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I see you, sitting there, overflowing with so much content knowledge you're just bursting at the seams. You've been toying with the idea of cramming all that wisdom into a course-shaped container. You’re armed with a mountain of content, a dozen good ideas, and maybe some caffeine. What's the first thing you do? Dive headfirst into the content, of course! After all, more is more, right? Well let me stop you right there, buddy. If you want to avoid a course that feels like a board game with missing pieces, confusing rules, and way too many twists, consider backward design. Basically, you start at the END of your course and take intentional steps back to the start.
LEVEL 1: Define the Win Condition (Desired Results)
When designing a board game, you don’t just throw some pieces on the board and hope people figure out how to win. You decide the win condition first—are we collecting the most points, reaching a certain place on the board, or defeating all opponents? In backward design, this “win condition” is what you want your learners to achieve by the end. Are they walking away with a product? A journal? A new skill? Defining this goal keeps your course from turning into a random pile of facts with no way to win.
LEVEL 2: Set the Rules and Checkpoints (Assessment Evidence)
Once you know the win condition, you create rules and checkpoints to make sure players stay on track. This is like deciding that players need to collect three magic coins before they can reach the castle. In backward design, these checkpoints are your assessments: the quizzes, tasks, or projects learners do along the way to show they are moving in the right direction. These checkpoints should all be derived from the end goal established in Level 1. If the end goal is for the learner to create a business plan, then these checkpoints might be completing a few lines at a time or taking a survey to identify specific needs.
LEVEL 3: Design the Gameplay (Learning Plan)
Only after you know the win condition and rules should you start working on the actual gameplay. Here, you design the steps, activities, and mini-goals that move learners toward the finish line. Think of it like planning each turn in the game, each action card, and every bonus move. In backward design, every sentence, fact, analogy, and scenario is purposeful, moving learners closer to the goal with each step. The content you provide should only be to support the identified learning targets. Anything extra can get tossed or put in a resource section.
Why Backward Design Works (And Why Your Learners Will Thank You)
Backward design helps you create a course that doesn’t just look nice but actually plays well. Each part is intentional, leading learners toward a clear win. So, the next time you’re asked to design a course, think like a game maker—start with the end, set the checkpoints, and make each turn count.
If you want more support, I'm here for you! While I do offer full course-creation services,
I also provide consulting sessions for those do-it yourselfers out there.
Sarah Demaray
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