When we initially created and refined the first-year Cornerstone courses at Minerva, we evolved a set of shared processes, conventions, and templates to support the process of developing lesson plans for active learning. After devoting two full years of curriculum design effort exclusively to these four courses, we faced the challenge of scaling our course development process to simultaneously design a much larger number of upper-division courses. In order to consistently and efficiently create extraordinary active learning experiences, we started to develop a software-based lesson plan authoring tool that would encapsulate and codify our previously-validated templates and processes. This tool, Course Builder, grew to also support the management and iterative improvement of our full curriculum. By the end of its first semester in use, the combined functionality of Course Builder and the Active Learning Forum allowed us to move beyond the need for a Learning Management System entirely. In this chapter, we introduce the Course Builder curriculum design system. We take a close look at how this technology allows us to collaboratively design, systematically coordinate, and iteratively improve on courses and lesson plans built specifically for active learning.

We offer a working definition of active learning in which learning is active to the extent that it engages the cognitive processes known to be involved in comprehension, reasoning, memory, and pattern perception; it is not the same as student-centered or collaborative learning. To maximize students' opportunities for active learning, we use a variety of pedagogical techniques and technological supports. Pedagogically, we often use "engagement prompts," which are questions or challenges for all students to consider for the duration of an activity, even when they are not contributing. We also use collaborative learning in small groups; short, summative reflection essays; and fast-paced relay-style activities that require students to attend very carefully to the substance of their classmates' contributions. Technologically, we record the amount of time each student speaks to ensure that we call on all students approximately equally, and we use a tagging system to track the technique used in every activity so that later programmatic assessment will be more robust.

We review the processes and tools we use to help achieve a consistent and high-quality learning environment for our students and a pleasant and productive working environment for our faculty. Our Cornerstone courses have multiple instructors, who meet weekly, along with the development faculty for the course; we are extending this model to upper-division (sophomore year and above) courses as we grow. Extensive use of a real-time chat tool ("Slack") facilitates tight synchronization, knowledge-sharing, and team-building among our geographically distributed team. Full faculty meetings and a faculty advisory committee provide additional channels for higher-level strategic direction. The substance of the exchanges provided in these communication channels spans content, pedagogy, classroom management, and grading support. Before they begin teaching, a one-month orientation course helps all new faculty develop working relationships, become comfortable with the unique Minerva pedagogy and the digital tools we use for development, assessment, and instruction.

I summarize our general education model, compare it with other popular approaches, and discuss our approach to common challenges. All students complete the same four freshman seminars; each lasts the year and is fully active: no lectures. Approximately 115 learning objectives span four core competencies: critical and creative thinking and effective communication and interaction. This model differs from the four dominant models found in ~290 representative institutions of higher education. We avoided many challenges by building our plans into the foundations of the university from its inception, using a highly diverse team-based course development and teaching program, and continuing assessment on the learning objectives throughout all four years.