4.1 Backward design

Description

In this unit you will learn to:

Recognise the three stages of backward design

Learning resources

Backward design

Start by the end

Effective planning of curriculum, courses, and even individual lessons start at the end. In other words, we start by identifying the desired outcomes instead of merely focusing on the content and topics to be covered. This approach is called backward design (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005) and it follows a three-step process:

identifying the desired outcomes;
determining the assessment evidence;
planning the learning experiences and the instruction methods.

This approach ensures that educational activities and assessments align with and support the achievement of the established goals. Moreover, it addresses the common problems of treating textbooks and training materials as the curriculum rather than resources, and having activity-oriented practices with no clear priorities and purposes.

Figure 1. Stages of the backward design: Adapted from Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (2nd edition). ASCD.

Identifying the desired outcomes

Designing a training starts by seeing the big picture, i.e., by identifying its objectives. We can always ask ourselves a few questions to help us find what the end goal is.

What should learners know at the end of the training?
What should they be able to do?

At this stage we can take into consideration goals of the curriculum, frameworks, results of gap analyses, etc., and keep focusing on the big ideas, concepts, principles, theories, procedures and so on.

The desired results will be the intended learning outcomes (LOs).

Determining assessment evidence

Once we know the desired results, we are able to identify ways to know what the learners know, that is, we can determine the “acceptable evidence” that such results were effectively obtained.

Backward design is a way to ensure the alignment between learning outcomes and assessment. The scope of the assessment should take into account the balance between knowledge and skills that are reflected in the LOs.

The assessment can take the form of quizzes, projects, presentations, portfolios, and even tests. However, it is important to keep in mind that assessment does not mean grading. Grades, badges, certifications can be used as a proof of training, but here we are talking about the evidence we will collect for our assessment and how we will collect them throughout the training.

Planning the learning activities and instruction

We plan the instructional activities to make sure that learners will be taught the knowledge and the skills they need to be able to meet the established assessment criteria. At the third stage of Backward design, we identify the most appropriate approach, method of content delivery, activities and materials to be used. The learning activities are the lectures we give or the activities and practices we facilitate.

To identify what constitutes the best instructional experience that will allow learners to achieve the desired results, we can ask a few questions.

What facts, concepts, principles, procedures and processes will learners need in order to achieve the end goals and to perform effectively?
What kind of activity will best equip learners with knowledge and skills?
What will need to be taught and how should it be taught?
What materials and resources are the most adequate to achieve this goal?

References

Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development ASCD.