At Hostos, departments provide instructors with learning outcomes or course descriptions published in the course catalog. While these outcomes provide a strong foundation, applying the principles of Backward Design helps align your course goals, assessments, and instructional activities with these outcomes. This alignment allows you to work within the framework of the senate-approved objectives while delivering a well-structured, student-centered, and effective learning experience.
Backward Design begins with the end in mind: identifying the desired results, or what students should know or be able to do by the end of the course. Even if your course is already designed, applying Backward Design affirms that all elements of your course, from assessments to learning activities, align with the established outcomes. This process supports more efficient teaching and helps students achieve clearly defined learning goals.
Additionally, integrating Generative AI (GenAI) tools, such as Large Language Models (LLM) (e.g., ChatGPT) and conversational search engines like Copilot, can further enhance the efficiency of this process. GenAI can assist with brainstorming course content, generating assessment ideas, or even suggesting ways to structure learning activities—all while establishing alignment with your approved course outcomes. By using these tools alongside Backward Design principles, instructors can save time and increase creativity in course planning without compromising academic rigor.
The purpose of this microlearning course is to guide you through the process of using Backward Design to align every aspect of your teaching with the approved course objectives. This approach helps address common challenges, such as verifying that assessments align well with activities and making learning more effective. By incorporating Generative AI, you can streamline your design process, generate innovative ideas, and affirm that your teaching approach is both intentional and student-centered. Ultimately, this approach creates a more consistent and coherent learning experience for your students, helping them succeed while making your teaching process more streamlined.
Goals
Throughout this microlearning, you will:
By the end of this microlearning, you will:
- Use AI tools to interpret the course description that outline specific skills and knowledge students should achieve.
- Leverage AI to develop assessments that measure how well students meet the defined learning objectives, ensuring alignment with cognitive levels.
- Utilize AI-powered search engines and LLMs to identify and curate instructional materials that provide students with the necessary tools to achieve course outcomes.
Time Commitment
This microlearning course is designed to be completed in approximately 1.5 hours. It is broken into three units, allowing you to align objectives, design assessments, and select instructional materials using AI-powered tools at your own pace. This estimated time includes reading the material, exploring examples, using AI-powered tools like search engines and LLMs, and reflecting on how to apply these strategies to your course development.
Microlearning Units
