Course and Syllabus Design

What is Backward Course Design?

Backward course design is an approach to creating curriculum, individual courses, and even single class sessions that uses the learning outcomes as the starting point for the entire design process (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005). The method emphasizes intentional alignment of assessments and instructional strategies to learning objectives in three key stages:

Why Backward Course Design?

Intentional alignment of learning objectives, assessments, and instructional strategies supports the organization and intentionality of the course design process, encouraging well-reasoned decision making at all levels of granularity. Faculty can then focus on teaching for understanding versus coverage (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005, p. 45). An intentionally designed curriculum, course, or single class session can support students’ ability to see the purpose of their engagement with the learning process. Students who have a clear understanding of learning objectives are more engaged with course material and approach studying on a deeper level (McGregor & Elliot, 2002, Miller et al., 1996). The backward course design approach increases faculty confidence, and the likelihood students will accomplish the intended learning.

How to put Backward Course Design into Practice.

The backward course design approach can be broken down into the following actionable steps.

Step 1: Identify and/or formulate the desired learning objectives.

Identifying the learning objectives for an individual course should begin with locating the governance approved learning objectives. Faculty are advised to begin by reviewing any existing course syllabi and contacting the current Department Head to obtain these learning objectives. Reaching out to the registrar is also an option.  If faculty are creating new learning objectives, it is important to remember that learning objectives are intended to articulate the knowledge and skills you want students to acquire by the end of the course. Effective learning objectives are 1) student-centered, 2) actionable, and 3) measurable.

Bloom’s Taxonomy can be a useful tool to achieve the actionable aspect of the learning objective during the design process. Selecting the appropriate verb will support the alignment of assessments and instructional strategies.

Clear articulation of the learning objectives not only supports the selection of appropriate assessments and instructional strategies – it also provides students with an easier to understand goal for the course.

Instead of:

1. Conduct a review of the literature.
2. Review journal articles.

Consider:

1. Analyze the use of theory in scholarly journal articles.
2. Evaluate the research designs and analytic methods used in recent publications.

Step 2: Design assessments of student learning that align with the learning objectives.

Often, assessments and assignments are terms used interchangeably. However, not all assessments need be elevated to a graded assignment. Considering that the purpose of assessment should be to provide feedback to both students and faculty about what is going well, what is not going well, and what strategies might be needed to close learning gaps, not all assessments need to be linked to points or contributions to the overall course grade.

There are two types of assessments: formative and summative assessments. Formative assessments are low stakes and provide feedback about the progress toward the overall learning objectives. These can include homework assignments, problem sets, classroom assessment techniques (CATs), weekly reflective journal entries, and/or quizzes. Summative assessments are higher stake assessments usually used to evaluate students’ cumulative learning in a unit, module, or course. Individual or group projects, presentations, oral defenses, or exams are examples of common summative assessments.  

Well-designed assessments should be aligned with the learning objectives and the selected Bloom’s Taxonomy verbs can often support the selection of assessments.

Step 3: Choose course content, plan teaching strategies, and select learning activities that help students prepare for those assessments.

Selecting course content can include textbooks, readings, and any other type of media that you choose for students to engage with, as well as content you create yourself. One important aspect of this selection is to reduce redundancy or unnecessary content. For example, if content does not align with your learning objectives, then it should likely not be included. If students are assigned readings or pre-class videos, then do not repeat this content in a lecture. Instead, select a learning activity that will highlight the more challenging areas where depth is required for increased understanding or implement interactive learning activities that will deepen students’ understanding. Think explicitly about how you organize course content to support student’s understanding and consider discipline-specific skills, as well as knowledge, that can be incorporated into learning activities.

Deciding on teaching strategies and selecting learning activities should include the above decisions as well as the evidence behind how people learn. This final step should help students engage with the content, apply their learning, and meet your outcomes. Examples of teaching strategies include cooperative learning, gamification, and interactive lecture.  

Once you have worked through the steps of backward course design, your course planning is well on its way and likely ready to be transferred into a well-designed course syllabus.

References

McGregor, H.A. & Elliot, A.J. (2002). Achievement goals as predictors of achievement-relevant processes prior to task engagement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 94(2), 381-393. https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-0663.94.2.381

Miller, R.B., Greene, B.A., & Montalvo, G.P. (1996). Engagement in academic work: The role of learning goals, future consequences, please others, and perceived ability. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 21, 388-422. https://doi.org/10.1006/ceps.1996.0028

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