Stage 1 Identify Desired Results

Slide One: In this mini lecture, we will be discussing stage 1 in the Understanding by Design model of instructional design. Slide Two: As a quick refresher of what you have already learned, backward design has three stages: first you identify your learning outcomes (the subject of this video), then you determine evidence of learning (assessments), and finally you plan the curriculum and instruction Slide Three: In sum, backward design centers the ultimate learning goals the North Star.

By following the North Star, students expand their knowledge and skillset for success in and outside the classroom. Skills and knowledge must extend beyond the classroom (or semester) for true growth and learning.

Backward design enables learners to transfer what they have learned to other contexts. Slide four: Remember- we are designing backward, so we are going to start with the ultimate learning goals and objectives for the course. Basically, you want to ask the following three questions, which build from lowest to highest priority or from the smallest to biggest picture: What should students hear, see, or read? What knowledge and skills should students demonstrate? What big ideas and core understandings should students retain? These big ideas are called essential questions in Understanding by Design, and they are what I am calling your North Star.

Slide five: Step one: What type of knowledge is low-to-medium priority for learners?

You will always have some content that it of the lowest priority to be mentioned in lectures, units, or modules?

Think about what these are because, if need be, they can be moved around, maybe you will find they could be eliminated entirely to focus more on the essential questions.

Slide six: Step two: expanding our scope, the knowledge and skills that students demonstrate are medium-to-high priority items. These can include facts, dates, people, concepts, theories, principles, equations, or whatever else is important in your discipline.

Slide seven Finally, what about our big ideas (your North Star or essential questions) that engender enduring understanding?

These are the core ideas that professors want their students to remember after the course is done.

These are the highest-priority learning items.

Slide Eight Let s take a little deep dive: What are essential questions Understanding by Design emphasizes essential questions and core understandings. The essential questions and core understandings are the so what part of learning- the North Star that you guide your students toward throughout the course.

To determine your North Star, ask yourself: What do I want my students to carry with them beyond the class?

By using essential questions and core understandings you can be intentional in your pedagogy, academically rigorous (because you know the purpose of everything and what is high, medium, or low priority and what mastery or proficiency looks like) and connect assessments and learning activities to your over-arching goals and objectives.

Essential questions are provocative, challenging, big picture questions that you want your learners to engage with.

They do not have a simple yes or no answer, they require learners to use evidence and/or logic to answer and require learners to use higher-level skills (like analysis or application as opposed to memorization or recall alone).

They often occur over and over (across settings and academic disciplines) and can be used to make connections inside and outside the course.
This extension beyond the course is often called transfer or your transfer goals in backward design.

Think of it this way: what core understandings, skills, or ideas will your learners be able to apply in future courses, in other educational settings, or the real world? By building transfer goals into your course, you ensure that learners leave with knowledge and skills that are transferable to multiple contexts.

Slide Nine: By developing courses around core understandings and essential questions, professors answer the element of learning that perplexes many students in a traditional, forward designed course: Why are we doing this, again? Slide

Ten: So, you might be asking: What are essential questions or core understandings?

Here are some examples. Examples of essential questions might include: Why should we engage with the big ideas that philosophers, historians, chemists, social scientists (insert your subject here) have debated for centuries? What is their value? How can we create a multicultural democracy? How do people learn?

What does it mean to live a good life? Examples of core understandings might include Students will understand why reading comprehension is foundational for other high-level tasks like critical thinking or academic writing.

Students will trace (insert your discipline here) thinking on (major idea in your field or subject) from (date-to-date).

Students will describe the research process and how to collect and analyze data.

Slide 11: Generally, a course will have only a select few core understandings and essential questions this is what makes them your North Star.

Once you have determined the essential questions and over-arching learning goals, you can create more specific learning objectives for each week, module or unit. Hopefully this lecture was helpful in clarifying step one of backwards design and the importance of essential questions and core understandings in your class. See you in the course!

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