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How to design a course

The key to a successful course is planning and sound design. Find resources that walk you through the backward design process that aligns activities and assessments with desired course outcomes.

Backward Design Framework

The key to a successful course is planning and sound design. The steps in this course are based on the backward design model developed by Wiggins and McTighe in their book Understanding by Design (Wiggins and McTighe 13-21). In this model, one begins with identifying desired outcomes and moves through designing engaging activities and assessments that support those outcomes. In his book Creating Significant Learning Experiences, L. Dee Fink presents a modified version of this approach, which he refers to as the Integrated Course Design Model (Fink 74-75). We have modified this model slightly for the sake of simplicity.

• Backward Design Step 1: Identify Situational Factors
• Backward Design Step 2: Writing Course Learning Outcomes
• Backward Design Step 3: Define Course Structure
• Backward Design Step 4: Identify Module Details
• Backward Design Step 5: Identify Evidence of Understanding
• Backward Design Step 6: Select Learning Activities
• Backward Design Step 7: Align and Debug Course Elements
• Backward Design Step 8: Create an Evaluation Plan