Backward Design to Combat Curricular Expansion in a Large, Interdisciplinary, Team-Taught Course

Recently, there have been calls to action to address curricular expansion, including modifying standards, using curricular analytics, and optimizing interdisciplinary collaboration, all of which focus on program-level changes. The primary objective of this study was to describe how the process of backward design can be used as a strategy to reduce curricular expansion at the individual course level while maintaining student performance and decreasing student and coordinator stress.

Backward design was applied to a large, interdisciplinary, team-taught pharmacotherapy course to identify opportunities to reduce content volume and align assessment content with course objectives. Didactic content hours were measured and compared with historical controls. Student performance on examinations was measured and compared with previous years. Student feedback on examination alignment and other course-related stressors was gathered via semester-end course evaluations and compared with previous years. Course coordinator reflections before and after implementation were described.

The amount of didactic content hours delivered to students decreased by over 37 hours (33%), allowing space for the expansion of application-based practice, study time, and wellness breaks. Student performance on examinations was maintained, while student stress with examination content and the course design was decreased. Coordinators noted less stress and time spent negotiating didactic content time and examination content and alignment with individual instructors.

Using backward design as a framework to intentionally evaluate didactic content volume and assessment alignment can address curricular expansion while maintaining student learning and decreasing student and instructor stress.