Leveraging Backward Design: Building Online Courses with the End in Mind
- LMSPortals
- 3 hours ago
- 5 min read
Why Traditional Course Design Fails Online
Instructors often plan courses by picking a textbook, outlining topics, and creating lectures. Assessments and activities are added later, almost as an afterthought. This approach is common in face-to-face teaching—and it often underwhelms. But in online courses, it’s even riskier.
Why? Because online students can’t rely on in-person cues to piece things together. Without a strong design, an online course can feel like a maze of videos, discussion boards, and quizzes with no clear purpose. Students lose motivation. They might ask, “Why am I doing this assignment? How does this connect to the course goals?”
That’s why backward design is critical for online learning. It starts by defining exactly what you want students to achieve, then builds assessments and activities that directly support those outcomes. This approach brings structure, purpose, and coherence—elements online learners desperately need.
What is Backward Design for Online Courses?
Backward design, from Wiggins and McTighe’s Understanding by Design, flips the typical planning process:
Identify desired results: What do you want students to know or be able to do by the end of the course?
Determine acceptable evidence: How will students demonstrate they’ve met these outcomes—especially in an online format?
Plan learning experiences and instruction: What online content, interactions, and tools will help them get there?
It’s a simple framework, but it transforms online courses from a loose collection of materials into a purposeful learning journey.
How Backward Design Works in Online Learning
1. Identify Desired Results
Start by writing clear, measurable learning outcomes. In an online environment, clarity is even more important. Students can’t pop by your office to figure out what’s expected.
Be specific: Use verbs that describe what students will produce (analyze, design, create), not just what they’ll “understand.”
Keep it student-centered: Focus on what students will be able to do, not just what you will cover.
Example:
Instead of: “Students will learn the principles of user experience design. ”Try: “Students will create wireframes that apply core UX principles to improve website navigation.”
2. Determine Acceptable Evidence
Ask: How will you know if students have achieved these outcomes? In an online course, this often means:
Authentic assessments: Projects, presentations, case studies, and portfolios submitted online.
Interactive discussions: Threaded posts where students analyze, critique, or apply concepts.
Quizzes and knowledge checks: Targeted assessments to verify key concepts.
Use a mix of formative assessments (low-stakes, frequent checks like quick reflections or short polls) and summative assessments (major projects or exams). Build rubrics so students know exactly how their work will be evaluated.
3. Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction
Now you plan the online learning path—modules, readings, videos, discussions, interactive tools. Ask:
How will this week’s materials prepare students for the assessments?
What online tools (discussion boards, breakout rooms, collaborative docs, video annotations) best support these goals?
How will students interact—not just with content, but with each other and with you?
Make sure every activity ties back to outcomes and builds toward the assessments.
Why Backward Design is Essential for Online Courses
Clear Alignment
Online learners need to see the why behind each task. Backward design ensures every video, article, discussion, or quiz has a clear role in helping them meet the course outcomes.
Better Engagement
When students see that each activity is part of achieving a meaningful end goal (not busywork), they’re more likely to participate fully.
Stronger Support for Diverse Learners
Online students come with varied backgrounds, tech skills, and life demands. A well-designed course with explicit outcomes and assessments gives all students a fair shot.
Easier Navigation and Reduced Overwhelm
Backward design naturally leads to well-organized modules. Students know what they’re working toward each week and how it connects to final projects.
Practical Strategies for Using Backward Design Online
Map Backward, Then Build Forward
Before you ever open your LMS (like LMS Portals), draft outcomes and assessments on paper or a planning tool. Once you’re clear on these, build modules around them.
Chunk Learning into Modules
Online attention spans are different. Break your course into modules that each focus on a key outcome, typically lasting one to two weeks. Inside each module:
Start with a brief overview video or intro note explaining goals.
List clear learning outcomes for that module.
Provide readings, lectures, or interactive media tied directly to those outcomes.
End with an activity or discussion that applies what they’ve learned.
Design Assessments for the Online Space
Use discussion boards for peer critiques, debates, or collaborative problem solving.
Have students submit video presentations or screen recordings to demonstrate skills.
Build interactive case studies using tools like H5P or embedded simulations.
Keep the Feedback Loop Tight
Provide quick, personalized feedback on small tasks to keep students on track.
Use auto-graded quizzes for instant checks on foundational knowledge.
Offer optional “office hours” via Zoom or chat to clarify expectations.
Use Tech Thoughtfully
Don’t add tools just because they’re flashy. Each tech element (from polls to wikis) should have a clear role in helping students meet outcomes.
Examples Across Online Disciplines
In an Online Marketing Course
Outcomes: Students develop data-driven digital marketing campaigns.
Evidence: Final project building a campaign plan with metrics.
Activities: Analyze real ad case studies in forums; create mock social posts; critique peer drafts.
In an Online Nursing Course
Outcomes: Students apply evidence-based practices to patient scenarios.
Evidence: Recorded simulations or care plans.
Activities: Discussion boards analyzing case studies; collaborative treatment plans in Google Docs.
In an Online Literature Course
Outcomes: Students craft arguments about themes across texts.
Evidence: Multimedia essays or annotated digital texts.
Activities: Peer discussion threads comparing interpretations; short video reflections.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
Misaligned Activities
Online courses can drift into a list of tasks that don’t really prepare students for assessments. Always ask: Does this activity give students practice in what they’ll be evaluated on?
Overloading Content
It’s tempting to pile on readings, videos, and discussions to “cover” material. Instead, go for fewer, deeper engagements that directly support outcomes.
Vague Expectations
In a classroom, students might ask questions if instructions are fuzzy. Online, they might just disengage. Provide detailed instructions, examples, and rubrics.
Backward Design is More Than a Framework—It’s a Promise
When you use backward design to build an online course, you promise students that their time matters. That every reading, discussion, quiz, and project is thoughtfully chosen to help them reach clear, valuable goals.
In a world where online learners juggle work, family, and education, that promise makes all the difference. They see the path, they know the purpose, and they’re equipped to succeed—on their own time, in their own space.
Summary: Plan Online Courses with the End in Mind
Online learning shouldn’t be a scavenger hunt for meaning. Backward design ensures students never wonder “Why am I doing this?” Instead, they see how each step builds toward skills and knowledge they can use beyond your virtual classroom.
So before you upload another slide deck or record another video, pause. Ask: What’s the ultimate goal for my students—and how will everything in this course help them reach it?
That’s backward design. That’s how you build online courses that work.
About LMS Portals
At LMS Portals, we provide our clients and partners with a mobile-responsive, SaaS-based, multi-tenant learning management system that allows you to launch a dedicated training environment (a portal) for each of your unique audiences.
The system includes built-in, SCORM-compliant rapid course development software that provides a drag and drop engine to enable most anyone to build engaging courses quickly and easily.
We also offer a complete library of ready-made courses, covering most every aspect of corporate training and employee development.
If you choose to, you can create Learning Paths to deliver courses in a logical progression and add structure to your training program. The system also supports Virtual Instructor-Led Training (VILT) and provides tools for social learning.
Together, these features make LMS Portals the ideal SaaS-based eLearning platform for our clients and our Reseller partners.
Contact us today to get started or visit our Partner Program pages