Course design for busy lives

Many of our students have families and busy day jobs, and traditional undergraduate and postgraduate courses may not be designed with this type of student in mind. Barriers could include course structure, irrelevant learning materials and formats and schedules that fail to factor in students’ commitments. Relatively small alterations can make learning feel like a natural extension of professional life, rather than an additional burden. 

Here are five practical adjustments that have made a real difference in our programmes.

1: Reduce friction in attendance and scheduling

The traditional 9 o’clock start seems reasonable but the route to campus might not be the same as the commute to work. For example, students might need to drop off children and be unfamiliar with parking rules or train schedules. We found 10am too late because students were eager to get going so, in a “three bears”-inspired compromise, we landed on 9.30. With full-day schedules, the temptation is to run till 5.30, but we landed on 4.30 to promote work-life balance, especially for students with caring responsibilities. 

We also found that traditional course start months of September and January work best because they match up with the school year. Later starts, such as Easter, can work, but were less popular among students. Summer courses can be less viable: families go on leave, and the timing doesn’t align with expectations. University systems can also struggle with significant breaks from administrative norms.

• Spotlight guide: Course design for a new age
• Why flexibility is now central to student success
• The small steps that can make a big difference to student parents

2: Reduce cognitive load with single sequential modules

Simultaneous modules work well for full-time students but for those juggling study and work, this format can be overwhelming. Before we changed our approach, we found that students focused their attention on the next assessment, which reduced their level of engagement with other modules. We now run single modules with assessment before the next module begins. This approach creates a clear separation between learning experiences, enabling students to immerse themselves completely before moving on. It also avoids “assessment bunching”, where multiple deadlines fall around the same time. 

3: Use the workplace as the case study

Established case studies can work well but working students already have skin in the game that gives them examples they can use in the classroom. By constructing activities and assessments based on their contexts, we can enhance engagement, blur the lines between study and work and promote deeper contextual application. 

4: Teach what matters – not what has always been taught

The alignment between learning and workplace contexts raises a delicate question: are we teaching topics that genuinely matter to working students? Of course, not all learning needs an immediate practical application but in management or business subjects, relevance and application become more critical. Too often, what is taught is shaped more by tradition than by the realities of contemporary practice and the workplace. It is always worth exploring whether the topic you’re teaching is adding to students’ knowledge and skills or whether it’s being taught because it is what’s expected. Speak to students to find out what is useful, relevant and meaningful in the workplace. 

5. Mixed cohorts

Occasionally, a company will request a closed programme for their employees. This makes sense from a company perspective because it keeps participants within a cultural and operational bubble and can be cost-effective. The downside is the limited interaction with others from different organisational cultures and norms. Interacting with other students with different approaches, assumptions and insight offers huge developmental benefit and can improve critical thinking. 

Designing for working students is ultimately about respect: for their time, responsibilities and daily realities. Consider the following:

• Whether the attendance model of your course is accessible 
• How much time to dedicate to certain topics and whether they achieve what you set out to do
• Whether the topics add value within students’ contexts.

Put yourself into the student’s shoes and ask, “what would work for me?”

Working students benefit from design that reduces competing demands on both time and attention. Start and finish times, sequential delivery, flexible learning resources and opportunities to create shared value, alongside carefully planned assessment timelines, enable students to balance professional, learning and personal responsibilities.

Trevor Brown is reader in strategic practice and apprenticeships, and head of business, and Jill Gavin-Pitt is deputy head of the department of strategy, enterprise and sustainability. Both authors work in the faculty of business and law at Manchester Metropolitan University.  

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