How to Break Free From “The Content”
Have you ever said any of these phrases?
There is just too much content and never enough time!
I missed one day of class, and now I will never get all the content covered that students need.
I can’t possibly leave this topic out, they need this content.
How am I supposed to teach all the necessary content in just <insert number> weeks?
Don’t they understand how much content I need to cover?
If you have, you are not alone. One of the most common things I hear from faculty in professional development sessions is just this - I can’t possibly do XYZ because I need that time to cover content.
But what if I told you that a shift in perspective can transform your approach to course design and reduce the stress of “getting it all in?”
Let’s face it, something always happens. We have an unexpected illness, a partnership falls through, there is a snow day, or it takes longer to cover a concept than we thought it would. And when we focus too much on the content we “must” get through, we move on before students are ready, leaving some (or many) confused. Or, we cram content into a shorter time frame. The outcome? Lower levels of learning, and higher levels of stress for students (and us!).
Want to break free from feeling beholden to the content?
Want to avoid feelings of frustration when life happens and derails your course plans?
Shift your mindset from content-focused to outcome-focused - simply put - start with the end in mind.
What exactly does “start with the end in mind” mean?
One of the most impactful lessons I learned early in my teaching career was the importance of backward design, a concept described by Wiggins and McTighe in Understanding by Design. The idea encourages educators to plan courses from the bottom up and shift the focus from content driving course design to learning outcomes. Leaning into the concept of backward design transformed my entire approach to course development and instruction.
Before we dive in, let’s talk about the traditional approach to course design.
When we're new teachers, we're often given a syllabus with a list of learning outcomes and a textbook used by the previous instructor. For most of us, especially when we are first starting out, the natural tendency is to map weekly content onto the chapters of the textbook,and assume that by covering the material, we'll meet the stated learning objectives. We plan assessments like exams, projects, and quizzes based on how we were taught, or the assessments we preferred to complete as learners.
So, what’s the problem with this approach?
While this traditional approach may seem logical, it has a fundamental flaw – it puts the focus on content delivery rather than on achieving meaningful learning outcomes. We risk creating courses that are a collection of disparate topics and assignments, rather than a cohesive learning experience designed to help students develop specific skills and knowledge.
What’s the difference?
Starting with the end in mind requires us to figure out the enduring understandings and essential skills we want students to acquire, and then purposefully design the course to facilitate the achievement of those goals.
What does it look like?
Wiggins and McTighe identified three stages of the backward design process: identify desired results, determine acceptable evidence, and plan learning experiences and instruction. To illustrate how this could work, let’s use a course I recently developed on personal branding and name, image, and likeness (NIL) in college sports.
1. Identify Desired Results
The first step in backward design is to clearly articulate the enduring knowledge and essential skills that you will build the course on. What should students know, understand, and be able to do as a result of taking your course? This type of outcome-based approach builds a foundation for every decision we make when designing the course (or in some cases an entire curriculum).
Based on this approach, here are a few of my learning goals for the personal branding course:
Students will be able to understand and explain the history and core elements of NIL in college sports, including its implementation, challenges, and opportunities.
Students will be able to apply the concepts of personal branding to their own personal brands.
Students will be able to develop a comprehensive NIL plan for a college that includes education for athletes and management of the branding process.
2. Determine Acceptable Evidence
In the second stage, we have to decide how students will demonstrate their understanding and ability to apply the acquired knowledge and skills. What assignments, projects, or performances will serve as evidence that they have achieved the intended outcomes? Our job is to carefully craft assessments, both formative and summative ones, that allow students to demonstrate what they have learned and what they still need to know.
In my course, I created a few major assignments designed to help students demonstrate and apply knowledge and understanding. First, they were asked to complete a personal branding plan that required them to apply the course concepts on personal branding. Second, they were asked to create a NIL management plan for a university athletic department.
3. Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction
With the end in mind and assessments identified, we can start planning the learning experiences and instructional strategies that will best equip students to succeed on the assessments and achieve the desired results. This includes everything we will do in the course - the readings we asked students to complete, the activities we do inside and outside of class, guest speakers we invite, and the structure of our lectures. Everything is purposefully chosen to scaffold learning (more on this next month) toward the intended goals.
The most involved part of the process involves mapping the learning experiences and instruction onto the assessments to help scaffold student learning and understanding, setting them up so they can complete the chosen assessments. In the NIL course, this included selecting readings on NIL, personal branding, and branding concepts, arranging guest speakers who work in college athletics or branding professionals, and designing case studies and small group discussions that allowed students to discuss, apply, and receive feedback on their understanding of these concepts.
What are the advantages of this approach?
What makes backward design so powerful is the intentional alignment it creates between the desired results, the assessments that measure those results, and the learning experiences that prepare students for success. Every aspect of the course is purposefully crafted to support the intended learning outcomes. The result? A cohesive and effective learning experience for students. Plus, flexibility in course design for when life happens!
Implementing backwards design can be challenging, especially for those accustomed to the traditional approach, but it gets easier with practice. It might require a significant investment of time and effort upfront to clearly articulate the desired results and carefully design assessments and learning experiences to align with those goals, but the outcomes on the back end are worth it.
By starting with the end in mind, we create courses that are focused, intentional, and designed to facilitate meaningful learning. Our students are more likely to achieve the intended outcomes and develop the enduring knowledge and essential skills we've identified as most important.
Whether you're a new teacher or an experienced professor, shifting your mindset from content delivery to outcome achievement can transform your approach to course development and instruction. It’s a shift that can lead to more effective, engaging, and impactful learning experiences for your students.
Ready to get started? Here are some resources:
Template for Using Backward Design
Vanderbilt Template for Using Backward Design
Using Backward Design to Plan Your Course
McTighe, J., & Thomas, R. S. (2003). Backward design for forward action. Educational leadership, 60(5), 52-55.
