Leveraging student agency in course design

Effective course design begins with recognising that learners bring different experiences, goals and responsibilities into the classroom. This is especially true in online graduate education. The students in the online Master of Natural Resources programme that I teach are frequently balancing careers, families and community responsibilities alongside their studies. Coursework is often their third priority, and that reality has shaped my approach to course design.

Giving students choice is not about reducing expectations or allowing students to take shortcuts. It is about helping learners connect what they are studying to who they are, where they are and where they hope to go. When students can see that connection, they engage more deeply with their learning and are more likely to carry it into their professional lives.

Rather than asking students to fit into a rigid course structure, I ask how I can create learning experiences that mesh with their lives while maintaining my own high expectations. The diversity of our students makes this essential. Within a single course, I may teach architects, engineers, military veterans, attorneys, teachers, accountants and music therapists. What unites them is a shared desire to contribute to sustainable development and create positive change in their communities and organisations.

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The challenge for educators is obvious: how do you design a single assignment that is equally relevant to all learners? Often you cannot. Instead, I focus on creating assignments that allow students to apply course concepts within their own professional contexts and aspirations. 

At the beginning of each semester, I encourage students to think about where they want to go. If someone wants to work in food systems, for example, I encourage them to use every assignment as an opportunity to explore that field. 

So, the learning objectives themselves are constant, but the pathways students take to achieve them may differ. One exercise asks students to examine LinkedIn profiles and job descriptions to identify a dream job. They analyse the skills required for that role, compare them with their own capabilities and identify gaps. From there, they can use course assignments strategically to address those gaps.

This approach transforms assignments from isolated academic exercises into tools for professional development, and I have found that students become far more invested in their work when they can see a direct connection between what they are learning today and what they hope to do tomorrow. 

Real-world projects can strengthen that connection even further. Take a course on infrastructure for resilience, for example. In this course, I often build final projects around initiatives and challenges taking place outside the classroom. Sometimes students can contribute directly to these real-world projects with external partners. In these cases, students gain experience they can discuss in interviews, include on a résumé and use as evidence of their expertise.

Alongside externally focused projects, I provide opportunities for students to design their own projects around communities, organisations or issues that matter to them. For example, one assignment asks students to develop a sustainability platform for a hypothetical mayoral candidate in a mid-size city. Students must identify local challenges and apply course frameworks to propose realistic solutions. Some focus on their home towns. Others choose cities where they hope to work in the future. The assignment is grounded in the same learning outcomes, but students bring different perspectives, interests and ambitions to the work. 

This raises an important question that many educators ask: if students are completing different projects, how do you assess them fairly? The answer is that assessment shifts from comparing identical products and towards evaluating evidence of learning. Did students meet the objectives? Did they engage thoughtfully with the material? Did they demonstrate effort, insight and growth? Have they moved beyond surface-level understanding?

For educators interested in incorporating more student choice, my advice is simple: start small; there is no need to redesign an entire course overnight. Begin with a single module or assignment. Offer students different ways to demonstrate their learning. Create opportunities for them to connect course concepts to their own interests, goals or professional contexts. The results may surprise you.

This approach also feels increasingly important as artificial intelligence becomes more prevalent in higher education. Some have suggested that AI threatens the future of online and asynchronous learning because students can use it to generate assignments, discussion posts and reflections with minimal effort.

AI has changed many conversations about teaching, but it has not changed one fundamental truth: students engage most deeply when they see personal value in the work. When an assignment helps build a portfolio, prepare for a career transition or contribute to a real-world challenge, outsourcing the thinking becomes far less attractive. The most effective learning experiences are not those that require students to complete tasks. They invite students to invest in their own growth.

As higher education adapts to technological change, I believe student agency will become even more important. Personalised, purposeful experiences are one of the most effective ways we can help students see value in their learning. That, ultimately, is why student choice matters. It is not about giving learners an easier path. Giving students meaningful options helps bridge the gap between classroom learning and the work they hope to do after the course ends.

Courtney Kimmel is professor of practice in the Center for Leadership in Global Sustainability in the College of Natural Resources and Environment at Virginia Tech and director of conservation at the Port Royal Sound Foundation.

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