quality learning
environments and experiences for
students.
• Designing a course is a matter of asking
questions in order to provide a reasoned
basis for the subsequent processes of
syllabus design, materials writing,
classroom teaching and evaluation.
We can use Kipling’s ‘honest serving-men’ to outline the basic questions. We need to
know:
• Why does the student need to learn?
• Who is going to be involved in the process? This will need to cover not just the
student, but all the people who may have some effect on the process: teachers,
sponsors, etc.
• Where is the learning to take place? What potential does the place provide? What
limitations does it impose?
• When is the learning to take place? How much time is available? How will it be
distributed?
• What does the student need to learn? What aspects of language will be needed and
how will they be described? What level of proficiency must be achieved? What topic
areas will need to be covered?
• How will the learning be achieved? What learning theory will underlie the course?
What kind of methodology will be employed?
(Hutchinson, 1987: 21-22)
Factors affecting Course Design
 LANGUAGE DESCRIPTION

Classical or Traditional grammar

Traditional English grammar, also referred to as
school grammar, is largely based on the
principles of Latin grammar, not on modern
linguistic research in English. Description of
English and other languages were based on the
grammars of the classical languages: Greek and
Latin. This description was based on an analysis
of the role played by each word in the sentence.
Language Variation & Register Analysis
The concept of L variation gave rise to the
type of ESP which was based on register
analysis. If L varies according to text, it was
argued, then it should be possible to identify
the kind of L associated with a specific
context such as an area of knowledge (Legal
Eng, Social Eng, Medical Eng, Business Eng)
In each case the propositional meaning
(statement) of the sentence is the same. The
notions in it are also the same (present time,
neuter). But the sentence is fulfilling three
different communicative purposes.
In the first dialogue a parent could be talking to
a child. The child is asking permission to go
out. The parent’s reply acts as a refusal of the
request. The second dialogue might be a
husband/wife dialogue. ‘It’s raining’ now
functions as a reason or an excuse. The third
dialogue takes on yet another function, and
this time is probably acting as advice or a mild
warning and might take place between friends.
(Hutchinson, 1987: 24-37)
 THEORIES OF LEARNING
Task 1
1. Behaviourism
2. Mentalism
3. Cognitive code
4. The affective factor
5. Learning and acquisition.
Explain what they are and their application in language
teaching.
What are the main stages of development of the theories of learning?

The starting point for all language teaching should be an understanding of

how people learn. We can identify five main stages of development which
are relevant to the modern language teacher:
1. Behaviourism: learning as habit formation.
2. Mentalism: thinking as a rule-governed activity.
3. Cognitive code: learners as thinking beings.
4. The affective factor: learners as emotional beings.
5. Learning and acquisition.

Some of these theories have had a profound effect upon the practice of
language teaching which seems sensible, therefore, to consider them.
 NEEDS ANALYSIS
Which of the following statements represent specific language
needs and which are more general?
‘I want to be able to talk to my neighbours in English.’
‘I want to study microbiology in an English-speaking university.’
‘I want to develop an appreciation of German culture by studying
the language.’
‘I want to be able to communicate in English.’
‘I want my daughter to study French at school so she can,
• For which of the
matriculate and read French at university.’
statements would it be
‘I want to read newspapers in Italian.’
relatively easy to
‘I want to understand English radio broadcasts.’
predict the grammar
‘I want to be able to read and appreciate French literature.’
and topics to be listed
‘I want to get a better job at the office.’
in the syllabus?
‘I want to speak English.’
• For which would it be
‘I want to learn English for nursing.’
difficult to predict the
grammar and topics?
 What is needs analysis?
Needs analysis is a systematic
process used in various fields, In education, needs analysis often
including education, business, and involves assessing the knowledge, skills,
psychology, to identify and assess the and abilities of learners to determine their
specific requirements, gaps, or educational needs. This process helps
deficiencies within a particular educators design curriculum, develop
context. The purpose of needs teaching strategies, and select
analysis is to understand what is appropriate materials that address those
lacking or what needs improvement needs effectively.
in order to develop appropriate
solutions or interventions.

There are two different types of needs analysis

used by language syllabus designers. The first of
these is learner analysis, while the second is task
analysis.
 Learner Analysis
Learner analysis is based on information about the learner. The central question of concern to
the syllabus designer is ‘For what purpose or purposes is the learner learning the language?’

There are many subsidiary questions, such as:

Why are the learners taking the course? How do the learners learn?
- compulsory or optional? - What is their learning background?
- apparent need or not; - What is their concept of teaching and learning?
- Are status, money, promotion involved? - What methodology will appeal to them?
- What do learners think they will achieve? - What sort of techniques are likely to bore /
- What is their attitude towards the English alienate them?
course? Do they want to improve their English
or do they resent the time they have to spend Where will the English course take place?
on it? - are the surroundings pleasant, dull, noisy, hot,
Who are the learners? etc.?
- age / sex / nationality When will the English course take place?
- What do they know already about English? - time of day;
- What are their interests? - every day / once a week;
- What is their socio-cultural background? - full time / part-time
- What is their attitude to English or to the - concurrent with need or pre-need
cultures of the English-speaking world?
Task 2

• Which of the information (Needs analysis forms) do you think is likely

to be most useful for planning purposes?
• What are some of the purposes to which the information might be
put?
Task 3

Read the subsidiary questions you can ask and the

examples provided. Then prepare a needs analysis
survey form to be applied either in secondary schools
or universities.
Some syllabus designers differentiate
between ‘objective’ and ‘subjective’
information. What do you think each of
these terms refers to?
Objective data is that factual information Task
which does not require the attitudes and • Which of the items in the
views of the learners to be taken into sample data collection
account. Thus, biographical information on forms relate to ‘objective’
age, nationality, home language, etc. is said information, and which to
to be ‘objective.’ ‘subjective’ information?
Subjective information, on the other hand,
reflects the perceptions, goals, and
priorities of the learner. It will include,
among other things, information on why
the learner has undertaken to learn a
second language, and the classroom tasks
and activities which the learner prefers.
 Task Analysis

It is employed to
specify and categorize
The central question here is: ‘What are the
the language skills
subordinate skills and knowledge required by
required to carry out
the learner in order to carry out real-world
real-world
communicative tasks?’
communicative
purposes for which the
learner wishes to learn
the language.

Some authors call it analysis of the target situation

needs, which is concerned with the language use. It
can tell us what people do with the language.
 A task analysis framework
Who will the learner use the language with?
How will the language be used? - native speakers or non-native
- medium: speaking, writing, reading, - level of knowledge of receiver: e.g. expert,
etc. layman, student
- channel: e.g. telephone, face to face - relationship: e.g. colleague, teacher,
-types of text of discourse: e.g. customer, superior, subordinate
academic texts, lectures, informal Where will the language be used?
conversation, technical manuals, - physical setting: e.g. office, lecture theatre,
catalogues. hotel, workshop, library
What will the content areas be? - human context: e.g. alone, meeting,
- subjects: e.g. medicine, biology, demonstrations, on telephone
architecture, commerce - linguistic context: e.g. in own country, abroad
- level: e.g. technician, craftsman, When will the language be used?
postgraduate, secondary school - frequently, seldom, in small amounts, in large
chunks
How can we start to design a needs analysis format
for a student or a school? How can we brainstorm or
organize the questions students can be asked?

Designing a needs analysis format

Needs analysis refers to what we
need to know about our students.
A good way of starting to design a
needs analysis for a student (or a
We can brainstorm and general needs analysis format for a
organise the questions they school) is to brainstorm all the
should/can be asked by questions you could possibly want
several schemes: to ask them, and then edit them
a. By question word down.
b. By skills and language
c. By time
d. By place
 By skill and language
Which skills do you use/need/lack most?
By question word
What - e.g. What exactly do you do in English in
your job? By time
When - e.g. When is your next meeting in English? Past/present/future
Which - e.g. Which parts of the language do you e.g. study / use of English / exposure to English in each of
find most difficult? these three times.
Where - e.g. Where do you use English? - in About the past
meetings What’s the last thing you did in English?
Who - e.g. Who do you speak English with - native / Have you studied English before?
non-native speakers? How long/ to what level?
How - e.g. How formal does the English you use About the future
need to be? What are your short term and long term aims for English?
How much - e.g. How much homework can you do? What’s the next thing you have to do in English?
How long - e.g. How long have you been studying Any big conferences / meetings / business trips / conference
English? calls / presentations coming up?
How often - How often do you watch English How far do you want to go with your English (each skill)?
language films?
How far - e.g. How far do you want/need to go with By place
Inside work (see below) / outside work (e.g. travel/films/TV)
your English?
About the present situation at work About outside work
What’s your job precisely? Are you doing anything to improve your
Do you use English? English at the moment?
What do you do? situations / medium / Do you do anything else in English? (CNN?,
channel / genre subtitled movies?, DVD?, business papers?)
What percentage of each? What resources do you have at home/
Which of these do you find difficult/ work?
need to improve? Dictionary- bilingual/ monolingual
What fields/ topics do you need to talk Internet access
about/ need vocabulary of? TV/ DVD
Which of these areas do you need most Press- general and specialised.
to improve your English? Do you travel to English speaking/ other
What exactly do you need to do that? countries?

Wants
How do you like studying English?
What did you think of your previous lessons?
What’s the best way to learn a language?
How much homework can you do?

(http://www.onestopenglish.com/business/
teaching-approaches/needs-analysis)