Backward Design in Practice: Defining and Refining Learning Goals

Date and Time

September 9, 2024
11:00AM - 12:30PM EDT

Location

SEC 1.412

This session is designed to set a strong foundation for your LInc Faculty Fellowship by prompting early reflection on your course vision, specific learning goals, and the objectives you hope to achieve. Our focus will be on actionable strategies for developing effective course designs that prioritize student engagement, targeted learning outcomes, and meaningful assessments.

Overview

1. Defining Your Course Vision and Goals 
   We'll begin with an exploration of your course vision, encouraging you to draft initial learning goals and outcomes. Starting with action verbs can clarify desired outcomes and inspire assessment ideas from the outset. Please consider that these drafts are flexible; they will evolve through your engagement with the program.

2. Identifying Your Design Priorities 
   Reflect on what aspects of course design you would like support in, whether that’s translating goals into activities, exploring different teaching methods, addressing educational research questions, or experimenting with assessments. This helps tailor our approach to your unique goals.

3. Suggested Readings and Resources 
   To support your preparation, a range of resources is provided to ground you in key concepts of course design. We suggest starting with Backward Design and Learning Goals, followed by materials on Expert Blind Spots, Active Learning, Social Learning Theory, and Self-Efficacy. These readings will help frame our discussions and equip you with relevant insights as you begin your fellowship journey.

This foundational session aims to set the stage for a collaborative and thoughtful fellowship experience, with an emphasis on aligning teaching strategies with research-backed practices and your personal educational goals.

 

To Do

To kick off your LInc Faculty Fellowship most efficiently, we ask that you:

  1. Begin thinking deeply about your vision for your course, the learning goals and learning objectives for your students. In particular, we ask that you draft a set of learning goals/outcomes before we begin, with the understanding that none of them are set in stone. Please write them leading with action verbs as doing so will assist you in thinking about assessment from the start, or will help suggest or inspire appropriate assessments more naturally.
  2. Consider what you would most like to get out of your design engagement—support in transforming goals into learning activities, exposure to or experience with different teaching modalities/approaches, addressing an educational research question, implementing a new assessment scheme or intervention, etc.

To help you in your preparation, we have provided below a few suggested readings. We recommend getting started with the first section Backward Design and Learning Goals, but otherwise encourage you to pick and choose what interests you.

Reading Resources

  1. Backward Design and Goals

 

  1. Expert Blind Spot

 

  1. Active Learning vs. Traditional Teaching Research
  1. Content Design
  • Petersen, C. I., Baepler, P., Beitz, A., Ching, P., Gorman, K. S., Neudauer, C. L., Rozaitis, W., Walker, J. D., & Wingert, D. (2020). The tyranny of content: "Content coverage" as a barrier to evidence-based teaching approaches and ways to overcome it. CBE—Life Sciences Education, 19(2), ar17. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.19-10-0211Links to an external site.

 

  1. Social Learning Theory

 

  1. Self Efficacy
  1. Motivation and Teamwork
  1. AI
  1. Problem Solving


Other helpful resources

 

Learning Goals

  1. Foundational Knowledge Goals
    • Articulate at least three principles of effective course design and explain how each applies to a specific course.
    • Identify and summarize two key pedagogical strategies that align with course learning objectives.
  2. Skill Development Goals
    • Design and present a draft syllabus with measurable learning outcomes, incorporating at least one new assessment method introduced during the fellowship.
    • Create and share a sample learning activity that aligns with stated course objectives and integrates active learning techniques.
  3. Cognitive Process Goals
    • Evaluate and revise one aspect of course design based on insights from current educational research or peer discussions.
    • Analyze feedback from a peer review of teaching strategy, incorporating at least one actionable change into course design.
  4. Reflective Practice and Growth Goals
    • Complete and document a self-assessment that reflects on progress in teaching methods, identifying one strength and one area for further development by the end of the fellowship.
    • Participate in two reflective discussions about teaching philosophy and provide written reflections on any shifts in perspective.
  5. Community and Collaboration Goals
    • Actively engage in at least three collaborative discussions, contributing at least one example or insight from personal teaching experience.
    • Provide constructive feedback to at least one peer’s course design, suggesting one actionable improvement based on shared resources or group discussion.

 

Takeaways

  1. Clarifying and Articulating Your Course Vision
    • Reflect on the “big picture” of your course. Develop an understanding of not just what you want students to learn but why it matters and how it connects to broader learning goals. This vision will guide not only content selection but also the teaching strategies and assessments you design, helping you create a cohesive experience that resonates with students.
  2. Applying Backward Design as a Strategic Framework
    • Begin to internalize backward design principles, emphasizing the importance of identifying desired learning outcomes before planning instructional activities. This strategic approach can help you avoid the common pitfall of overemphasizing content coverage at the expense of meaningful, outcome-driven learning experiences.
  3. Drafting Actionable and Assessable Learning Goals
    • Craft preliminary learning goals that are both specific and measurable. Using action verbs as a starting point will help you envision potential assessments, sparking ideas about how students can demonstrate understanding and application of concepts. You’ll gain insight into how clear goals can serve as a foundation for designing assessments that accurately gauge student progress.
  4. Identifying Personal Priorities for Design Support
    • Reflect on what aspects of course design are most critical to your teaching context. This might include transforming learning goals into impactful activities, experimenting with diverse teaching modalities, addressing educational research questions, or implementing innovative assessment strategies. By identifying these focal points, you set the groundwork for targeted fellowship support, making the engagement more personally relevant and actionable.
  5. Engaging with Key Pedagogical Literature
    • Explore foundational texts that inform evidence-based teaching practices, such as backward design, active learning vs. traditional methods, expert blind spots, and social learning theory. These readings will help you better understand the theoretical underpinnings of various teaching strategies, providing both inspiration and a research-informed basis for making pedagogical decisions that enhance student learning.
  6. Beginning a Reflective and Iterative Design Process
    • Embrace a mindset of continuous improvement by engaging in reflective practice throughout the fellowship. Start building a habit of self-assessment to help identify which strategies resonate with your teaching goals and where adjustments might be needed. By documenting reflections and progress, you’ll create a resource for refining your teaching philosophy and methodologies over time.
  7. Building a Collaborative Fellowship Community
    • Connect with peers to begin building a supportive network of educators focused on shared goals of teaching innovation and student engagement. This community provides a rich opportunity to exchange ideas, share feedback, and gain perspectives from colleagues across disciplines, creating a collaborative environment that fosters growth and resilience in teaching.

 

 

 

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