How do you decide what to include and what to exclude when designing a course or lesson? What assessments do you use, and how do you structure them? Traditional design can feel like a math problem: you start with all the content you want to cover, divide it by the time you have, and add an assessment. This workshop proposes a better way: backward design. Backward design starts with what you want students to know or be able to do, then works backward to ask how students will demonstrate their knowledge and skills, then works backward from there to ask what activities and media will prepare them for those assessments. Together, we will examine and practice each of these steps to provide a framework you can apply to any course or individual lesson.

This workshop is part of the Evidence-Based Teaching Strategies series for GW instructors seeking strategies to increase student engagement and communicate with learners in new ways. Workshops in this series are sponsored by the Instructional Core. The Instructional Core provides comprehensive, integrated solutions for instructors in search of teaching solutions. If you need feedback on assignment or syllabus design, advice on teaching methods, or ideas for new activities, consider booking a consultation with the Instructional Core.

This workshop is part of the Course Design and Feedback series for GW instructors looking for support both in developing innovative, engaging courses and in meaningfully applying feedback after the course ends.

All sessions are free to GW students, faculty, staff, and alumni. GW has an institutional commitment to ensuring that all of our programs and events are accessible for all individuals. If you require any accommodations to participate in this event, please contact libraryevents@gwu.edu at least 72 business hours (3 business days) prior to the event.