Backward Design in Education: A Comprehensive Guide

Introduction

In education, the ultimate goal is to facilitate meaningful student learning, not just cover a predetermined amount of content. "Backward Design" is an approach to curriculum creation that prioritizes intended learning outcomes over topics. In this article, we will explore the concept of backward design, its stages, benefits, and how it can be effectively implemented to enhance the learning experience for students of all levels.

What is Backward Design?

Backward design, also known as backward planning or Understanding by Design (UbD), is a method of designing an educational curriculum by setting goals before choosing instructional methods and forms of assessment. Coined by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe, this approach emphasizes outcomes and assessment as foundational to content and instruction planning. It challenges the traditional method of curriculum planning, where a list of content is created first.

The Core Principle

Backward design prioritizes the "desired results," which are your intended learning outcomes (ILOs). Even if you have not articulated them explicitly, you have some set of goals and some image of what succeeding at those goals looks like. Ask yourself: what should students know or be able to do at the end of this course? The goal of backward design, then, is to ensure what is taught and how it is taught is directly tied to the assessments and together, they help students learn what they are expected to learn.

Understanding by Design (UbD)

UbD helps focus curriculum and teaching on the development and deepening of student understanding and transfer of learning (i.e., the ability to effectively use content knowledge and skill). Understanding is revealed when students autonomously make sense of and transfer their learning through authentic performance. Six facets of understanding-the capacity to explain, interpret, apply, shift perspective, empathize, and self-assess-can serve as indicators of understanding. Effective curriculum is planned backward from long-term, desired results through a three-stage design process (Desired Results, Evidence, and Learning Plan). This process helps avoid the common problems of treating the textbook as the curriculum rather than a resource, and activity-oriented teaching in which no clear priorities and purposes are apparent. Teachers are coaches of understanding, not mere purveyors of content knowledge, skill, or activity. They focus on ensuring that learning happens, not just teaching (and assuming that what was taught was learned); they always aim and check for successful meaning making and transfer by the learner. Regularly reviewing units and curriculum against design standards enhances curricular quality and effectiveness, and provides engaging and professional discussions. The UbD framework reflects a continual improvement approach to student achievement and teacher craft. Educators may choose to offer many formative assessment opportunities along the way, in order to check for understanding. A backward design template may be helpful for educators as they begin planning a unit with a UbD framework.

Traditional Design vs. Backward Design

Unlike in backward lesson design, in traditional design the assessment is created after the lessons. Therefore, a teacher could risk omitting certain facets of the lessons from the final assessment, only acknowledging in hindsight that they probably could have saved valuable class time by skipping certain units or activities. Furthermore, when a teacher designs a lesson without a plan for the final assessment, they may be tempted to add activities or units to the lesson just for the sake of filling class time.

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The Three Stages of Backward Design

According to the Wiggins and McTighe model, the backward design model establishes course curriculum through three stages.

Stage 1: Identify Desired Results

Start by clearly defining the learning outcomes or objectives that you want your students to achieve. These should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART).

Articulating Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs): By using active verbs, we articulate actions that students will be able to do. When selecting an appropriate verb that accurately describes the desired level of skill or knowledge students will obtain, some find it useful to refer to different models like Bloom’s Taxonomy (1956) or Fink’s Taxonomy (2013) and the associated verbs for each. Since the point of defining ILOs is to provide a design focus for your course and to clarify goals for students, specificity is very important. In your statement of your learning outcomes, it should be clear exactly what the goal is. In particular, beware of words like “understand” or “know.” Exactly what it means to “understand” or “know” something is open to interpretation. An undergraduate’s level of “understanding” of a topic and that of the instructor will vary wildly, and it will be difficult for students to know which level of understanding they should be aiming for.
Examples of Intended Learning Outcomes:
- From Physics II (8.02): The intended learning outcomes of this course are to tease out the laws of electromagnetism from our everyday experience, using specific examples of how electromagnetic phenomena manifest. Notice that a general learning outcome (“tease out the laws of electromagnetism…”) is rather non-specific.
- From Unified Engineering (16.01-16.04), Prof. Steven Hall: Students graduating from 16.030/040 will be able to:
  - Demonstrate an understanding of the fundamental properties of linear systems, by explaining the properties to others.
  - Use linear systems tools, especially transform analysis and convolution, to analyze and predict the behavior of linear systems
  - Gain an appreciation for the importance of linear systems analysis in aerospace systems.

Stage 2: Determine Acceptable Evidence of Learning

Decide on the assessment methods that will provide evidence of student learning. This can include tests, projects, presentations, or portfolios. Align the assessments with the desired results to ensure they accurately measure student mastery of the identified objectives.

Measurable Outcomes: Looking ahead to step two of backward design, you will need to identify evidence that an intended learning outcome has been obtained. If a learning outcome is not measurable, then we will not be able to know whether or not our course successfully achieved its goals. Contrary to a popular assumption, this does not mean that the leaning goal has to be quantitatively measured by some objective instrument (like a multiple-choice test). Valid and accepted measurements will vary from discipline to discipline and include both quantitative and qualitative measures. As the course designer, you decide what kind of measurements will work best for your subject.
Aligning Assessments with ILOs: With intended learning outcomes in hand, the next step of the backward design process is to create assessments that appropriately measure students’ attainment of intended learning outcomes. The scope of your assessments should be in line with the outcomes, and the balance between concepts and skills in these assessments should match that presented in your ILOs. Moreover, in assessments, you should strive to measure the kind(s) of engagement described in your intended learning outcomes. If your ILO states that students will be able to describe some phenomenon, don’t use a true/false or multiple-choice question to measure their attainment of this outcome. Rather, ask them to describe it. How you evaluate and grade an assessment should also track with your intended learning outcomes. If your ILO states that students will be able to analyze the relationship between two concepts in a term paper, then grammar and conventions should not be a large part of the grade, particularly if they can satisfactorily complete the analysis.
Examples of Measurable Outcomes:
- Students graduating from 16.030/040 will be able to:
  - Explain the importance of superposition in the analysis of linear systems. (concept test, homework, quiz)
  - Explain the role of convolution in the analysis of linear time-invariant systems, and use convolution to determine the response of linear systems to arbitrary inputs. (concept test, homework, quiz)
  - List and apply properties of the unilateral and bilateral Laplace transforms. (concept test, homework, quiz)
  - Use Laplace transforms to solve differential equations and to determine the response of linear systems to known inputs. (homework, quiz)
  - Demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the stability and causality of systems and the region of convergence of their Laplace transforms, by correctly explaining the relationship, and using the relationship to determine the stability and causality of systems. (concept test, homework, quiz)
  - Demonstrate an understanding of the relation among the transfer function, convolution, and the impulse response, by explaining the relationship, and using the relationship to solve forced response problems. (concept test, homework, quiz)
  - Explain the relationship between a signal’s bandwidth and its duration, and use that relationship to predict and explain the bandwidth requirements for aerospace applications such as Loran navigation, amplitude modulation, etc.

Stage 3: Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction

Once the desired results and assessments are established, focus on designing the learning experiences that will help students achieve the desired outcomes. Select instructional strategies, resources, and activities that align with the objectives and engage students in meaningful learning. Often teachers will follow up these three stages with notes on “Supporting skills and knowledge” and “Assessment and reflection” to wholly round out the lesson plan.

Learning Activities: “Learning activities,” then are what you do with students to help them achieve the desired results. Once the assessments are aligned to the intended learning outcomes, the job of in-class instruction becomes much clearer.

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Instructional Strategies and Activities: Instructional strategies are the teaching methods by which you present new information to your students. Instructional activities are the specific ways in which students interact with the course content.

Examples of Backward Design in Practice

American Revolution (Grade 5)

According to the History-Social Science Content Standards for California Public Schools, students should be able to explain the causes of the American Revolution by grade 5.

Outcome: For their final assessment, students will read their letters aloud to the class.

Lunar Cycle Model

Assessment: For their final assessment, students will design, construct and present a working model of the sun, moon and Earth. The model can be two- or three-dimensional, but must contain moving parts.
Outcome: By the time students are ready to begin developing their own model, each should be able to explain the lunar cycle in their own words.

Metaphors and Similes

Learning: First, students will read Billy Collins’ poem “Cliché,” which describes the poet’s life as a book. Students will identify all instances of metaphor, simile and personification. Next, they’ll brainstorm metaphors and similes for their own lives.

English Composition Class: Argumentative Writing

Instructors can introduce the elements of argumentative writing, such as thesis statements, supporting evidence, counter arguments, and persuasive techniques. Draft Coach is an excellent tool to use at this stage, as it offers students real-time writing feedback on grammar, punctuation, and citation. From there, facilitated class discussions and small-group activities will allow students to analyze and evaluate argumentative texts and share their perspectives. Students can engage in writing exercises and peer feedback sessions to refine their own arguments and writing skills. It can be helpful to identify prerequisite skills and knowledge required for successful argumentative writing, so some instructors may choose to review foundational concepts, including critical thinking, logical reasoning, research skills, and effective use of sources. The Source Credibility Pack, developed by our Turnitin team of veteran educators, offers resources that support students’ ability to critically analyze components of a source in order to determine whether it is a valid, trustworthy, and reliable source of information for the intended purpose. Instructors can summarize the key elements of constructing an argumentative essay with effective use of evidence and persuasive techniques and again, connect the lesson to authentic, real-world applications, emphasizing the relevance of persuasive writing in various fields and contexts. Authentic learning and authentic assessment both enhance student acquisition of new skills and knowledge because the learning connects directly to situations in real life. Instructors can collect and assess students' argumentative essays to evaluate their understanding and progress toward the learning objective. It’s imperative to provide constructive feedback, highlighting areas of strength and areas for improvement in their arguments, evidence use, and persuasive techniques.

Nutrition for You

The teacher has created an authentic task in which students will design a 3-day meal plan for a camp that uses food pyramid guidelines. The teacher first considers the knowledge and skills that students will need in order to complete the authentic assessment. Specifically, students will need to know about different food groups, human nutritional needs (carbohydrates, proteins, sugars, vitamins, minerals etc.), and about what foods provide these needs. They will need to know how to read nutrition labels. Resources will be a pamphlet from the UDSA on food groups, the health textbook, and a video "Nutrition for You".

Operationalizing Learning in Backward Design

In a backward design model, educators focus on operationalizing learning goals, objectives, and outcomes. Operationalizing learning outcomes means figuring out how an outcome statement or expectation plays out in the real world. For example, what does having strong communication skills look like in a professional setting? Operationalizing learning goals and objectives helps the educators realize and articulate what students really must be able to do or demonstrate in applicable contexts. It means laying out the steps and expectations involved and demystifying expectations.

The outcomes don’t remain an abstract concept differently interpreted by each educator. The operationalizing of the outcomes helps educators identify clear and relevant skills, knowledge, attitudes, habits, and/or behavior that they want to see in their students. Operationalizing the outcomes also helps build consensus among educators regarding what is important for students to learn and what is ancillary. It helps them align their own differing expectations. They must now collectively agree on what a student should learn and be able to demonstrate.

The Steps to Operationalize Learning

Outcomes and Objectives: The educators must realize and articulate what students really must be able to do or demonstrate in applicable contexts.
Assessment: This focus on assessment is step two of the backward design/UbD process. Backward design prompts authentic assessments-i.e., assessments that reflect real world scenarios and situations. These authentic assessments capture student grasp of the operationalized outcomes and objectives.
Content and Instruction: The content should now focus on what students should know and be able to do and how to help them learn it because the assessment is now a known and well-designed entity. The outcomes and assessments dictate content and instruction rather than the other way around. The content and instruction become more specific, tailored, and relevant for students to achieve the intended outcomes.

The Role of Assessment in Backward Design

In all curriculum designing, assessment plays an important role. However, in backward design, there are some important assessment design expectations that should be kept in mind.

Summative Assessments

Summative assessments must be strongly aligned with the operationalized outcomes and should be able to capture them adequately. Next, they should be authentic and relevant to real-world contexts. Finally, they must play a central role in informing teaching strategies and content covered so that students are well prepared and can be successful in demonstrating their learning via the summative assessments.

Formative Assessments

In backward design, formative assessment plays a very important role in the instruction and scaffolding of content. Formative assessments help instructors and students monitor and address student learning outcomes in an ongoing manner so that student learning needs can be gleaned, and gaps can be closed. Integral to backward design, these formative assessments give educators insight into how well their teaching methods are helping students achieve learning goals. Educators can use this feedback to iterate, adapt, and pivot teaching practices to better serve students’ needs and support their achievement of learning outcomes. Formative assessments can take many forms but basically give students and educators actionable feedback. Ongoing assessments and feedback can help students understand their own achievement, strengths, performance, and challenge areas so that they achieve proficiency across the desired learning goals and objectives.

Benefits of Backward Design

Alignment: With backward design, teaching methods, content, and assessments are inherently aligned with learning objectives and standards. This creates coherent, consistent learning experiences for students.
Transparency: From the start, educators make sure students know what they are expected to learn and how they are expected to demonstrate it. Every activity supports learning outcome achievement.
Improved Learning: Because backward design bases teaching practices on helping students achieve intended learning outcomes, the expectations become very explicit and aligned, and as a result, students’ grasp of concepts and ideas can improve. The relevance and applicability of what they are learning increases exponentially.
Enhanced Student Success: A cohesive, backward-designed curriculum can amplify students’ learning of the content against the desired outcomes. It catalyzes their success because they practice skills to demonstrate their learning in their assessments. Learning becomes transparent and because it is aligned, this curricular design process makes learning and performance easier and more intuitive for the student.
Adaptability: If we start course planning with learning goals and outcomes, it is easier to update content and learning activities later in response to such changes, rather than having to redesign the entire course. Instructors who take turns teaching a course, or who teach different sections of a course might also select different content closer to their areas of expertise without altering course learning goals and outcomes.
Coherent Learning Experiences: With backward design, teaching methods, content, and assessments are inherently aligned with learning objectives and standards. This creates coherent, consistent learning experiences for students.

Potential Drawbacks

Overemphasis on Assessment: Some teachers may fear that backward design emphasizes “teaching to the test,” which puts unfair pressure on students to learn for the sake of the final assessment. However, it is up to the skilled teacher to emphasize the process of gaining new knowledge, as opposed to acing the final test.
Reduced Flexibility: Teachers who know their curriculum and lesson trajectory that was led by Backwards Design may find that over adherence depletes their ability to focus on the learning experience and, with students or colleagues, induce new routes towards learning goals.
Underestimation of Student Potential: Desired results may fall short of student potential. In assuming an end goal, students are not empowered to reach for their own goals or to follow a process that may lead to results that surprise both the student and the teacher.

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