Backwards Design
Backwards Design starts with a simple question: What should students know or be able to do successfully by the end of the course?
This question is again asked within each module and gets to the heart of Backwards Design (Wiggins and McTighe). By looking at what you want your students to be able to do, you can work backwards to connect the content and develop the learning outcomes to align your entire course.
The Course Alignment Map was developed with Backwards Design in mind.
This document can be used as a template to help you map out your entire course, module by module, and see how your assessments are measuring your learning outcomes. The pathway to learning becomes clear to you and your students.
Certainly, other learning ideas and recommendations for deepening/extending learning can be included, but by illustrating the alignments, the students have a clear understanding of what they need to know and how to perform for the level of expectation – and then they can further explore once they have mastered the core concepts.
Mapping Assessments to Outcomes
Start with the learning outcome. Then choose an assessment that asks students to demonstrate that same level of learning.
When designing assignments, the particular level or cognitive category of learning targeted by the learning outcome is an important consideration. (Bloom’s Taxonomy).
Match the task, activity and requirements of an assignment to the cognitive category of learning.
| If students need to… | Good assessment choices |
|---|---|
| Remember facts, terms, definitions | Quiz, matching, fill-in-the-blank |
| Understand ideas or concepts | Explanation, summary, discussion |
| Apply knowledge | Problem set, case response, demonstration |
| Analyze information | Case analysis, comparison, data analysis |
| Evaluate alternatives | Critique, recommendation, debate |
| Create something new | Presentation, project, proposal, portfolio |
Quick Alignment Check
Before finalizing an assessment, ask:
- What does the learning outcome actually ask students to do?
- Does the assessment require students to demonstrate that skill?
- Is the assessment asking for a higher or lower cognitive level than the outcome?
- Do the grading criteria measure the same knowledge or skill described in the outcome?
EXAMPLE:
Not aligned:
Outcome: Students will analyze competing communication theories.
Assessment: Multiple-choice quiz asking students to identify definitions.
Better aligned:
Students compare two theories and use them to analyze a communication scenario.