Redesigning the instructional model for the digital transformation of demanding foundational courses
Abstract
Digital transformation in higher education should go beyond putting teaching materials online or adding technological tools. It calls for a coordinated redesign of learning outcomes, content organization, learning activities, and assessment. Using Methods of Mathematical Physics at a regional university as a case study, this study draws on literature analysis, theoretical synthesis, and reflection on course implementation. To address abstract concepts, derivation-heavy content, fragmented knowledge, and delayed feedback, it proposes an instructional model organized around four coordinated dimensions connected by a three-stage closed loop. In the objective dimension, students progress from knowledge acquisition to modeling, problem solving, and transfer. In the content dimension, question sequences, a knowledge graph, and computational visualization are used to reorganize the course. In the pedagogical dimension, instruction spans pre-class diagnosis, in-class knowledge construction, and post-class extension. In the assessment dimension, low-stakes quizzes, project assignments, peer review, and two-stage examinations are combined. Evidence from course grades, learning-platform records, classroom observations, and student evaluations provide preliminary support for the feasibility of the framework. Initial observations suggest potential improvements in student learning outcomes. The central argument is that digital transformation in demanding foundational courses depends less on the number of tools adopted than on constructive alignment among technological affordances, disciplinary content, learning mechanisms, and assessment evidence. The framework offers transferable design principles for redesigning theory-intensive foundational courses in higher education, although its effectiveness requires further validation through quasi-experimental research.
Document Type: Original article
Cited as: Luo, L. Redesigning the instructional model for the digital transformation of demanding foundational courses. Higher Engineering Education Transformation, 2026, 1(1): 1-9. https://doi.org/10.46690/heet.2026.01.01
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46690/heet.2026.01.01Keywords:
Higher education, digital transformation, instructional model redesign, Methods of Mathematical Physics, diversified assessmentReferences
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