Traditional vs. Backward Design

Reflective Prompt: What is your process for designing a course?

What is it?

Understanding by Design, written by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe, offers a framework for designing courses and content units called “Backward Design.”

Traditionally, many faculty begin designing their course(s) with a focus on content. Oftentimes, a great textbook is chosen and broken into "topics" which then drives the content for the course. With content in hand, lectures are planned; outcomes surface; and the creation of upcoming assessments (such as exam questions) are influenced.

With this model, the course then becomes content-centered, sometimes leading to learning activities that are tied to the content of the text rather than to the actual desired course goals. It can also represent a faculty's focus on teaching rather than learning. It becomes teacher-centered.

"What do I know about what is important in this field?"
"How can I organize all of this content?"
"What did I teach them in this unit?"
"How can I test what I taught?"

Why use it?

Educators and curriculum specialists say that beginning with what we want students to know and be able to do will lead to more intentional activities and assessments that logically align with those outcomes. We can also take a more student-centered approach by inverting the sequence of the traditional model and by altering the perspective in which we ask ourselves design questions.

"What will students know and be able to do at the end of this course?"
"How will we know if they progressed?"
"What do students need to practice to progress?"

How do I use it?

The idea is to begin with the END IN MIND.

Step 1: What do you want your students to achieve by the end of the course (Learning Outcomes)?

Step 2: What types of assessments will most effectively allow students to demonstrate their progress towards achieving the learning outcomes?

Step 3: What learning opportunities such as content, materials, activities, and assignments will be assigned to prepare students in achieving the desired outcomes?

*See CTL's website for additional Core Guides on Learning Outcomes, Assessment, and Instructional Methods.

References

Avenues: The World School. [AVENUESdotORG]. (2012, January 21). Understanding by Design with Grant Wiggins [Video]. YouTube.

Hall, T. E., Meyer, A., & Rose, D. H. (2012). Universal design for learning in the classroom : practical applications. Guilford Press.

Wiggins, G., and McTighe, J. (1998). Backward Design. In Understanding by design (pp. 13-34). ASCD.

Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (2nd Ed.). ASCD.