Adding Structure for Success
One of the most effective ways we can use our all-too-limited class time is by giving students guided practice as they learn our course’s most complex or challenging skills and concepts. This process is sometimes called scaffolding, like the temporary support structures construction workers use in the early stages of building. Good scaffolding helps students bridge the gap between their current levels of knowledge or skill and the levels they need to attain. Effective learning happens in this “zone of proximal development,” where students can stretch, with appropriate support, to accomplish tasks they couldn’t achieve alone.
In order to build sturdy scaffolds, we must first isolate the component skills needed for a particular assignment or exercise and allow students to practice with the pieces before they assemble them. Our own high levels of expertise can make the material we’ve spent decades studying seem deceptively simple, but we need to break down the thinking tasks for novice learners. We might ask students to analyze a case, for instance, or develop an argument, without recognizing that we’re asking them to execute half a dozen skills at once. If students tend to struggle with a particular skill or set of skills, or if their performance on an exam or project has disappointed us in the past, this is a good sign that they may need additional scaffolding. We can pause to consider where beginners need to start. Good scaffolding and transparent instructions help students to see what kind of reasoning they need to practice, and why, as well as what successful work would look like.
Once we’ve “unbundled” a complex skill into stages or components, we can design activities to give students the practice they need. Sometimes scaffolding involves guiding students as they gradually build the skills they’ll need in order to complete a term project or perform on a higher-stakes exam, and sometimes they’re actually producing smaller pieces of a larger project, over the course of a semester. Class time is especially valuable for early attempts, since students can get immediate feedback from peers and from you to guide their later practice. For ideas on in-class activities that can help build scaffolds, you might explore our Learning-Centered Activities resource.
It’s no surprise that students tend to produce better final projects when they’ve had extensive practice with the necessary concepts and skills. Careful scaffolding also tends to promote academic integrity, since repeated practice helps students gain confidence in their ability to do the work, and in many cases allows them to begin it during class time. Students who feel capable of doing the learning and demonstrating their mastery of the material are less likely to give up and offload cognitive tasks. It doesn’t hurt that if students have completed preliminary steps in a project during class time, under your supervision, it’s more challenging to turn to AI to complete the work.
If you’d like more support in your own construction of effective learning experiences, we’re here to help. You can email us at pro-teaching@fsu.edu for a consultation. We look forward to working with you!
Intentional AI: Designing for Active Learning and Assessment Resilience
Thursday, March 12 | 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. | Strozier Library, Zimmerman Instruction Room 107A
As artificial intelligence rapidly reshapes higher education, how can we use these tools to enhance active learning while fostering independent student learning? Join us for an interactive workshop focused on integrating AI into your courses through the lens of learner-centered pedagogy and Universal Design for Learning. We will explore how to intentionally select AI tools that reduce learning barriers and foster classroom engagement.
We will also explore an AI-resilient toolkit for assignment design. We will discuss approaches to structuring assessments that encourage students to do their own thinking and learning when independent practice is vital for their cognitive and social development.
If you would like to join us, please complete the Registration Form. We look forward to working with you!
Summer 2026 Course Design Institute
May 12-15 | 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. | Bradley Reading Room, Strozier Library
July 13-16 | 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. | Bradley Reading Room, Strozier Library
Click Here to Complete a Summer 2026 CDI Application
CAT’s Course Design Seminar provides faculty with the time, structure, and support they need to craft transformative learning experiences that reach and inspire their students. Course design and planning need not be lonely work; they are best accomplished in a community of peers who are similarly engaged. The seminar is a four-day series of hands-on workshops, during which faculty will hone their goals for student learning, plan effective use of class time, and work on sequencing and scaffolding coursework, as well as gathering valid evidence of learning. They will also work on strategies for cultivating classroom community and enhancing student motivation. Participants will gain:
- Structured support to (re)design a course for maximum learning
- Assistance and feedback on course design, including learning goals; assignment and exam design; effective use of class time; class activities; active-learning strategies; etc.
- Expertise in learner-centered teaching and backward design
- Strategies for motivating students
- Collegial community and peer feedback
Each faculty participant will receive a stipend of $2,000 upon successful completion of the course redesign. Seats are limited, and full-time faculty of all ranks are eligible. Priority will be given to courses that reach large numbers of students and to applications from colleagues who have not yet attended one of our course design seminars. Participants must be able to attend all sessions of the workshop, complete pre-work, and submit final revised plans in August.
As part of your application, please provide a brief letter of support from your chair. Your chair can email the letter to pro-teaching@fsu.edu. The deadline to apply is Friday, March 13, and decisions will be made by Wednesday, March 25. If you have questions, please contact us at pro-teaching@fsu.edu. We look forward to working with you!