The Understanding by Design (UbD) framework is a widely recognized approach to curriculum development developed by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe. To help new workplace instructional designers understand this framework, let’s start with a brief history and then delve into its components using real-world examples.
Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe introduced the UbD framework in their book “Understanding by Design” in 1998. They sought to address the “coverage-focused” curriculum, where educators were primarily concerned with delivering content without a clear understanding of desired outcomes and meaningful understanding by learners.
The UbD framework comprises three stages:
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- Stage 1 – Identify Desired Results
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- Stage 2 – Determine Acceptable Evidence
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- Stage 3 – Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction
Stage 1: Identify Desired Results
In this stage, the focus is on clarifying the desired learning outcomes. These outcomes should go beyond mere knowledge acquisition and aim for deep understanding and knowledge transfer. It involves identifying the essential insights, knowledge, and skills that learners should acquire.
Example: Imagine you’re designing a workplace training program on project management. One of the desired outcomes could be for participants to understand the critical components of project planning and apply them to real-life projects.
Stage 2: Determine Acceptable Evidence
In this stage, the emphasis is on determining the assessment methods to provide evidence of learners’ understanding and proficiency. It involves defining the criteria for success and aligning assessment tasks with the desired outcomes identified in Stage 1.
Example: For the project management training program, acceptable evidence could be a performance task where participants develop a project plan for a specific scenario, demonstrating their ability to effectively apply the critical components of project planning.
Stage 3: Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction
In this stage, the focus is on designing the learning experiences and instructional activities that will lead learners to achieve the desired outcomes. It involves selecting appropriate instructional strategies, resources, and materials to support learning.
Example: In the project management training program, you could include a combination of lectures, case studies, group discussions, and hands-on exercises. Participants might analyze real-world project examples, engage in collaborative planning exercises, and receive feedback from experienced project managers.
Benefits of using the UbD framework as an instructional design methodology include:
- A clear focus on desired outcomes: The UbD framework ensures that instructional designers clearly understand what learners should achieve, facilitating more targeted and meaningful instruction.
- Emphasis on understanding and transfer: The framework encourages deep comprehension and the ability to transfer knowledge to real-world situations, enhancing learners’ practical skills and applicability in the workplace.
- Alignment of assessments and instruction: By aligning assessments with desired outcomes, instructional designers can design instructional activities that effectively prepare learners for the evaluations, promoting meaningful learning.
- Flexibility and adaptability: The framework allows flexibility in choosing instructional strategies, resources, and materials based on the learners’ and workplace’s specific needs and context.
- Continuous improvement: The UbD framework supports ongoing evaluation and revision based on feedback and assessment data, promoting continuous improvement of instructional design and learner outcomes.
Employing the UbD framework, workplace instructional designers can create curricula that promote more profound abilities, transfer of knowledge, and practical skills application (KSAs), ultimately enhancing the learning experience and fostering real-world competence among learners.