Objectives for Section 1: Knowing Your Learners

Upon completion of this section, you will be able to

• clearly articulate the characteristics of your learners.
• describe your classroom learning environment.

How would you describe your learners (target population)? As you design instruction, it is critical that you have a particular audience in mind, rather than centering the design around the content and then searching for an audience that is appropriate (Smith & Regan, 1993). A common error made by those new to course design is to describe the characteristics that they desire in an audience instead of the true characteristics of the learners.

Understanding Learning Theory	Course Design	Classroom Management	Active Learning	Inclusive Teaching	Assessment Strategies	Teaching Online

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