Backward Design

In the third step of the Backward Design method, you will plan or create activities for students that address each specific learning outcome. Ask yourself, "What will the students need to do to learn this thing?".

Learning activities should not be planned without first identifying learning outcomes and deciding how to measure them. The first two steps will wholly dictate the range of learning activities available to you. Note the difference between "learning activities" and "teaching". Successful learning comes from doing, and learning activities compel students to do something. Teaching, on the other hand, implies that the teacher is the only one performing any act. The instructor stands before the class and offers an "information dump" on students, who may or may not actually be learning. Thus, it is important to give students something to do, and not simply provide a lecture or demonstration.

If you considered the scope and domain for your workshop during the fist step (identifying learning outcomes) then you're already half way to planning these activities. With scope and domain in mind, you will want to create some simple activities or exercises for students to perform during the session. This may mean working together in teams on a mini-project, or it may mean that you provide them with step-by-step instructions with sample files and have them follow along as you go through the exercise. In any case, you will need to invest some time and thought into creating the materials needed for successful completion of the workshop exercises.

Using the Adobe Photoshop filters example, you may want to prepare a digital photo ahead of time and save it to a website where students can easily download it. Use that photo during the workshop to test out several filters and explain them while the students follow along. Once they have the basics, they can then begin exploring five other filters, in teams or individually. Near the end of the session, students report back on what filters they learned about. This reporting back serves as the assessment activity for determining success.

Using the replacement filament example, you could provide a demonstration of changing a filament, describing each step in detail and naming the parts involved. Then have the students practice in teams of two or three while you monitor and answer questions that arise. Near the end of the session, you have each student refill a filament while describing the process and naming the individual parts of the printer involved.

The manifoldness example would clearly be more complicated. How might we design learning activities for a group of 10 students that would lead to their being able to correct a 3D model and print it within a 1-1/2 hour workshop? What things would you need to prepare in advance? What expectations or assumptions would you have of the students? Would they work in teams or would they be better off working on their own? Will you be able to stick around to wait for the test models to print?