The Online Learning Minute: What is Backwards Design?

Welcome back to the Online Learning Minute with Brian Runo at Marketscale. Today we’re going to explore the Backwards Design.

Personally, I use backwards design in the majority of my developments because I want to be absolutely sure that the learning objectives are assessed correctly and content is more oriented toward the big picture. Instead of building out a course in a linear fashion, you’ll want to first start with identifying the desired results, or setting up your learning objectives.

Next, you’ll begin working on the assessments and determining what evidence would demonstrate that the learner has acquired the necessary knowledge.

Last, you’ll build out the content to support those assessments. Any videos, written pieces, graphics would begin production after the assessments to ensure that the learning activities will make the desired results happen. I personally prefer this over a typical development where we have broad concepts of content to be taught and then design a test around those content pieces.

In businesses, we have a specific set of goals that we want to accomplish through online learning, and backwards design can help to achieve those goals and remain within budget.

That was your Online Learning Minute with Brian Runo!