Backwards Design Resources

• A guide to Understanding by Design (Backwards Design) from Vanderbilt University's Center for Teaching 

Designing Courses for Significant Learning.

• 37-page self-directed guide that provides an excellent overview of his approach to course design. 

On the Cutting Edge Course Design Tutorial.

• While this entire site was designed for geological sciences, most of the contents are applicable to any discipline.

Transparent Alignment and Integrated Course Design. 

• A concrete example of integrated course design, part of the Essays on Teaching Excellence Series. 

Six Innovative Course Redesign Practices.

• From the National Center for Academic Transformation.

Course Workload Estimator.

• An interactive tool that is incredibly helpful in planning the workload associated with assignments in a course.  

Billson, J. M. (1986). The college classroom as a small group: some implications for teaching and learning. 

Hobson, E. H. Getting students to read: fourteen tips, 

Creating Significant Learning Experiences: An Integrated Approach to Designing College Courses, 2nd Edition by Dee Fink, 2013 

Understanding by Design, 2nd Edition by Grant Wiggins & Jay McTighe, 2005

How Learning Works: Seven Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching by Susan Ambrose and others, 2010