BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
X-WR-CALNAME;VALUE=TEXT:Backward Design in Practice: Defining and Refining Learning Goals
PRODID:-//Harvard events data//EN
BEGIN:VEVENT
UID:event_1727061_0
SUMMARY:Backward Design in Practice: Defining and Refining Learning Goals
DESCRIPTION: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:
- 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.
- 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
- Backward Design and Goals
- Expert Blind Spot
- Ambrose, S. A., Bridges, M. W., DiPietro, M., Lovett, M. C., & Norman, M. K. (2010). How learning works: Seven research-based principles for smart teaching. Jossey-Bass. CH. 4Links to an external site.
- Ambrose,S. A., Bridges, M. W., DiPietro, M., Lovett, M. C., & Norman, M. K. (2010). How learning works: Seven research-based principles for smart teaching. Jossey-Bass. Complete Book
- Active Learning vs. Traditional Teaching Research
- Measuring actual learning versus feeling of learning in response to being actively engaged in the classroom (Deslauriers et al.2019)Links to an external site.
- Deslauriers, L., McCarty, L. S., Miller, K., Callaghan, K., & Kestin, G. (2019). Measuring actual learning versus feeling of learning in response to being actively engaged in the classroom. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(39), 19251–19257. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1821936116Links to an external site.
- Ken Baine Teacher’s Institute Deep LearningLinks to an external site. (not for distribution)
- We also highly recommend the Syllabus as Promises section
- 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.
- Social Learning Theory
- Self Efficacy
- Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84(2), 191–215. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.84.2.191Links to an external site.
- Espinosa, T., Miller, K., Araujo, I., & Mazur, E. (2022). Reducing the gender gap in students’ physics self-efficacy in a team- and project-based introductory physics class. Physical Review Physics Education Research, 18(1), 010114. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.18.010114Links to an external site.
- Pleiss, G., Perry, M., & Zastavker, Y. V. (2012). Student self-efficacy in introductory project-based learning courses. Proceedings of the 42nd ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference. https://doi.org/10.1109/FIE.2012.6462245Links to an external site.
- Motivation and Teamwork
- Herman, G., Trenshaw, K., Goldberg, D. E., Stolk, J., & Somerville, M. (2013). Creating an intrinsic-motivation-driven course design method. In Proceedings of the 43rd ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (pp. F4E-1–F4E-7), Oklahoma City, OK, October 23-26. https://doi.org/10.1109/FIE.2013.6685021Links to an external site.
- Kempler Rogat, T., Linnenbrink-Garcia, L., & DiDonato, N. (2013). Motivation in collaborative groups. In C. E. Hmelo-Silver, C. A. Chinn, C. Chan, & A. M. O'Donnell (Eds.), The international handbook of collaborative learning (pp. 250-264). Routledge, Taylor & Francis GroupLinks to an external site.
- AI
- Problem Solving
Other helpful resources
Learning Goals
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
LOCATION:
STATUS:CONFIRMED
DTSTART:20240909T140000Z
DTEND:22420909T153000Z
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR