Designing Student Experiences

This chapter advises how to complete the third step of Backwards Course Design: crafting learning experiences for students that result in a complete lesson plan. It recommends a seven-step process of prioritizing content; identifying dimensions of learning; choosing teaching techniques; situating the experience before, during, or after an in-class session; structuring the lesson into a beginning, middle, and closing; designing supportive materials; and writing everything down so it can be used in the future. This model will guide instructors to create a coherent lesson plan driven by learning outcomes, rather than simply covering content.