Understanding by Design

Developed by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe
Overview
Understanding by Design (UbD) is a backward design framework that prioritizes learning outcomes and evidence of understanding before instructional activities are planned (Wiggins & McTighe, 2011). Rather than beginning with content coverage or preferred teaching strategies, UbD begins by clarifying what learners should understand and be able to transfer to new contexts.

UbD Unwrapped...

Stages
  • Stage 1: Identify Desired Results
  • Stage 2: Determine Acceptable Evidence
  • Stage 3: Plan Learning Experiences
Implications of UbD for Instructional Design
UbD has important implications for instructional design because it reframes the role of the designer from content curator to architect of learning experiences. By requiring designers to articulate outcomes and evidence first, UbD promotes intentionality and coherence throughout the design process (Wiggins & McTighe, 2011). This approach aligns closely with course mapping practices that emphasize measurable learning outcomes and alignment across instructional components (Quality Matters, n.d.).
In online and adult learning contexts, UbD is particularly valuable because it encourages designers to focus on transfer, meaning learners are expected to apply knowledge and skills beyond the course itself (Stanford Teaching Commons, n.d.). Rather than assessing surface level recall, UbD supports the use of authentic tasks that mirror real world applications, which is critical for professional and career focused learning environments.
UbD also reinforces the importance of essential questions as drivers of inquiry. According to Wiggins and McTighe (2011), these questions help learners organize knowledge, engage in critical thinking, and connect new learning to prior experiences, which supports deeper understanding.

Strengths and Limitations Applied to My Minicourse

STRENGTHS
LIMITATIONS
When applied to my minicourse focused on digital literacy and purposeful professional learning for adult learners, UbD offers several clear strengths. The backward design structure supports alignment between the identified learning gap, course learning outcomes, and performance based assessments. For example, instead of designing activities around digital tools alone, UbD encourages outcomes that require learners to evaluate information credibility, apply digital sensemaking strategies, and make informed decisions in professional contexts, which reflects the model’s emphasis on transfer (Wiggins & McTighe, 2011). During Stage 1, Identify Desired Results, the minicourse emphasizes enduring understandings related to evaluating digital information credibility, engaging in ethical digital participation, and applying sensemaking strategies in professional contexts. In Stage 2, Determine Acceptable Evidence, the minicourse uses authentic performance based assessments rather than traditional quizzes. One core assessment requires learners to analyze a real digital source relevant to their profession, justify its credibility using structured criteria, and explain how they would responsibly use or reject that information in a workplace scenario. This task reflects UbD’s emphasis on demonstrating understanding through application and mirrors professional decision making processes (Poston, n.d.). During Stage 3, Plan Learning Experiences, is reflected in scaffolded instructional activities that build toward the performance task. Learners first examine guided examples of credible and non credible digital sources, then participate in peer discussion to compare evaluation decisions, and finally apply their learning independently. This sequencing allows learners with varying levels of prior digital literacy to engage meaningfully while maintaining consistent learning outcomes, which is essential in adult learning environments characterized by diverse experiences and skill levels (Bowen, 2017).
UbD also presents limitations. The model requires substantial upfront planning, particularly when designing authentic assessments that accurately capture understanding within the limited scope of a minicourse. This can be challenging within the limited scope of a minicourse (Poston, n.d.). Additionally, UbD provides limited guidance on specific instructional strategies, requiring designers to integrate complementary learning theories to support activity design.
Despite these challenges, UbD provides a strong framework for my minicourse by ensuring that learning outcomes are meaningful, measurable, and directly connected to real world application. Its focus on alignment and understanding outweighs the increased planning demands, especially in adult learning contexts where relevance and transfer are critical. The clarity, alignment, and instructional coherence UbD provides outweigh these limitations by ensuring that every learning activity serves a clear and purposeful role.
References
Bowen, R. S. (2017). Understanding by design. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching.
McTighe, J., & Wiggins, G. (2011). The understanding by design guide to creating high quality units. ASCD.
Poston, L. (2016). UbD stage 3 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DHnjndoG9U
Poston, L. (n.d.). UBD stage #2, assessments. LTP Creative Design, LLC. https://ltpcreativedesignllc.com/2020/02/21/understanding-by-design-stage-2/
Quality Matters. (n.d.). Map your way to a quality course through course mapping. https://www.qualitymatters.org/qa-resources/resource-center/conference-presentations/map-your-way-quality-course-course-mapping
Stanford Teaching Commons. (n.d.). Creating learning outcomes. https://teachingcommons.stanford.edu/teaching-guides/foundations-course-design/course-planning/creating-learning-outcomes

Dr. J. Ryner, Ed.D.

PHONE: 954-404-4499 Email: J.Ryner@aol.com
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