{"id":4,"date":"2025-07-17T10:09:04","date_gmt":"2025-07-17T14:09:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.upei.ca\/designalignprocess\/?p=4"},"modified":"2025-07-22T08:23:31","modified_gmt":"2025-07-22T12:23:31","slug":"introduction","status":"publish","type":"front-matter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.upei.ca\/designalignprocess\/front-matter\/introduction\/","title":{"raw":"Introduction","rendered":"Introduction"},"content":{"raw":"

Welcome to The Design\u2013Align Process<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n

A flexible toolkit for aligning what you teach with what students actually do.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n

\r\n\r\n

What this is<\/h3>\r\n

The Design\u2013Align Process<\/strong>\u00a0is a practical, non-linear resource for postsecondary instructors who want to create clearer, more connected, and more meaningful learning experiences. It\u2019s not a step-by-step course or a list of rules\u2014it\u2019s a toolkit<\/strong> you can dip into whenever you\u2019re planning, redesigning, or wondering if a lesson is really working.<\/p>\r\n

This resource offers four Tool Packs<\/strong>, each focused on a specific design challenge. You can explore them in any order, based on your teaching needs, goals, or curiosity.<\/p>\r\n

Everything in here is designed to be:<\/p>\r\n\r\n

    \r\n \t
  • \r\n

    Modular<\/strong> \u2013 no start or end point; you choose what matters now<\/p>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t

  • \r\n

    Actionable<\/strong> \u2013 with ready-to-use templates, planners, and prompts<\/p>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t

  • \r\n

    Theory-light<\/strong> \u2013 grounded in research but built for everyday teaching<\/p>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t

  • \r\n

    Open<\/strong> \u2013 licensed under CC0, so you can use, adapt, and share freely<\/p>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n

    \r\n\r\n

    Who it\u2019s for<\/h3>\r\n

    This toolkit was designed for:<\/p>\r\n\r\n

      \r\n \t
    • \r\n

      Postsecondary instructors (full-time, part-time, or new to teaching)<\/p>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t

    • \r\n

      Instructional designers or teaching developers<\/p>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t

    • \r\n

      Anyone looking to make teaching more intentional<\/strong> and more aligned<\/strong> with how students actually learn, do, and apply<\/p>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n

      \r\n\r\n

      How to use it<\/h3>\r\n

      You don\u2019t need to complete anything from start to finish. Just choose the question you\u2019re wrestling with right now<\/strong>, and head to the Tool Pack that matches.<\/p>\r\n

      Each Tool Pack includes:<\/p>\r\n\r\n

        \r\n \t
      • \r\n

        A short introduction to the design problem<\/p>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t

      • \r\n

        A plain-language explanation of why it matters<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t

      • \r\n

        3\u20135 practical tools you can use right away<\/p>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t

      • \r\n

        Prompts to help you make design decisions or reflect on next steps<\/p>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n

        \r\n\r\n

        Not sure where to begin?<\/h3>\r\n
        \r\n
        \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
        Tool Pack<\/th>\r\nInstructor Prompt<\/th>\r\nWhat You\u2019ll Find<\/th>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/thead>\r\n
        Learning Domains<\/strong><\/td>\r\n\u201cI want to make sure I\u2019m designing for more than just thinking tasks.\u201d<\/em><\/td>\r\nHelps you balance thinking, feeling, doing, and collaborating<\/strong> in your lessons using Dettmer\u2019s Four Domains.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
        Learning Targets<\/strong><\/td>\r\n\u201cI need to write crisp targets that guide both my design and my students\u2019 attention.\u201d<\/em><\/td>\r\nHelps you write clear, measurable instructional targets<\/strong> and translate them into student-facing focusing targets<\/strong>.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
        Design Thinking<\/strong><\/td>\r\n\u201cWhat if learning felt more tangible, memorable, connected, and engaging\u2014something students can see, touch, explore, and shape together?\u201d<\/em><\/td>\r\nHelps you design tasks using how students actually learn<\/strong>\u2014through action, tools, space, and perception (the 4Es).<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
        Coherence Over Time<\/strong><\/td>\r\n\u201cI want my activities to feel connected and reinforce the bigger picture.\u201d<\/em><\/td>\r\nHelps you create alignment across weeks and units<\/strong>, so that every task builds toward your course\u2019s bigger purpose.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n\"The\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>","rendered":"

        Welcome to The Design\u2013Align Process<\/strong><\/h2>\n

        A flexible toolkit for aligning what you teach with what students actually do.<\/em><\/p>\n

        \n

        What this is<\/h3>\n

        The Design\u2013Align Process<\/strong>\u00a0is a practical, non-linear resource for postsecondary instructors who want to create clearer, more connected, and more meaningful learning experiences. It\u2019s not a step-by-step course or a list of rules\u2014it\u2019s a toolkit<\/strong> you can dip into whenever you\u2019re planning, redesigning, or wondering if a lesson is really working.<\/p>\n

        This resource offers four Tool Packs<\/strong>, each focused on a specific design challenge. You can explore them in any order, based on your teaching needs, goals, or curiosity.<\/p>\n

        Everything in here is designed to be:<\/p>\n

          \n
        • \n

          Modular<\/strong> \u2013 no start or end point; you choose what matters now<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

        • \n

          Actionable<\/strong> \u2013 with ready-to-use templates, planners, and prompts<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

        • \n

          Theory-light<\/strong> \u2013 grounded in research but built for everyday teaching<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

        • \n

          Open<\/strong> \u2013 licensed under CC0, so you can use, adapt, and share freely<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          \n

          Who it\u2019s for<\/h3>\n

          This toolkit was designed for:<\/p>\n

            \n
          • \n

            Postsecondary instructors (full-time, part-time, or new to teaching)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

          • \n

            Instructional designers or teaching developers<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

          • \n

            Anyone looking to make teaching more intentional<\/strong> and more aligned<\/strong> with how students actually learn, do, and apply<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

            \n

            How to use it<\/h3>\n

            You don\u2019t need to complete anything from start to finish. Just choose the question you\u2019re wrestling with right now<\/strong>, and head to the Tool Pack that matches.<\/p>\n

            Each Tool Pack includes:<\/p>\n

              \n
            • \n

              A short introduction to the design problem<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

            • \n

              A plain-language explanation of why it matters<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n

            • \n

              3\u20135 practical tools you can use right away<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

            • \n

              Prompts to help you make design decisions or reflect on next steps<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

              \n

              Not sure where to begin?<\/h3>\n
              \n
              \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
              Tool Pack<\/th>\nInstructor Prompt<\/th>\nWhat You\u2019ll Find<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
              Learning Domains<\/strong><\/td>\n\u201cI want to make sure I\u2019m designing for more than just thinking tasks.\u201d<\/em><\/td>\nHelps you balance thinking, feeling, doing, and collaborating<\/strong> in your lessons using Dettmer\u2019s Four Domains.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              Learning Targets<\/strong><\/td>\n\u201cI need to write crisp targets that guide both my design and my students\u2019 attention.\u201d<\/em><\/td>\nHelps you write clear, measurable instructional targets<\/strong> and translate them into student-facing focusing targets<\/strong>.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              Design Thinking<\/strong><\/td>\n\u201cWhat if learning felt more tangible, memorable, connected, and engaging\u2014something students can see, touch, explore, and shape together?\u201d<\/em><\/td>\nHelps you design tasks using how students actually learn<\/strong>\u2014through action, tools, space, and perception (the 4Es).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
              Coherence Over Time<\/strong><\/td>\n\u201cI want my activities to feel connected and reinforce the bigger picture.\u201d<\/em><\/td>\nHelps you create alignment across weeks and units<\/strong>, so that every task builds toward your course\u2019s bigger purpose.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

              \"The<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":140,"menu_order":1,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"front-matter-type":[12],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-4","front-matter","type-front-matter","status-publish","hentry","front-matter-type-introduction"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.upei.ca\/designalignprocess\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/front-matter\/4","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.upei.ca\/designalignprocess\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/front-matter"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.upei.ca\/designalignprocess\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/front-matter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.upei.ca\/designalignprocess\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/140"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.upei.ca\/designalignprocess\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/front-matter\/4\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":57,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.upei.ca\/designalignprocess\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/front-matter\/4\/revisions\/57"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.upei.ca\/designalignprocess\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/front-matter\/4\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.upei.ca\/designalignprocess\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"front-matter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.upei.ca\/designalignprocess\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/front-matter-type?post=4"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.upei.ca\/designalignprocess\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=4"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.upei.ca\/designalignprocess\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=4"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}