Learner-Centered Course Design

The term learner-centered is akin to the “user-centered” focus of a product. If a course is designed in a learner-centered way, it means extensive attention has been given to the needs, interest and skills of learners during course design. As opposed to content-centered course design, where teachers usually compile a list of topics and decide how much time to spend on each, the heart of a learner-centered approach is to decide first what students can and should learn in relation to the course, then how to assess students’ performance and determine how such learning can be facilitated. By shifting from content-centered to learner-centered, instructional design becomes learning experience design.  The Center for Education Innovation provides detailed guidance on learner-centered course design.