Backward Design

Though this course has focused on the materials used in teaching, it is a good idea to take a step back to look at what you want your students to learn. What are the goals and desired outcomes for your course? Put another way, think about course goals and outcomes before looking at and choosing course materials such as textbooks.

Though we cannot spend too much time on backwards design, here are five steps to consider when designing/building your course:

1. What do you want your students to learn? What are the goals or desired outcomes?
2. What is the purpose of each lesson and how does it fit into the course as a whole?
3. What assessments or tasks will students perform to demonstrate understanding?
4. How will you teach? Plan learning activities and instruction.
5. Lastly consider what materials and resources will support course goals.

In other words, when designing backwards, looking for OER should be the last step you consider after you have designed the rest of your course.

For more on Backward design see: Bowen, Ryan S., (2017). Understanding by Design . Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching.