BUS 2006, Contemporary Professional Writing
Timeline: 1 month
Model: Understanding by Design
Responsibilities: Instructional Design and Development
Tools: Canvas
BUS 2006, Contemporary Professional Writing is an asynchronous course for undergraduate students in the School of Business at Notre Dame de Namur University. The Subject Matter Expert consulted with me on ways to foster student engagement and group learning. My suggestion was to redesign the course project by creating a better structure and providing scaffolding.
THE CHALLENGE
In Fall 2025, the Subject Matter Expert for BUS-2006 at the School of Business and Management requested instructional design support to enhance student engagement. The course utilized a portfolio assessment where student groups would select one of five projects (e.g., Marketing Communications, Business Consulting) and create a series of documents for their portfolio.
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To ensure student success, I proposed and implemented a new design strategy focused on two key areas:
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Scenario-Based Tasks: I developed a series of scaffolded, scenario-based tasks that guided students through the project over the duration of the course.
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Structured Collaboration: I created a system of assigning and rotating group roles to provide structure and accountability for their collaborative work.
ANALYSIS
INSTRUCTIONAL ANALYSIS
Informed by the course-level and the program-level outcomes, the portfolio assessment approach combines target writing and business communication skills. Students learn to use digital tools to conduct effective research and to craft written and oral communications that are both professional and ethical.
The students demonstrate their proficiency by creating a diverse range of business documents and delivering frequent presentations that analyze a business scenario and articulate clear, effective solutions.
DESIGN
After the development of the terminal and subordinate objectives of the module, we developed the formative and summative assessments. The curriculum is anchored by a final project where students must analyze an AI application and report on its business implications. To ensure success, this project is scaffolded with weekly deliverables that progressively build the necessary research and analysis skills.
DEVELOPMENT
To facilitate group work and ensure that students are successful, I utilized Canvas Groups. I created five groups (e.g., Aura's Marketing Communications Team, Momentum Advisory's Engagement Team, Sync Communication's Founding Team, etc.) that students can join depending on the portfolio they want to complete.
Each group's homepage begins with a scenario that immerses the students in their case and introduces the problem they are asked to solve. A role assignment sheet allows students to take on different roles each week and complete tasks that contribute to the final portfolio. The project phases pages provide clarity on what students must collaborate on and produce each week.​
Each phase's format combines an asynchronous discussion, the development of a communication artifact, and a presentation to the class. For instance, in Week 1, the Aura's Marketing Communications Team is expected to:
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Participate in an asynchronous discussion to analyze the Campaign Kickoff Memo.
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The team's "Campaign Architect" then develops the Marketing Plan document based on that discussion.
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Finally, another group member records and shares a pitch of the plan to the rest of the class.
IMPLEMENTATION & EVALUATION
The group work is implemented in Canvas Groups. This assessment approach provides students with a new and dynamic learning experience that does not resemble the past course. Students develop communication and collaboration skills and the various communication channels provide them with flexibility.