Backward design: outcomes before outlines

What this lesson covers

1. 01

   Stage 1 is not a topic list

   Understanding by Design runs backward: first the desired results (what learners must understand and be able to transfer), then the acceptable evidence (how you will know), then the learning plan. Module 1 gave you business goals and actions. This lesson asks what evidence would convince you that those actions changed.

2. 02

   Three stages

   Desired results: Name the transfer: what learners must do on the job. A topic title is not a result.

   Acceptable evidence: Write the assessment map before any activity: what evidence you will accept, at which LTEM tier, and who signs it.

   Learning plan: Plan the practice first, then only the information that practice needs.

3. 03

   Topic outline or evidence plan

   Topic outline first: Chapter 1: Introduction to safety. · Chapter 2: Regulations overview. · Final quiz: 20 random facts.

   Evidence plan first: Criterion: technician isolates the machine correctly. · Evidence: timed simulation plus a checklist audit on site. · Learning: practise the steps, then a short regulation reference.

4. 04

   Evidence-centred design

   Testing organisations use a more formal version of backward design called evidence-centred design (Mislevy, Almond and Lukas). It asks three linked questions. What claim do we want to make about the learner? What observable behaviour would support that claim? What task would elicit that behaviour? Writing the claim first stops a common error: tasks that are realistic but do not produce evidence for the claim you need. A beautiful simulation that never forces the escalation decision cannot support a claim about escalation.

5. 05

   Write three claims

   For your top three actions, write the claim you want to make about learners in one sentence each: "After this program, a [role] can [action] when [situation]." These become the rows of your assessment map in lesson 5.