Backward Design - Curriculum Design, Instructional Design and Backward Design

Curriculum Design, Instructional Design and Backward Design

Backward design is often used in conjunction with two other terms: curriculum design and instructional design.

Curriculum design is the act of designing or developing curricula for students. Curricula may differ from country to country and further still between provinces or states within a country. Curriculum is based on benchmark standards deemed important by the government. Typically, the time frame of attainment of these outcomes or standards is set by physical age.

Instructional design is a technology for the development of learning experiences and environments which promote the acquisition of specific knowledge and skill by students. In addition, instructional design models or theories may be thought of as frameworks for developing modules or lessons that increase and/or enhance the possibility of learning and encourage the engagement of learners so that they learn faster and gain deeper levels of understanding.

There are numerous instructional design models available to instructors that hold significant importance when planning and implementing curriculum. Many of the models are quite similar in that they essentially all address the same four components in some form or another: 1) the learners; 2) the learning objectives; 3) the method of instruction; and 4) some form of assessment or evaluation. Based around those components, the instructor then has the opportunity to choose the design model and stages that work best for them in their specific situation. This way they can achieve the appropriate learning outcomes or create a plan or strategy for improvement. As learners and instructors may vary, instructional design must be a good fit for both and therefore different models can have behavioral, cognitive or constructivist roots.