Develop measurable criteria and structured approaches for integrating and assessing dispositions in course design¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 6 claims (5 for, 1 against) · 1 study (1 qualitative), q2 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 6 claims rest on one study

Description¶

The article recommends that researchers and instructional designers "focus on developing measurable criteria that educators can use to effectively assess dispositions", and that designers adopt structured course design approaches using frameworks such as Fink's to keep all course components intentionally and coherently aligned. It also calls for clearer institutional guidance and professional development to help instructional designers navigate differing expectations about whether dispositions should be taught in higher education.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Institutional guidance and professional development supporting instructional designers; assessment methods that align dispositions with learning goals and teaching activities

Constraints¶

• Assessing dispositions cannot be approached the same way as assessing knowledge or skills; observational methods or processes are indicated

Target Learners¶

• higher education students

Target Learning Goals¶

• dispositions such as perseverance, adaptability, collaboration, and conscientiousness

Affordances¶

• Fink Integrated Course Design Framework

Claims¶

• Stakeholder and faculty buy-in, time constraints, and lack of measurable definitions are the main challenges to integrating and assessing dispositions [-W]
• Most assessment methods for dispositions were suggestions rather than implemented practices, and some designers had no assessment ideas [+W]
• Higher education instructional designers recognize dispositions as important learning goals in their course designs [+W]
• Instructional designers define dispositions in varied and divergent ways, with several conflating them with soft skills [+W]
• The gap between dispositions as learning goals and their assessment indicates misalignment among Integrated Course Design components [+W]
• Instructional designers employ teaching activities such as self-reflection, authentic learning, and collaborative work to foster dispositions, but application is inconsistent [+W]

Related Strategies¶

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Jafar Tavakoli, Marisa Exter, Ankita Kotangale. (2025). Integrating dispositions in instructional design: an exploratory study in higher education. Instructional Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-025-09762-3