HomePublicationsTILTed PedagogySection 2 Chapter 5: Backcasting: Engaging with Course Content via Future Planning Book MenuTILTed Pedagogy SectionsSection 1Section 2Section 3Section 4ChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5Chapter 6Chapter 7Chapter 8Chapter 9Chapter 10Chapter 11Chapter 12Chapter 13Chapter 14Chapter 15Chapter 16Book Resources Skylar DavidsonCase studies engage students in applying course content to real-world situations. Backcasting, which refers to defining a desired future outcome and identifying ways of achieving it, is a method of doing a case study that engages students in shaping their own perspectives on the future. This chapter explores the use of backcasting to engage students in future-oriented thinking within an introduction to sociology course at a community college. The assignment integrates Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TILT) principles to help students apply course readings to real-life situations, fostering critical thinking and ownership over future outcomes. The chapter discusses the importance of future-oriented teaching in preparing students for rapid social and technological changes, emphasizing the development of skills necessary for adapting to these changes. It also addresses the challenges and benefits of using backcasting and provides suggestions for adapting the backcasting assignment to other disciplines and contexts are provided, highlighting its versatility and potential for fostering student engagement and critical thinking across various fields. Related Book ResourcesBecause logical thinking about the future can be difficult on both a conceptual level and an emotional level, having a structure for thinking and planning can support students in using course content to address the process of future planning. In addition to the backcasting assignment sheet, there are three worksheets attached that can optionally be used as part of a unit in a course. These are especially useful for scaffolding, in the case that backcasting is used for a larger course assignment. Goal Setting Worksheet The Goal Setting Worksheet [PDF] [Word] encourages students to explore both the most ideal outcomes for the course topic under consideration, as well as the worst possible outcomes. Doing so aids students in further reflection on key differences between potential positive and negative trajectories, as well as ways of encouraging positive outcomes. This worksheet emphasizes the theme of alternative futures, which refers to the fact that there are infinite possibilities for the future, and decisions made today shape which possibilities become reality. Stakeholder Analysis Worksheets A “stakeholder” is a person or group who is pertinent to an issue or problem under consideration. There are two worksheets attached pertaining to acknowledging and organizing information about stakeholders relevant to a backcasting project. Stakeholder Analysis Worksheet 1 [PDF] [Word] invites students to list potential stakeholders in the course topic and suggest their concerns about the past or present, as well as their goals or hopes for the future. This worksheet also invites students to list themselves as stakeholders. Stakeholder Analysis Worksheet 2 [PDF] [Word] provides an option for organizing a list of stakeholders, through reflecting on the differing levels of power and interest stakeholders have over a topic and plotting them in a four-quadrant chart. I have found this second worksheet particularly useful in the context of class discussion, whether in person or on a discussion board in an online class, because it helps students deliberate with one another about their reasoning behind placing particular stakeholders in the locations on the chart. Discussion Questions What teaching challenge is the chapter’s assignment trying to address, and how does that challenge show up in your own courses? How does the chapter’s use of the TILT framework (purpose, task, criteria) change the learning experience described, and what parallels do you see in your own teaching? What assumptions about students or learning does the chapter surface, and how might those assumptions influence assignment design? How does the assignment described in the chapter support student agency, autonomy, or choice? How does the chapter illustrate the connection between assignment design and deeper learning (e.g., critical thinking, metacognition, synthesis)? What evidence does the chapter provide that the assignment worked, and what additional evidence would you want to see? How does the chapter’s assignment align with or challenge your current beliefs about effective assessment? What aspects of the assignment design could be adapted to your discipline, and what would need to change? If you were to implement a version of this chapter’s assignment, what would be your first step—and what potential barriers would you anticipate? Share:
