English Basics and Foundations for 9th Grade is a 15 week course focused on learning various types of writing, with emphasis on the development of written communication skills, how to analyze text, and collaboration. There are five main modules for the course that deal with narrative, poetry, drama, rhetoric, and research. The researcher spent time talking with former students and close relatives about their experiences in the english classroom. Through an exercise in empathy, the researcher was able to understand the wants, wishes, and needs of these students that played an important role in the development of this course.

This online English course was designed using Canvas for students to develop writing and reading skills at the 9th-grade level. Courses are designed to give students the opportunity to build upon foundational skills in english with personalized feedback and instruction. It is important to build upon foundational skills because these are the skills that students will be carrying with them for the rest of their lives. If they do not have a proper foundation, they will not be prepared for the “real-world.” Knowing how to write, read, and communicate are essentials to building a successful life and go beyond academics. According to ACT.org, the official site of the ACT, developing foundational skills are “essential to conveying and receiving information that is critical to training and workplace success” (ACT, 2014).

The session will discuss the design, objectives, development, and findings of this project. The course was designed in accordance with peer/instructor feedback and target audience’s reactions and opinions. The Universal Design for Learning was used while considering the development of the course.