Designing better learning

When Carla Nowasad began teaching at Bow Valley College, she quickly noticed something many instructors experience early in their careers: the quality of curriculum makes all the difference.

After struggling with provided materials in another teaching role, she realized that she could build and capitalize on her own ideas. “It’s so much easier to teach when you have a good program to teach from. That’s what really sparked my interest in curriculum design.”

That realization led Nowasad to Mount Royal’s Curriculum Development and Instructional Design Extension Certificate program, a one-year certificate that helps educators build the skills to design, evaluate and enhance learning experiences.

A passion for teaching built on a foundation of helping others

Nowasad’s path to post-secondary teaching wasn’t a straight line. Before becoming an instructor, she spent more than 15 years working as a social worker for both the Government of Alberta and the Government of the Northwest Territories.

“Mid-career, I started to feel a bit burnt out,” she recalls. “I took some career counselling and teaching scored really high in my assessment. So I thought – I could do this!”

She began by teaching English as a Second Language, earning her CELTA certification, then completed a master’s degree in Adult Education. Eventually, she found her way to Bow Valley College, teaching in the School of Community Studies.

“I mostly teach electives like case management, social determinants of health, and interpersonal communication,” Nowasad says. “That last one, interpersonal communication, is one of my favourites. It’s such a rich topic and you can bring your own ideas to it.” 

Perfectly illustrating the value of good instructional design, Nowasad reflects, “For example, I added an activity on unconscious bias and the students were blown away. They said, ‘I never realized I just hang out with people like me.’ It’s great to see those moments of awareness.” 

When she enrolled in Mount Royal’s Curriculum Development and Instructional Design program, Nowasad says she felt an immediate connection to the material.

“I couldn’t wait to get home to work on my assignments,” she says. “It was just so interesting – learning how curriculum is developed, how it’s structured. I was actually disappointed when it was over. It was such a positive learning experience.”

Each week, she and her cohort worked through new modules that introduced practical design principles, online learning strategies and ways to align content with measurable learning outcomes.

“It was so organized and easy to follow,” Carla explained. “Everything just flowed. It really practiced what it preached.”

She credits her instructors, including Casey Allen, for creating such a dynamic, well-supported learning environment.

“They were phenomenal,” Nowasad says. “They always responded to questions within 24 hours, their marking was quick and the feedback was detailed. They really cared about our success.”

 

Applying new insights in the classroom

Nowasad says what she learned at Mount Royal now plays a daily role in how she approaches her teaching at Bow Valley.

“The biggest takeaway was understanding learning outcomes, like how to design them and how to make sure your course aligns with them,” she explains. “That’s really helped me in my work. I can analyze curriculum now, adapt it and still stay true to the outcomes. It’s elevated my professional outlook on teaching.”

Teaching electives also gives her room to experiment and bring creativity into the classroom. One activity – asking students to share a song that represents friendship – turned out to be an unexpected hit.

“I thought it might be too corny,” she laughed. “But the students loved it. It reminded me that creativity really does have a place in education.”

Nowasad continues to apply what she learned in new ways and even draws on her Mount Royal experience when exploring new opportunities.

“I’ve used projects from the program in job interviews for instructional design roles because this program really is a strong stepping stone if you want to move in that direction,” she says.

She’s also considering revisiting an idea inspired by her years in social work and creating a life skills course focused on boundaries and everyday wellbeing.

“I think that kind of course could help a lot of people.” 

For Nowasad, Mount Royal’s program wasn’t just professional development. It was a reminder of why she loves to teach. “It was such a positive experience,” she says. “It was so easy to learn and the course was so well designed. You don’t always get that in education and that’s what made it so special.”

Winter registration for Mount Royal's Continuing Education programs opens Monday, Nov.10. Learn more about the Curriculum Development and Instructional Design Extension Certificate.