ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to help academics to promote deeper, more meaningful, longer lasting student learning – without increasing their workloads – through better subject design. It outlines a process that is both principled and practical to promote good subject design. This learning-centred design process combines 'backward design' and 'constructive alignment' and is supported by theory and research. As applied to the curriculum, 'backward design' is backward in two different senses. First, it starts with the end, not the beginning. Only after the intended learning outcomes and standards are set does one decide what topics to teach and what teaching, assessment and feedback methods to use. Second, it is 'backward' in relation to common practice. In addition to clarifying what students should know and be able to do, the subject design must specify how well students must know and do it.
